Rubber Boot for Crank Arms

Time for a post on a random topic!

For off-road bikes such as MTB, many of them use a rubber boot at the ends of the crank arms to protect them from rock strikes or other scratches. This is almost never seen on road bikes as there is nearly no chance of hitting the cranks on anything on the road. If you do (such as during a crash), there are worse things to consider than scratches at the ends of the crank arms.

I got these Risk branded rubber boots for crank arms. They come in a generic size, and so I will see how it fits across different crank arms.

Rubber boots for crank arms! Comes in a pair, and is available in many colours.

I understand that these rubber boots have been around for some time, and are therefore designed to fit narrower crank arms. Not sure how they will fit on newer crank arms that are wider.

Testing it on a very old Dura-Ace 7800 crank arm which is narrow. Fits well!

Still can fit on the Dura-Ace 7900 crank arm. In fact, it fits the best on this crank arm.

The Dura-Ace 9000 crank arm is wider, and the rubber boot has to be stretched quite a bit for it to even fit.

Does not fit well on the 9000 crank arm, the rubber boot is not big enough.

Fitting the rubber boot onto the Dura-Ace R9100 crank arm.

Fits OK on the R9100 crank arm. A bit tight but still doable.

Rear view of the rubber boot on the R9100 crank arm.

Rubber boot also can be fitted onto the Dura-Ace R9200 crank arm.

Rear view of the R9200 crank arm.

For a side-by-side comparison of all the Dura-Ace crank arms, check out this post for the pictures!

What's funny is that after testing the rubber boot on all the Dura-Ace crank arms, I will actually install it on a Ultegra crankarm. This would be the Ultegra R8000 crank arm that is on the Cervelo Aspero gravel bike, as I would like a bit of crank arm protection when riding gravel.

Here is a new tool for making it easier to install or remove pedals. Some higher end pedals such as the XTR or Deore XT pedals do not have a flat 15 mm section on the pedal axle for use with a pedal wrench. Rather, they require a 8 mm Allen key to install or remove them from the crank arms.

Using a standard 8 mm Allen key will work, but it can be difficult to apply sufficient torque as the Allen key is not long enough, or the gripping surface is too small.

The PRO 8 mm Hex Pedal Wrench solves this problem, by having a dedicated long 8 mm Allen key with a rubber handle to make things easier. Check out the pictures below!

PRO 8 mm Hex Pedal Wrench, extra long and with rubber handle for comfort.

Short ball end makes it easy to spin the pedals into the crank arm by rotating the handle.

Use the other end to tighten the pedals securely and comfortably with the rubber handle. Also useful when removing the pedals.

Deore XT M8020 Trail pedals installed on the R8000 crank arm, with the rubber boot.

Rubber boot on the gravel bike crank arms, to protect against scratches when riding on gravel trails.