I ride Shimano components—derailleurs, cassettes and brakes—on three of my bikes. So what I am about to write will not be an expression of schadenfreude.
Here goes: Shimano is recalling 2.8 million of its cranksets worldwide—760,000 in North America. They include Dura-Ace and Ultegra 11-speed cranks manufactured between from 2012 to 2019 and sold, whether to individuals or to bike-makers, until this year.
The “Hollowtech” cranks were made with two more-or-less U-shaped aluminum alloy bars bonded with epoxy, which accounts for their appearance, light weight—and the problem that’s led to the recall.
About 4500 crank arms de-laminated—in other words, came apart—as cyclists pedaled them. Some of those incidents resulted in injuries though, apparently, none were life-altering.
Shimano has provided a list of model names and numbers, along with date codes (which can be found on the backsides of the crank arms).
