Now that the “Great Shimano Crank Recall of 2023” has gone global, I thought it time to pull the recalled Ultegra crankset off my bike in order to get it inspected (you can take your whole bike in if you prefer). If a crankset is found to be faulty, Shimano will replace it. Their official line is; “Consumers whose cranksets show signs of bonding separation or delamination during inspection will be provided a free replacement that the dealer will professionally install.“

As this recall affects ALMOST THREE MILLION CRANKSETS worldwide, I’d guess that there will be some lengthy delays for many customers in receiving a replacement. That’s a LOT of stock that Shimano probably do not have lying around.

Consumer Notice: Shimano 11-speed HOLLOWTECH II crankset recall

Removing a Shimano crankset is an easy affair. Unscrew the plastic retaining nut, loosen the Allen bolts on the left-side crank arm, flick up the retaining latch between the bolts, then pull everything off. Luckily I had a spare Shimano 105 crank lying around that I could swap it for, so my bike isn’t out of action.

If you’ve ever wondered what the difference between a 105 and an Ultegra crankset is, the answer is not all that much. Well, apart from the fact that 105 cranks don’t break! The Ultegra one is arguably better looking and has a chunkier drive-side crank arm. The weight difference between the two is a marginal 40 grams.

Shimano 105 5800 vs Ultegra R8000 crankset (both 50/34 170mm)

Now that I’ve removed the crankset, the next step is to figure out which bike shop in Hobart is handling Shimano recall process, then I’ll drop it in for a professional inspection.