At just over $100, is there anything that makes these so amazing? You can basically get a full set of 13-16 DA cogs for that price!
I don't think they are better than DA. I just cited them because they are on the Race side of the Sugino lineup as opposed to the casual Street side.
I'm not familiar with the differences between the Sugino 75 (race) line and their Sugino Gigas/Grand Might (exclusive race) lines. I've read that the more expensive line involves more hand-crafted attention and more folding of the raw metal or something like that.
Back in 2006, member "11.4" (a really knowledgeable trackie) wrote:
Originally Posted by
11.4
Beautiful polishing, teeth are individually shaped in part by hand finishing, surface hardened. They are absolutely gorgeous and the Gigas chainring is noticeably quieter than a Dura Ace chainring when I swap it out. I got a new 14T Gigas cog on eBay for $30 and it's pretty smooth as well but -- unless you value the weight of alloy over durability -- it's actually just about beat in finish and design by the new Phil Wood cogs.
The Gigas line has a special coating on them as well.
Originally Posted by
11.4
Don, that coating is the surface hardening. It's an electro-chemical dip followed by a heat treatment. It helps create the very smooth bright finish, but it comes out of the dip discolored so a buffing brings up the pretty cosmetics of the finished product. I don't think it really cuts down on chain wear, but it does resist perspiration oxidation spots a lot better than Dura Ace or Campy. The hand-shaping of the individual teeth actually just takes off the first metal to be worn off by the chain anyway, so it actually does last a good bit longer than other rings at a third the price. I wish they did a steel rear cog, because the alloy one is heat treated but still won't have enough longevity to justify the price. I put the one I got cheap on a Mavic disc and it only gets ridden on those wheels.