My procedure for crank installation has always been to install the crank arm bolts  as tight as I could and then retighten after 50 miles or so. This bolt gets more torque than any other on the bike, but I never used any special wrench or extra leverage (unlike removing bottom bracket cups where I have an extender). One set of campy crank arm bolts came with some blue loctite on them from the factory. This doesn't seem like a bad idea, especially in your case where they have already shown a predilection to come loose. Use blue (removable) not red (permanent).

Agreed with everyone here on the torque.  Had "clunking" issues all last season and kept taking apart and cleaning/regreasing the GXP Rival cranks with no luck.  Over the winter I took it apart again, cleaned, regreased, and torqued the ever loving hell out of it and problem solved

What you need is man strength and this tool....a Chris BB wouldn't hurt your cause either as the sram  BB's are shit

I'm going to try and take it apart this weekend, learn from it, clean it etc and learn to put it back again. For the first time screwing something on the bike, I don't have to worry about over torqueing something.

@Phil: don't let LBS touch your bike!

Just want to double check that by spacers you mean the 1mm spacer + the new 1.85mm spacer,

It's one of those lockring tools with a pin down the middle, which means it's closed off at one end. I might need one that is open on both ends?

Took it over to Ride to have them look at it. The answer was: sometimes you have to know when to hit something with a hammer. 

Sometimes the splines get chewed up and make it difficult to put the cassette back on.  This can make it seem as though the cassette is spaced incorrectly.  The solution for me in this situation was to sand the burrs off the splines, enabling the cassette to engage completely.  Sounds like they accomplished the same result by a slightly different method.

A ways back Jeff White made a funny comment about his disregard for torque wrenches. It made me LOL. But having just swapped stems, fussed with saddle height, I have to say I kind of love my little Ritchey torque wrench.

What's surprisingly nice about it, is that it both provides the snap-cracking thrill of shredding through a box of bubble wrap and/or breaking things in general, but also the peace of mind knowing that it's tightened "just right." I think I'm going to bring it to my next race and offer to torque everyone's stems and seat collars. #nerdfun

Marc, I thought I was the only one who was in love with the little Ritchey torque wrench.

torque wrench ftw

Opinions please! In a world where we debate using sheep intestines for inner tubes because of lower rotational weight, it seems cray-cray that Neugent is putting washers in his rear wheels for each spoke. Right? I desperately want some bomb-diggitty tubulars for cross, so I will be obsessing over all details of cheaper stuff available to us.

Marc Bertucco said:

Opinions please! In a world where we debate using sheep intestines for inner tubes because of lower rotational weight, it seems cray-cray that Neugent is putting washers in his rear wheels for each spoke. Right? I desperately want some bomb-diggitty tubulars for cross, so I will be obsessing over all details of cheaper stuff available to us.

Each of those washers weighs 0.05 grams. Fret not, and shred on. So a little over a gram for a 24 spoke wheel.

Those washers are a great idea.  Having had 3 sets of Neuvations I can say that the hubs have been trouble free and nearly maintenance free for years.  I have broken a total of 3 spokes over 6 years (pretty sure its 6 year now)  Even when I broke spokes I never got stranded...the wheel stayed true enough to ride and I simply wrapped the broken spoke around an unbroken spoke.  Have not broken a spoke in over 3 years now.  The aluminum wheels are stiff in a good way...

Oh today I tapped the axel out of my Alchemy rear hub to see what the hell was up with the crunchy noise and drag....does this look proper ?

Yacks, the brown ring makes me think your bearings are rusting and worn.  Are they cartridge bearings?  Do they feel gritty?  Maybe replace them.

@Yacks
Which model alchemy rear hub ? The original 10S Orc or the newer ORC-UL. The latter has a known major issue and there is an immediate "stop using" memo out from Alchemy.

Thanks Ian but I have the older Orc version.  I was pissed when the new model came out thinking I had last years technology but who's crying now ?!  The new hub has been taken off the market completely and anyone who bought it has to figure out what to do next.  It appears my hub is simply suffering from an acute case of "bearings shit the bed"....again...."bearings shit the bed".  Thinking of going ceramic this time around.  

If you do go ceramic, go full ceramic and not hybrid.  Hybrid is steel races and ceramic balls.  The races will still erode because the balls are harder than the races.

ian ellis said:

@Yacks
Which model alchemy rear hub ? The original 10S Orc or the newer ORC-UL. The latter has a known major issue and there is an immediate "stop using" memo out from Alchemy.

Dude, is that the one you sold me?

Marc Bertucco said:

Opinions please! In a world where we debate using sheep intestines for inner tubes because of lower rotational weight, it seems cray-cray that Neugent is putting washers in his rear wheels for each spoke. Right? I desperately want some bomb-diggitty tubulars for cross, so I will be obsessing over all details of cheaper stuff available to us.

Or you can look at it the other way.  That a rear rim with washers on both sides is unnecessarily heavy or that eyletted rims, while easier to build up, carry unnecessary metal because of the depth of the eyelets.

So far my choice in buying a $430 rear hub has been a fail...unless a cheap bearing replacement works out. I haven't touched my Neuvation hub bearings and they are going strong. Also u can tighten your quick release as much as you want on the Neuvation and not crush your bearings...,not so on the Alchemy.

I've had to swap out the bearings on my front alchemy wheel twice in the years that I've owned them. It doesn't bother me because it's a $10 job at Ride. My suggestion to you would be to stay away from the ceramic bearings. Also, nothing lasts forever.

uh oh Yacks...sounds like you might need to...WARRANTY!

So this spoke is totally reusable, right?