Source
r/pelotoncycle•
marthoc

Crank arm assembly imbalanced?

:cycling:Cycling

My wife and I both regularly use our Peloton Bike+ which we received in May of 2021.

Recently, we started to hear a scraping noise that appeared to be coming from the pedal area. On further investigation, I've traced the noise to the red wheel attached to the right pedal (which I believe is called the crank arm assembly?). The noise is actually being produced by the red wheel rubbing against the clear grey plastic cover.

The noise is not produced constantly but only when the right pedal is in a certain position of its rotation. The red wheel is spinning unevenly and rubs against the plastic cover in the same place on the red wheel on each rotation.

Anyone have an idea of how to fix this? Peloton support has not been super helpful so far and have sent me a replacement plastic cover, despite me having sent them a video and explained the issue in detail. They've also advised me that they won't be able to send a repair person because we have moved the bike from where it was originally delivered and now we are outside the service area. They are willing to ship parts, however.

Is it a matter of tightening the crank assembly? Or is there a bearing in there that maybe needs to be replaced? Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

Posted Jun 25, 2021, 3:41 PM UTC

811
juliaplayspiano•

We had a similar issue on the reg bike, and it was a loose bottom bracket. Just needed to be tightened - tech was only here for about 20 min total. If they can’t get a tech to you, I’d push for a frame swap. They can refurb this one when it’s back in a service area.

4
EngageTheSpinDrive•

You can't fix it.

If it were a v1 bike it would be the plastic guard's fault, and you'd see it from day one.

On a bike+ this is much more serious. I bet that you've had a clicking noise coming from there for a couple weeks and you ignored it. Also, you could feel an "edge" while pedaling, when shifting weight from side to side. Right now, if you hold pedals with your hands and push them side to side they move a little bit, don't they?

It was loose bottom bracket and you ignored it. Now it came out so much that it scrapes the plastic. If you keep using it it will come out even more, damage itself, damage the crank arm and possibly the bike frame. It will also seize the pedals.

Call the support and tell them you need to tighten bottom bracket, which is a set of bearings and the shaft holding the crank arms. You cannot do it yourself, as it requires somewhat specialized tools. Do not use the bike until it's fixed.

If it's really impossible to fix it by Peloton you will need to borrow an impact driver and spend some $50 on tools to do it.

2
Snar1ock•

Ask for a Frame swap. Repairing a ~2 month old Bike is non sense.

Moving the Bike does not impact the warranty or anything other than the type of support being received as some areas don’t have Peloton service techs.

Limited warranty covers you for incidents such as this. Make sure support gets you to Technical Support as they are the only ones who are trained on diagnosing issues and providing actually Bike support.

I will say there is a slight chance you could have damaged it during moving. Depends on how it was transported. Having it transported on its side or having something rest up against the crank could have caused the issue.

6
marthocOP•

Thanks for the feedback! I can't say we noticed anything other than the scraping of the red wheel on the plastic shell. Peloton support advised us that we could continue using the Bike while they were sending parts to fix, so that's what we've been doing, but we will stop now until they fix. As the other poster commented, we are going to ask for a frame swap as it seems a bit ridiculous that a 2 month old bike is already having an issue.

1
EngageTheSpinDrive•

The issue isn't a wear and tear after 2 months, it's assembly error. It was bad when you got it. A loose part, but unfortunately, a critical one.

Bikes generally have a problem shortly after delivery or none at all. They don't wear out because the magnetic resistance is contactless.

1
anticontrarian•

We received ours in May 2021 as well, and have this same issue. We have both a scraping nose (belt) and a clicking when under load. We have opened a ticket with Peloton and they have asked for a video. Hoping for a warranty fix of some sort but our ticket is still freshly opened.

1
anticontrarian•

A follow-up: they came out an inspected our lower bracket, and told us that whoever (from Peloton) originally set it up completely cross threaded it and it was fubar. 4 hours later, we have a new bike. Same monitor, but brand new bike. It's so much smoother now! It is nice to know that they stand behind their promises.

1
marthocOP•

For us first-level support insisted on a video and then "diagnosed" it as an issue with the plastic shroud at the front of the bike (as in, nowhere near the area pictured in the video). Progressing through the support levels and they've asked for the same video again... so we will see where it goes.

1
ShirleyVixen915•

I had a tech out today to fix my seat which keeps sliding down. He said it’s a common problem with the bike+ due to the material on the earlier versions of the bike. He also said the clicking noise under the pedals or in the front is a common issue. Something to do with the mass production or first run of the production. Anyway, maybe describe it as a clicking noise. See if that gets you anywhere.

1
lerpattioSPACE_PANTS:5::c::t::e071::p18::e028::e007::e031::e029::c035:•

Peloton has warehouses in their major markets, so if you live in certain cities, there are trained Peloton techs who can make service calls. They can usually tell right away what's rubbing on what because they have a lot of familiarity with the bikes.

Based on the description, one likely explanation is that the bottom bracket (the bearing and axle assembly that the cranks are attached to) was not installed tightly enough at the factory and it has worked loose, allowing the cranks to start migrating towards the right as the unit backs out. A Peloton tech would normally be able to disassemble, inspect, and reassemble the drivetrain in a 30min visit.

Outside of major markets, they have to rely on third-parties like XPO to try and do field service and there is no guarantee whether the person sent to help has remotely done anything like it before.

Repairs that could have been done in a few minutes by a Peloton tech can pretty easily turn into a bike swap when you're outside a service area.

1
marthocOP•

Just by way of update for anyone who finds this thread in the future. Peloton support now agrees with the suggestion that it is a bottom bracket issue. They have advised that since we are located in Canada they do not do bottom bracket replacement/repairs, but instead will do a frame swap.

1