I have a huge scratch on my crank arm. I think it is caused by bike store while putting my pedal. There is no other way of explaining this scratch… warranty replace?
is it brand brand new? like you just got it home?
NGL, I had to look at your picture like 3 times before I could see what might be a scratch. I’m still not certain I see a HUGE scratch, but things don’t always show up clearly in a picture.
If you are certain it’s an issue from the shop, and it WASN’T there before it went in, I would start there.
Unless you can somehow confirm that the scratch was there from day one or there’s a possibility of failure and convince the manufacturer as such, I wouldn’t think that this would fall under a warranty replacement.
Either way, scratches and dings happen, unless your bike NEVER leaves the garage. You may find yourself living with a scratch…
Are talking about the two silver lines bordering the cutout between the crank bolt and SRAM label? If so, is that from your heel rubbing?
I have this on my cranks on multiple bikes, from the inside of my heel brushing against the crankarm as I pedal. At some point I suppose it could become a structural danger to the crank, but after years of riding this way it’s still not deep enough to be anything more than aesthetic.
That said, with what I’d call average-length feet (US 9.5) and 172.5 cranks, my scuff is much closer to the crank spindle than yours is. In my mind this does seem to lend credence to the idea that this might have been caused by something else in your example, unless you have very long cranks and small feet.
My road bike’s non-drive side crankarm with said scuff:
That 100% looks like shoe / heel rub. The slightly circular pattern is the give away. A random scratch would not be so symmetrical.
And it is unlikely from putting on a pedal since it appears that you need to use Allen wrenches from the inside of the crank arm for those pedals. But even if they used a traditional pedal wrench, that scratch indicates a long term circular pattern, not just installing a pedal one time.
I think it is a heel rub since it’s only on one side. So what is the solution? I can put scratch paint on it but how can I prevent from further rubbing? Adjust cleat position? Put some protection tape on crank arm?
My heels brush my chainstays occasionally; I’ve put a strip of electrical tape on them where the contact occurs to keep from scuffing my bike’s paint. Cheap, simple, and effective solution. I guess I should have done this on my cranks, but it’s way too late You could adjust your cleat position or add spacers, but I personally like to avoid altering my position for something like this. I have a very heel-in pedaling motion, and I like my cleats where they are, so occasional contact is acceptable to me.
My scruff is also closer to the spindle on my old bike. That problem was fixed with longer spindles on my pedals. They also make pedal spacers.
I do have small feet size 6.5 and I run 170mm.
I use helicopter tape on my cranks. Works great and is invisible.
Your shoe will show scuffs also.
Well, try adjusting your cleats. Depending on pedal system you use, you might not need that much float. Check your shoes too, is the shoe over too much inboard of the bottom bracket, and moving it more inboard? Forcing your shoe outward might clear better? (I had that happen, and I never really noticed the adjustment)
I have a bike with scuffs on the left chain stay, so OUCH, but I was able to shift the cleat to help stop it clear better.
What I do if over carbon fiber, is use matching nail polish, and try to move the cleat. Yeah, there are all kinds of tapes, and gaffer tape might work better (it sticks but not near permanent) but Gorilla Tape would hold stronger than you might want. Also the cranks on my fatboy had ‘crank protectors’, but they were primarily for the ends of the crank arms.Some bikes use a clear tape for the frame, and it seems to stick really well, but it’s not meant to hold up under serious scuffing and rubbing.
And it’s amazing to see what a simple fraction of a shoe sole, or some part of a Boa or ratchet closure can do to a bike frame.
A wise man once said, look within before you blame others, or something like that
Rotate and/or move your cleat inwards and/or put a thin washer between you pedal and the crank arm. I’ve done all 3 to avoid my shoe rubbing.
The XTR cranks on my mountain bikes have been polished by its first owner and now by me. There are wear marks on my MTB shoes on the inside heel. The position is essentially where you see them on your cranks.
These are normal wear marks that cannot be avoided, unless you wrap your cranks or don’t ride them. I understand that the first scratch is upsetting, I was there every single time I got a new bike and noticed the first blemish, but unless that damage is due to carelessness or makes riding your bike unsafe, I suggest you learn to live with it.