piwonka

i already commented on that. there is more than just 135 and 144...151 before the 144 design...and what about compact cranks and that 36t inner ring...what is that about a 110mm bcd. does campy make a compact crank.

logdrum

Track riders do not really care about saving an extra 50 grams on the cranks so even if a 110 or 130 BCD is lighter doesn't matter although the Stronglight components are really good. In the track since a lot of 144 chainrings you can always borrow somebody else's chainring. This happens often and having a 130 or 135 less chance of your chainrings getting stolen or borrowed. 165mm crank length encourages the rider to spin faster.

Again track bikes do not have to be light but stiff but that may be changing. But the 1/8 inch chain and proper track crank arms make sense and aligns better. 3/32 just feels too narrow and I feel not laterally steep. My experience is when my BB, crank, cogs, hub and chain widths compatible, the components literally just slide on the bike.

. And yes business cycles is really a good source for quality track bike components. If all you can hear is the wind and the sound of your tires, you are good. I know that track parts are more expensive and simplicity is not cheap anymore, maybe never was!

logdrum

I know this is a fixie forum and not a track forum but I really enjoyed fixed gear riding when I actually used a track frame and track components!

~Stuart~

*only read first half of first page, so if i missed it tell me an i will read it all*



any thoughts on external bottom bracket/crank sets?

parkerlewis

I use Campagnolo Strada Road cranks, 144 bcd, with Sugino 75 chainring at the moment.
Works great with a NJS bb, good chainline, although mine is always off because of my road disc converted to single cog.
If I use a normal track hub, the chainline is very nice.
The tabs come pretty close to the chainstay! They never hit though (well not yet).
Some people grind them off, but I do not think I would do that. I would rather sell them later to a road bike enthusiast.
I just got another set that is custom mirror polished, so might have to change them over today!
By the way they are long 170 but I do not think they are ever going to hit the ground. 165 is most popular by street riders, but Keirin pro riders, from what I see, most commonly use 167.5.......that is not fact, but of all the complete Keirin ex Pro bikes I have bought (a lot), they are nearly always 167.5. Might ask Tomitasan.
You can get better clearance from toe clip to tyre, by changing toe clips. Much more straight forward, and cheap than changing cranks. (i would ideally have 165 cranks, after saying all that!)

Landgolier

Epic misinformation threads like this are the reason I started posting again.

BCD does not matter. Pro road racers are running 110 all the time, it doesn't seem to be slowing them down. 1/8" specific chainrings (not necessary but wear a little longer) are available for 144 and 130 now. Run whatever you want.

165mm crankarms are in no way necessary for track (many people use longer) and their importance for street FG bikes (even conversions) is radically overstated. Somewhere out there is an alternate universe where Sheldon never put anything about 165's on his web site and everyone is running the 170mm Sugino MP's or whatever their bike came with and not having any problem.

Track stuff is generally lower Q, but low Q is not necessarily a good thing. It works for some people, but if you're naturally a big splay-footed or have certain types of knee issues you may actually want more Q. All things being relatively equal less Q gives you more efficient power transfer, but this is more than offset by the importance of having a setup that fits you.

External bearing setups are just fine, it's actually one of the cheapest ways to drop weight on a track bike. Not that weight matters that much, especially down that low, but light bikes are always fun. One nice advantage of these is that the cups are way cheaper than good quality ISO taper BB's.

Did I miss anything?

kemmer

Yes, the part about how it's hard to get a good chainline with a road double.

Soil_Sampler

decent to good chainline with ring on inside, +/- 41mm

roadgator

I concur.

I always love how people get all worked up about the stiffness of their cranks and rings when the frame and BB (especially small diam steel tubes and square tapers) are going to be responsible for as much if not more flex then the rest of the drive train.

Ive seen square taper bb's get bent from regular ridding. Ive never seen a crank bend because of anything but a wreck.

run whatever of decent quality is easiest for you to get your hands on. Its placebo effect to claim a performance difference for street riding.

dookie

yes, they're just not on my radar.

also, it's a proprietary 110 BCD and will only accept campy compact rings.

droptop

i have an old set of sakae cr's from 1984 (stock cranks off a 1984 trek 560.) they are 170 in length (the shortest made, but are 144 bcd. i was shocked and a little pissed when my 130 bcd messenger ring would not fit. there are plenty of odd parts out there, but they tend to be few and far between. modern campy road is 135 bcd, and VERY old campy track cranks are 151 bcd.

kumbionics

I don't want to hijack this thread but I have a question in a similar vein. At my lbs they recommend a 165 crank, as those are standard for track frames. But I'm building a fixed gear from an older Peugeot road bike with a lower bb than a track frame. Wouldn't it make sense to maybe go with a 160mm crank? Just for the purposes of minimizing pedal strike?

Batavus

One of the perks of working in a bike shop is taking home customers' leftovers. After we did two conversions from a conventional 42/52 setup to compact cranksets, I ended up with two 8-speed (I think Athena) cranksets, both with 111 mm BB's. They both gave me a perfect 42 mm chainline with the ring on the outside. Must scavenge for more of these!

REMspeedwagon

Yeah I'm running a Shimano 105 with a single Sugino chainring and people always ask if they're track cranks.
(btw a 107mm UN-54 BB gives me a perfect chainline for those who are wondering)
You can find many quality square taper road doubles on ebay for less than $50.

mander

No, on a regular road frame you could ride with 175s and it would be fine. You'd have to keep pedal strike on your mind as you go around corners but it's a really minor issue.

GMERGOD

Yeah I have a Shimano RX100 from road bike, which will work on my Cutter? I just curious..

teiaperigosa

suginos are way more gully than anything else...especially the supermighty...

gully...just because



get on my level

Yaktizzle417

Weight is the big one. My SR and my Sugino 75's are worlds lighter than even my dads Ultegra crank/sprocket set up on his roadie.

teiaperigosa

supermighty's are champagne colored

trons

uh...

sugino 75 - 672 grams
ultegra 6500 - 643 grams

https://www.spadout.com/p/sugino-75-track-cranks/

https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...0Road%20Cranks

JohnDThompson 

Road cranks are available in multiple lengths as well (TA made them down to 150mm). A track crank doesn't have the inner platform for the inner chain ring, and the arms are counterbored so the fixing bolts lie flush with the arm surface. This can give more chain stay clearance.

JohnDThompson 

A solution in search of a problem.

JohnDThompson 

Crank arm length should be selected on the basis of frame design (a low bottom bracket and/or short front center will benefit from the additional clearance short arms allow) and riding style (it's easier to spin with shorter arms, easier to mash with longer arms).