On Thu, 4 Dec 2008, Khalid Mateen wrote:

> I know updating brakes on a bicycle will depend on the mounting that is
currently on a bike of an old bike but whatabout cranksets?  Are they typically
updated by users?  If you have an old schwinn or cannodale, can the crankset be
updated?
>

It very common to update a cranket, usually to get different gearing
that's not possible with the current one, but is also done to change crank
length or q-factor/tread, or just for aesthetics. It will most likely
require some special tools, most notably a crank-extractor.
Depending on the specifics, you may need a new bottom bracket also, which
will require additional tools.
If you just want different gearing, you can often just replace the
chainrings.
On a Schwinn or Cannondale, the parts should be pretty standard.

Cheers,
Ryan