sjanzeir

"Made in Japan" aside, what's so special about tyem that makes even used ones worth hundreds of dollars? The cheapest 130mm BCD one I could find on ebay was ~$150! Okay, I'm sure they're better than any random unbranded Aliexpress job, but what is it that makes a Sugino crank better than, say, a similar Origin8 or FSA?

HillRider

OK, what makes a Campy Super Record crank worth about four times the cost of a Shimano 105?

Iride01 

If you are looking at eBay for most anything bicycle related then the sellers there know you aren't looking elsewhere and are willing to pay the higher prices. Same with the sellers on Amazon for most all things bicycle. I buy stuff from both, but not stuff for my bicycle. I have sold stuff for bicycles on eBay. So I like that you don't care to look for a lower price at the online bicycle, bicycle component and accessory retailers that can easily be found elsewhere.

150 isn't too pricey for a crankset. In fact it's well less than half what mine costs. Though for what you are probably looking at, you can probably get it $50 less elsewhere.

Though you also have to consider what's available to you to buy from in your own country. Do you have to have Sugino? I wouldn't be afraid of some of the AliExpress offerings. They have cheap stuff for cheap. Unlike eBay where cheap stuff is expensive.

Or is this just a rant and now you can breathe easier?

sjanzeir

I wouldn't know. I haven't seen a Campy Super Record or really looked at a 105. Hence my posting of a question on this forum, where there's a chance - albeit tenuous - of getting helpful insights.

dedhed

https://www.suginoltd.co.jp/us/corpInfo/

sjanzeir

In true Bike Forums fashion, one cannot help but make assumptions about a poster's actions, thoughts, and dispositions based on a mere few words on a screen. So, what, may I ask, made you assume that I haven't already done that? My mention of ebay was to give an example. But why let reason and common sense spoil an opportunity to condescend?

Iride01 

Because you read it as condescension. Try not to see it as that. I didn't mean anything toward you personally by it. I'm just telling you what my experience has been when I have the same purchase quests that you are now on.

You haven't defined a specific type of need for your crankset purchase nor stated what your parameters are for use and for budget. Nor do we know what type of bike you are putting this on.

Some crank makers only make cranks for mountain bikes, some make only old style looking cranks some make a full line of cranks for what's being sold on bikes today from very low tier price levels to the upper price tier levels. And some only make what is thought of as high tier levels. The prices are generally in accordance to the tier level of the product.

ThermionicScott 

It costs money to make things. You pay for labor and quality control, and those costs vary by country and company. Also, currency differences can make a country's exports more or less competitive than others. The yen shock of the 1980s hurt SunTour badly.

You didn't mention what cranks you're looking at, but the newer ones with integrated hollow spindles and replaceable spiders have more involved manufacturing, so that will drive up costs as well. Even for basic square-taper cranks, there is a cost difference between cold-forged and cast cranks. I imagine those $150 cranks you're finding on eBay are cast. It all depends on what features and quality level you want.

timdow

A used Sugino crankset is not worth $150 to me. First off, EBay is a rip. Second, prices for bike parts are still way higher than they were a few years ago due to shortages.

You want it now, quickly? You pay.

Maybe less if you don't mind waiting for Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace find.

SoSmellyAir

Are we talking about U.S. dollars?

Sugino Bicycle Crank Arm Sets - Modern Bike

Universal Cycles -- Sugino XD2 Compact Crank Arms [XD2 DOUBLE 170 SIL, XD2 DOUBLE 175 SIL, XD2 TRIPLE 170 SIL]

The cast models are all about $120 to $150. Forged ones are obviously much more expensive, just like wheels (for your car).

I almost ordered a pair of Sugino XD2 but then decided not to spend that much money for a lunch and coffee hybrid bike, so for $60 I bought a pair of these:

Dimension Cyclocross Crank Arm Sets - Modern Bike

These Dimension Cyclocross crank arms are actually Andel RSC6 triple crank arms; the inside of each arm is stamped as such.

70sSanO

The only thing that makes them special is they are one of the few new vintage looking decent quality square taper cranks.

And vintage is in demand, especially the past few years. Not that much longer ago you could find a 7400/7402 crank off eBay for $50 in great shape, or a 6207. I’ve bought a number of good used older Shimano cranks off eBay. Those cranks are probably better than new Sugino. Even older Sugino cranks were $25.

Those days are gone.

John

SurferRosa

Donor bike?

There's an $80 pile that needs a lot of attention on my local Craigslist that I'm very tempted to buy just for its Sugino crank. I might be able to pocket the crankset and pedals, then sell the rest for more than $80.

rccardr 

Hey, hey, hey, let’s calm down here.
Check that the OP is in Saudi Arabia, where not everyone is a prince and supply lines for things like bike parts are somewhat limited.
To answer your original question, Sugino cranksets are somewhat more expensive than many other brands because they are arguably better made. They are not cheap.
They are better made than lower level/less expensive FSA etc. cranks, although they have their place as well.
I have a number of Sugino cranksets on bikes in my collection and am always looking for more of them, but hesitate to spend the $500+ on a new one from Japan.
An alternative is to find a nice 80’s/early 90’s Shimano Deore crankset and polish it up by hand, which gives you a 110 BCD to play with = more gearing options.

Andrew R Stewart 

I'll add that the last couple of Covid years has increased demand for bike parts and reduced the supply. Sop the current cost reflect the ages old supply and demand WRT production costs.

I use to analogize a lot to make relationships easier for the non cyclist to understand our world better. So, if you know anything about cars... to a Martian our cars are all alike. They have 4 wheels, doors and glass and most all need some fuel poured into them to work. The off worlder might reasonably ask why some cost 15K$ and others 10 times that, after all they do the same 55mph. Why is a Mercades so much more that a Tata or a KIa. Andy

JohnDThompson 

Cranks come in a range of quality levels and price points. When you buy a high-end crank, you're paying for cold-forged crank arms, precision machining, and durable, attractive finish.

pdlamb

I've been surprised at how much the Covid supply chain has increased prices, TBH. Dilly-dallying about ordering a custom bike for a couple years has increased the price (of the "same" bike) 40-70%, depending on how I dress up the hypothetical order.

As far as Sugino cranks, well, scanning on-line catalogs you'll see a 10X difference between low cost cranks and most expensive cranks. Sugino is roughly in the middle. I'd rank it as superior to the cheapest available, and it's something of a niche though not boutique product as far as brand and the square taper when most everything else is chasing the latest BB fad. FWIW, I think I got what I paid for when I bought mine.

joesch

Found this ranking which IMO is missing Campy at the top of the list, from:
https://skyaboveus.com/cycling/the-b...track-bikesThe list should be something like:

- Sram omnium

- Miche Pistard 2.0

- Sugino 75

- Rotor 3d

- Shimano Dura-Ace 7710

- FSA vision track

sjanzeir

Thank you, Sir. I've already committed what might be one of Bike Forums' cardinal sins and ordered me a 130mm bcd Wolf Tooth 52t N-W (gosh, what was I thinking?) So any crank arm I end up picking needs to be that bcd.

Or I could just disassemble my factory crank (which is 130mm bcd) and bolt the WT and existing bweh guard on... but like I said earlier, I'd rather pay for another crank arm and leave the original as is.

mrv 

I bought a $90 Origin8 triple for my touring camping computer RockHopper. The chain rings wore out in less than a year. Maybe 3000 miles. Probably less. Then after a couple years the drive side crank arm snapped. While I was standing on it. At about 16 mph. I still thank God I was not in traffic when I hit the ground.

i also cracked a VeloOrange Gran Cru Crankset. $200? I think. Less than 2 years of use. VO only offers a one year warranty. They did say they would do me a favor- they offered a DS replacement for $110. No rings…. I felt like responding like a Ukrainian port guard to a Russian battleship.

I have a Sugiono from RivBike - a bunch years, no problems.
I’m really planning on sticking with Shimano- even 30 year old stuff.

hokiefyd 

It's probably not unlike many other "elective product" markets (like jewelry, perhaps), where increasingly expensive processes result in decreasingly higher levels of quality or fit and finish. If you want it, you want it and you'll pay for it. But most users don't discern the differences and use the mass market product.

mrv 

hmmm.... perhaps.
But I hit both ends of the market, Origin8 and VeloOrange, and both failed, the O8 quite dramatically. The failure of the VO part makes me reluctant to purchase what "should" be a durable part like say a RivBike SILVER crankset. That, and the the SILVER crankset doesn't come stock with a 48t big ring.... different topic.
But I'll post an update if I ever fracture a SHIMANO crank arm - Durace or otherwise!

cheers.

sjanzeir

Wasn't there an issue a few years back with some higher-end, hollow Shimano crank arms coming apart?

JohnDThompson 

Nobody is immune:

https://pardo.net/bike/pic/fail-001/000.html

GhostRider62

I have an old Sugino crank on a 80's touring bike. Solid and beautiful. No idea the model. I trust it with my life.

Cold forging, true cold forging is not cheap. Should result in stronger and fewer stress points but most importantly, stunning to look at. People pay for this.

People are paid properly in Japan.

joesch

Maybe a mighty model, they are good, see https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...-variants.html