Is this NDS crank arm a TA Alizé?
12-02-21, 07:57 AM
#1
The dropped
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Is this NDS crank arm a TA Alizé?
I saw a TA Alizé crankset for sale with a damaged NDS arm.
A beautiful crank.
That is only half a crank and a keychain fob now. NOTE THE Information etched into the back of the crank arms.
Then I saw this NDS Arm pop up a little later.
Aesthetically this is very close to an Alizé, if not actually an Alizé.
Undescribed NDS arm. Missing "gauche" and model name.
So my question is this: is this potentially a full Alizé crankset? Or did Specialites TA produce a similar styling for a different crankset?
TA is all about the Carmina crankset now (and why wouldn't you be, you can swap spiders to run all the current sizes), and all recent production has the model name and size etched into the back of the crank arm. I would really like to identify this for a confident purchase of a matched (sort of) crankset.
A beautiful crank.
That is only half a crank and a keychain fob now. NOTE THE Information etched into the back of the crank arms.
Then I saw this NDS Arm pop up a little later.
Aesthetically this is very close to an Alizé, if not actually an Alizé.
Undescribed NDS arm. Missing "gauche" and model name.
So my question is this: is this potentially a full Alizé crankset? Or did Specialites TA produce a similar styling for a different crankset?
TA is all about the Carmina crankset now (and why wouldn't you be, you can swap spiders to run all the current sizes), and all recent production has the model name and size etched into the back of the crank arm. I would really like to identify this for a confident purchase of a matched (sort of) crankset.
12-03-21, 08:47 AM
#2
The dropped
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A few dozen views later and no replies yet. I'm going to guess that this is too new and/or esoteric for most to know. I've reached the limit of my google-fu, but I'm tentatively going to say that I found a second generation crankset with a first generation NDS arm, explaining the inconsistent markings. I'm satisfied that these cranks are aesthetically identical otherwise.
Peter White is in the top results as a seller of these cranks (which no longer seem to be in production), and his page for these cranks mention that he has second generation cranks. If anyone has TA catalog information that can give me a better ID on what I found, I would appreciate it.
Peter White is in the top results as a seller of these cranks (which no longer seem to be in production), and his page for these cranks mention that he has second generation cranks. If anyone has TA catalog information that can give me a better ID on what I found, I would appreciate it.
12-03-21, 09:22 AM
#3
aged to perfection
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the NDS arm you are showing looks like it could be a Zephyr or Carmina.
It is possible the NDS arm is common across all the TA parts of this era
I am a big fan of the Carmina, they are IMHO the best square taper crank ever made, right up there with the Shimano XTR M900 (1st gen XTR).
there was a change to the casting sometime in late production, the backside relief got sharper corners, and I have heard some rumors of cracking in those later parts. Picture shows the "early" model.
/markp
It is possible the NDS arm is common across all the TA parts of this era
I am a big fan of the Carmina, they are IMHO the best square taper crank ever made, right up there with the Shimano XTR M900 (1st gen XTR).
there was a change to the casting sometime in late production, the backside relief got sharper corners, and I have heard some rumors of cracking in those later parts. Picture shows the "early" model.
/markp
Last edited by mpetry912; 12-03-21 at 09:28 AM.
12-03-21, 01:37 PM
#4
The dropped
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the NDS arm you are showing looks like it could be a Zephyr or Carmina.
It is possible the NDS arm is common across all the TA parts of this era
I am a big fan of the Carmina, they are IMHO the best square taper crank ever made, right up there with the Shimano XTR M900 (1st gen XTR).
there was a change to the casting sometime in late production, the backside relief got sharper corners, and I have heard some rumors of cracking in those later parts. Picture shows the "early" model.
/markp
It is possible the NDS arm is common across all the TA parts of this era
I am a big fan of the Carmina, they are IMHO the best square taper crank ever made, right up there with the Shimano XTR M900 (1st gen XTR).
there was a change to the casting sometime in late production, the backside relief got sharper corners, and I have heard some rumors of cracking in those later parts. Picture shows the "early" model.
/markp
If I were building a frame up, I would absolutely consider a Carmina crankset for the sheer versatility. Pick a spider, any Spider!
That's one of the reasons I picked a Miche track cog system; They use a carrier and a splined cog so you only need a lockring spanner to change gearing, rather than needing a spanner and a chainwhip.
12-20-21, 11:08 AM
#6
The dropped
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Shipping Mayhem
I bought both after determining its likely the same model. Here are some comparisons.
Comparing front of crank arms
Comparing backs of crank arms
Aside from the markings and anodizing, the crank arms are identical.
Damage to square taper
This area is the largest difference between the two cranks. The [assumed] later version has more definition to the bolt hole recess. It's also obvious that this crank arm has seen the end of its useful life with the movement of material to the center of the square.
New pair
Sadly for me, the BCD on this crank is 130, and not the expected 144. I'll need to buy new chainrings to put this into use, which restricts its utility "right now".
Bottom line: TA produced this crank in at least 2 iterations, but the differences are minor enough that you can mix and match. (Unless you're one of the folks that match production dates 😉.)
Comparing front of crank arms
Comparing backs of crank arms
Aside from the markings and anodizing, the crank arms are identical.
Damage to square taper
This area is the largest difference between the two cranks. The [assumed] later version has more definition to the bolt hole recess. It's also obvious that this crank arm has seen the end of its useful life with the movement of material to the center of the square.
New pair
Sadly for me, the BCD on this crank is 130, and not the expected 144. I'll need to buy new chainrings to put this into use, which restricts its utility "right now".
Bottom line: TA produced this crank in at least 2 iterations, but the differences are minor enough that you can mix and match. (Unless you're one of the folks that match production dates 😉.)
