zammykoo

I'm piecing together my first vintage bike build and so far I've gathered some Superbe parts from a couple bike swap meets - brake levers with hoods, brake calipers, fd, rd. I'm having a hard time finding a matching crankset but I've come across a Sakae SX and also SR AeroX. I figured either would be "good enough".

I've seen bits of information about either crankset and seems like AeroX comes up on top, so I'm looking at that one primarily. I am still open to other recommendations that would better match my group. What other cold forged cranks are there from this era that I should be on the lookout for? Thanks!

CV-6 

Be patient and you will get your Suntour Superbe crankset. I think it is worth the wait if you have gone to the trouble of assembling the rest of the group.

zammykoo

I was afraid someone will say that. Such a tease.

Narhay

Agreed. Don't settle. One will pop up at some point. Put on eBay or Craigslist alerts.

ThermionicScott 

IIRC, the Superbe cranks were made by Sugino, and there were concurrent Sugino-branded cranks that were basically the same thing. If I were building up a SunTour Superbe bike, that's the furthest I'd stray if I couldn't find Superbe cranks.

jetboy 

such purists. btw you also need the supurbe pedals because they are awesome.

RiddleOfSteel

Superbe is hard to track down, and a crankset in satisfactory condition for a reasonable price is the key to the whole thing, IMO. If you're piecing together an early Superbe group that aped the Campagnolo look, the only differences in the cranksets (between it and a Sugino) are the raised lettering on the crank arms that say "Suntour Superbe" / "Sugino Super Mighty" and the engraved crown near the bottom bracket spindle. I am hard pressed to see or remember anything else different. If you're hunting down the later Superbe Pro, then yeah, the crankset had a distinct look (and it is beautiful) and it is best to find one to complete the set. I looked for the one I have off and on for a while before I found it. Keep looking, you're so close!

plonz 

This is an item I watch and there are several for sale on eBay right now. Be aware the going rate I see is $80-$100 and youll see some listed at $120+. I keep waiting for someone to put a set up at $50 so I can grab them. Might be waiting a while for those

clubman 

Suntour Aerox have 118 BCD = hard-to-find rings.

Salamandrine 

Yeah, Sugino Super Mighty is the same thing, depending on the era, and way more common. Sure, give it a shot to find a Superbe branded crank, but I don't think I ever saw many of them. Might be hard to find.

Matching groups weren't that big of a thing when that stuff was new - except for Campy NR/SR. While there were a couple bikes spec'd all Superbe, in general it was much more common to buy stuff by the piece. It's more likely a racing bike would have had a Sugino branded crank and Superbe brakes and pedals for example, than to have a full matching Superbe group.

jetboy 

My only supurbe equiped bike... original 1981 had an avocet crankset. Looks good and works if a little flexy at my weight!

Don Buska

The Aerox also offered a 144 BCD version.



I use the 144 BCD version on two of my vintage riders and also one of the 118 BCD versions too. Your right, 118 BCD rings are not as plentiful, but they still show up on eBay all the time, including NOS versions. Aerox are excellent cranks and SR's last top-of-the-line!

(ADDED NOTE: I just did a 118 BCD search of eBay Cycling category and had 51 hits. Most of them were 118 BCD Chain Rings!)

Relating to this thread. I have a 1980 Fuji Newest that has the Suntour Superbe CW-1000 crank and I'm working on the rebuild of a 1975 Fuji 'The Finest' now that will use the Sugino Super Mighty. They are indeed the same cranks. As others have indicated the Suntour version is embossed with the word SUPERBE on the arms (no indication of 'Suntour' appears anywhere on the CW-1000 crank), where-as the Sugino has SUPER MIGHTY in the same place. The Sugino version actually is prettier as it has the fancy engraved Sugino logo on the upper crank arms. Both show up on eBay often enough if your willing to pay. BTW, both my versions use drilled (drillium) rings adding to the classic look.

I haven't used the later Superbe cranks yet as I've never been a fan of "printed' logos and naming on the parts. They have a tendency to rub away, especially on crank arms. A nice pristine late version Suntour Superbe crank is very hard to find and will bring decent bucks due to that condition.

clubman 

Learn somethin' every day, thanks. I have a couple of NOS 118 rings but they don't hatch that same rounded minimalist style. I love the look of an Aerox.

JohnDThompson 

Sugino did make SunTour's cranks. The first generation Superbe crank was basically a re-badged Sugino Mighty, 144mm BCD, milled out spider arms. The second generation Superbe Pro crank used a 130mm BCD, looked much like the Sugino GLP but had forged arms (IIRC, the GLP arms were cast. I may be wrong).

Slightspeed

I built up a '73 Super Course using a Suntour Cyclone II FD, and Suntour VGT Luxe RD with a Sugino AT triple (110 and 74 BCD). It works great together. The FD works the Triple great, no problem, but you could run a double, too. I almost never use the granny front with a 6 speed 34 rear. It would look better appearancewise without the third ring .. maybe someday, I'll remove it. (Those pedals were temporary, used during set up).

nemo57

This is correct. The first Sugino Mighty cranksets from the '70s are marked 171mm (though Velobase contributors attest to 173Mm and 175mm versions as well), and are 144mm BCD. Smallest chainwheel they will take is about 42 tooth. They were contemporaneous with first generation SunTour Cyclone derailleurs (which are a fine bit of kit) and Dia-Compe centre-pull models 610 & 750 and right-hand side-pull Gran Compe brakes.
I'm running a pair of these Mighty cranks with Cyclone RD on my 1976 Hillman - as far as I'm aware there weren't any SunTour-branded cranks or brakes at that point so I figure I'm being authentic to this extent.

zammykoo

I appreciate all feedback! This has now broadened my search.

My main goal is to stick to $30-$50 for a used but good condition crankset. Is it likely that I'll find a Sugino I the variety mentioned above? This will go on a daily rider so I am by looking for mint condition stuff.

Don Buska

The first Suntour Superbe (English Version) catalog is dated Aug-1976. So it's at the razors edge for your Hillman. I figure on my 75 Fuji it's like the original owner rode it a great deal and took it back to the LBS a couple of years later and asked for the latest and greatest Suntour equipment be installed. At least that's how I can justify it I like the 1st Gen Cyclone too and do have one bike using that lineup.

BTW, I keep a spreadsheet of all RD-2100 and RD-3100 first generation Superbe Rear Derailleurs I see on eBay and other places and record their manufacture dates, along with other structural differences. So far I have records for about twenty (20) of them and the oldest date is July 1977. So very few were probably made in 1976, albeit I need to build my sample size a bit. FYI, the latest version I've come across is a February 1981 RD-3100 Superbe Pro.

Jesse B 

For what it's worth, I just got Superbe Pro front and rear derailleurs, a crank, cassette, shifters, and Sugino BB on eBay for $150 last month. The large chain ring is missing a tooth, but everything else was in good shape. They all went on my '88 Peugeot Bordeaux frame with looks like it has close to no miles on it, that I bought for cheap. Not the nicest frame, but nice components!

The Golden Boy 

The Avocet/Ofmega crank is often known to crack and fail at the pedal thread. Just something to be aware of and keep an eye on.


For whatever it's worth... I paired my Suntour Cyclone stuff with Simplex shifters and a Stronglight 99 BIS crank set.

I have another bike set up with Suntour XC Pro and XC Comp with an Avocet/Ofmega crankset.

In my head, they match pretty well.

ThermionicScott 

Ah, cool. Is there a good way to tell from looking at a crank whether it is forged or cast?

nemo57

Thanks Don - interesting!
Gordon Hill, who originally put my bike together (and who restored the frame) isn't over-particular about period-correctness: I'm allowed to go late Superbe Pro as far as he is concerned, but I'm sticking with friction shifting ...

JohnDThompson 

The forged arms got a nice satin-anodized finish. The cast arms had a rougher, tumble-polished finish.

RobbieTunes

I have two Superbe Pro cranksets. Let me know.

ThermionicScott 

Back in January, I picked up a greasy, no-logo but obviously Sugino-made crankset for $1 at the Madison swap meet. Hadn't really thought about it until I went to clean it off this afternoon. "ALP" is embossed into the back of the DS crank, and "LP" is embossed into the NDS arm. But then I noticed "SunTour" stamped into the back of each arm as well. Excitedly, I went back to VeloBase to see if it was a visual match for any of the Superbe cranks. No dice, but it's a dead ringer for the CW-7000 Cyclone crank. I'll take it.