bike-izle

I have a two-year-old Windsor "Hour." Well, sort of. Not much left except frame and cranks.

The stock cranks seem sort of cheap and clunky, and chain line sticks out farther than 42. They look like they weigh a lot but I can't tell. "PROWHEEL FORGED CHARIOT" is stamped on them. Made in China.

I'd like to change to a 3/2 drivetrain (and kinda want an excuse to work on my bike) but anybody know anything about this crank? Would something like a SRAM s300 be much of an upgrade?


thanks!

europa

Not sure you want to go to an inch and a half wide chain

For street use, it doesn't really matter whether you're using 3/32 or 1/8. You can even use a 3/32 chainring with a 1/8 cog and a 1/8 chain if you like, or both 3/32 with a 1/8 chain.

The purist in me likes everything the same - I won't change things solely to achieve things but when buying new bits for a new bike, I like to buy a complete 1/8 setup because the really heavy duty track chains come in 1/8, but it's really like deciding between colours.

I've never dealt with SRAM but have read a lot of threads with people having troubles setting the things up. I personally have a set of Sugino cranks I got from Harris Cyclery (at a very competitive price at the time) that have given me no problems, a set of Miche Primato which are excellent and a set of RPM that work nice but have ... um ... interesting pedal threads. I've also used Sugino mtb cranks (more than satisfactory) and road cranks from the 80s and 90s, again, very good.

You can go stupid spending money on cranksets but realistically, it's not hard to get a decent set without paying stupid money. Just don't get sucked in by fancy brand names.

Soo__Fuego

Used and abused DA 7600 cranks can be had for less than 100 bucks off ebay. A lil tlc and those babies look better than new.

TugaDude

While you are researching cranks, don't forget to figure out what length crank arms suit you and your frame best. Doesn't make sense to get a great set of cranks only to find out the arms are too long or short. Riding style and bottom bracket height affect your options. Do you primarily ride fixed? If you do, and your style of riding includes tight cornering, you might be better served with 165mm arms. Helps to prevent pedal strike.

Otherwise, I agree with the comments above. Some very nice vintage road bike and mountain bike cranks can be found for little money. If you try them out and don't love them, not a big loss.

bike-izle

Money's not really an object, but something like Ominums seems overkill for a bike I never use on the track.

I'm just wondering if my current cranks are crap (seem so) and if it's worth upgrading to s300's.

My current cranks that came with the bike are 170. My pedals have chips on the bottom edges, so I guess they've hit the ground at least a few times. Always wondered about 165's, but I'm six feet tall so I'm kinda worried they're too small.

TejanoTrackie 

Any crankset you choose will be better than the stock ones. I don't like the SRAM cranks, because they use the GXP bottom bracket that is really bad quality and will wear out quickly. The Sugino RD2 or Messenger are very good value cranks and use a conventional square taper bottom bracket. Another good choice is the Andel crankset, which is what I've used to upgrade my Motobecane Messenger, that is similar to your Windsor Hour. As to 165mm vs 170mm, you won't notice a big difference, and many riders your height use them to get a bit more cornering clearance and a higher cadence.

franswa

I just received the Andel deluxe crankset and it's definitely a nice upgrade from the stock cranks that came on my Fuji, which felt very flexible. I went from 170 length to 165 and haven't noticed any difference yet.

bike-izle

Andel seems good. Price is right. Looks nice. Track BCD. I can use old cog and chain. 46 teeth like my old crank. Is the chain line ~42 on these? My current cranks stick out a little.

Scrodzilla

Dear people, please stop troubling yourself worrying about a "perfect" 42mm chainline.

TejanoTrackie 

Warning ! Don't use your old worn chain on a new chainring. Also, don't use a new chain on an old worn cog. Replace the chainring, chain and cog at the same time.

Now, if you replace your chain frequently before it stretches a lot as I do, then it's ok to just replace the chain.

bike-izle

Crap. I guess I'm not out of the woods yet.

fietsbob

There are low cost square taper cranks .. got a LBS in your Hood ? Visit It.

Scrodzilla

Fact: The vast majority of bike shops have a pretty lame selection of parts for fixed gear/single speed bikes (if any at all).

Euthyphro

^I unfortunately learned this very recently, after asking for a xmas gift card to my LBS. I have pretty much the same question as the OP, but I'm also wondering what effect upgrading will have on ride. Are better cranksets just more durable and typically lighter?

Scrodzilla

The most important factors when upgrading a crankset is stiffness and strength. A stiffer, stronger crank will naturally result in better performance than a noodly one.

Euthyphro

Makes sense. Thanks.

TejanoTrackie 

The main advantage is that they run a lot smoother and it's easier to get consistent chain tension due to them being rounder and better tolerences. Also, better chainrings are made from harder material that makes them last longer.

Euthyphro

Well, that's all the convincing I need. Thanks.

Scrodzilla

I was thinking more of crank arms themselves but yeah, this too.

bike-izle

Yeah my current crank aren't "round" no matter how much I try to adjust.

Soo__Fuego

How do you adjust roundness?

TugaDude

I think he means adjusted for even tension on the chain. Loosening the chainring bolts and then adjusting the ring on the spider. Sheldon Brown has his method up on his website.

A ring itself is either round or not.

bike-izle

I read a Sheldon Brown article awhile back about centering your chainring. Forgot exactly how, but there's always some play, so I loosened the bolts a little and lightly tapped the chain ring toward center at points where the chain tension was too tight.

It made things a little better, but I'm pretty sure my current ring isn't totally round.

Soo__Fuego

That makes sense.

europa

I think that technique is more about getting a better polish on the turd than anything useful. With a decent chainring, the variation between the loosest setting and the tightest shouldn't be enough to concern you, as long as you adjust at the tightest point (then check at the loosest). Remember that rear cogs can be out of round too, no point messing with an expensive chainring if you've got a cheap cog that's causing the trouble.