zukahn1 

I have been doing some surfing on ebay to price some vintage cranks. I noticed something odd that someone here might be able explain. The branded dust caps for vintage cranks seem to be actually selling for high prices close half the price of a lot of the complete cranksets. This just seems odd to me I just can't wrap my head around someone paying $30 sometimes more for a set of dust caps. I was looking at some of the nicer Sugino cranks nad people are paying $30 for dust caps when the cranks are selling for $50-100.

Drillium Dude 

Especially as they serve no real purpose - there's still a large hole for an allen key that allows dust in!

My, they look purty though

DD

Chombi

Dang! why the heck did I throw away those Stronglight dustcaps from my Peugeot's crankset back in the 80's??!!..... Ehhhh....just leave the dust caps off just like the pros used to.........and you can look as racy kewhl as they did!

marley mission

i used to surf for headbadges though i really didnt buy any
i alwatys suprised at some of those prices as well
sometimes you'd see a badge go for more than the bike

bikemore 

Now you know why people take a perfectly good bike and sell it piecemeal .

wesmamyke

I never understood the head badge thing. I have seen many perfectly good bikes with no head badge and folks have collections of the things. At what point did everybody start removing them from frames to collect?

r0ckh0und 

I have collected a good many dust caps and bar plugs over the years. I took a bunch to the Madison Swap last winter and was surprised at how many dust caps sold.

repechage

I still remove my crank dust caps. Only one exception though, My Cinelli SC just "looks" correct with them on, maybe its it all of the chrome fittings.

For Pedal dust caps, I must admit I bought a solo Campagnolo pedal just for one, and the final price was tolerable.
I received a bike with Super Record pedals, which were not mentioned, my first set. Not sure if I will really USE these, but one needed a pedal dust cap.
For "rider" pedals I saw that Somafab mentioned a new "repro" pedal dust cap being made, alloy, but the shape is correct, better than going to MKS units.
No luck yet in finding a LBS that buys from Merry Sales the sourced they advised.
Anyone find these?

frantik

wait, it's "racer style" to remove the crank dust caps?

3speedslow

Thank You 10speedterror for the pair of Ofmega dustcaps that you included with the sale ! They really complete the crank arms on my Dawes.

frantik

conspiratemus1

They are expensive because they are a lot rarer than the cranks themselves. This is because most people did/do throw them away, or, as in the case of TA caps, ruin the soft and not-very-accurately made 5mm Allen socket which makes them useless. Otherwise a fine crank, the TA cap was so likely to seize in place that I used to leave mine out so as not to have this happen. (Have had better luck in recent years by using anti-seize.)

I wouldn't be so quick to say they serve no useful purpose. Jobst Brandt says they are not to keep dust out but to keep the crank bolt in, meaning they prevent the crank bolt from unwinding and falling out on the road unbeknownst until the crank loosens, ruining it. As a decades-long "dust"-cap non-user, this has never happened to me (and perhaps wouldn't to well-mechanic'ed racing teams, either) but there you have a second opinion about them.

If everyone with these old cranks is now looking for caps for that reason, that is for sure going to drive the price up.

John E

None of my bikes have crank dust caps. I may have some slotted Suginos somewhere, if anyone needs them.

10speedterror

they just get nice and stuck! i dont use em but i could see how a very nice machine might not look complete but my bikes generally fall into the "well loved" category

pitbull007

it`s the BMX guys and girls who don`t stop at anything to have their bikes complete at any cost.

Missing a dust cap got to have it.
Need the original stem
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-VINTAGE-...item43b3a54ff4
sold for $1500
But the first one went for $2600 till they found out she had more.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-VINTAGE-...item3a7987205f
Need the original tires.
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/20-black-snak...#ht_500wt_1076
over $400
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-BMX-...item3f1a3dd416

Nos Hutch pedals $500 a pop, a guy had a box of 50 hutch pedals and sold them all within days.

it`s all about supply and demand I guess

kroozer 

Wow, those BMX folks are even dumber than we are.

Chombi

Got these dust caps for my Mavic 630 crankset off eBay about two years ago while doing my Vitus Carbone build:

They are metal, but non magnetic, so most likely aluminum, dark anodized to match the Mavic SSC chainring. I think I've seen the same caps on some Mavic catalogues, but never with the "MAVIC SSC" printed on them. Got them for something like 17 bucks for the pair.
I don't think Ill ever find them again at that bargain basement price. I've recently seen a pair without the SSC pinting on it for something like 60 some bucks, already lowered from an earlier auction nutzoid price of over 75 bucks!

Chombi

pitbull007

I wouldn`t call them dumber but maybe ahhh a bit more sentimental.

puchfinnland

and Im sitting on MAFAC half hoods and my door is not being knocked down!

I parted up my Torker BMX and got 1500 for it all-then I bought my roadbike...

zukahn1 

When yoy get into the vintage BMX stuff it does get weirder basicaly identical parts costing 3 and 4 times as much for color. If I rember most of the parts catalogs right red and blue parts where the same price on order.

Lenton58 

I paid over $20 for a set of new Sugino caps — ONCE! I swore I would not do it again. Since then, my LBS has freely given me sets of bolts (with the integrated seal) for sealed BB's that failed to come supplied with crank bolts. These were for Ultegra cranks. But now I need caps for nutted crank-sets. I told the LBS I was not going to pay 1800 - 2500 yen for fancy sets of anodized dust caps. I asked them to include some generic plastic caps in their supply order, and if they come with that slot for a screw driver, I'm plugging them with Blu-tak.

If I were restoring a 1950's Cinelli, or some grail bike built by a frame god, I might get picky. But then I would be in a whole different income bracket and would not be so reluctant. As things are, I'd rather save the money and spend it on a respray, fresh decals, leather saddles or whatever. Dust caps? Plastic with the logo "Elmer Fudd inc." is good enough for this guy.

And about Blu-Tac: I lost the dust cap on a set of MKS Sylvana Lite pedals. It just fell off somewhere. Solution — some Blu-tac and an aluminum 1 Yen coin. Looks perfect. Fits exactly. It never comes adrift, and it seals the pedal bearings. I have coins from places I've travelled. How about blu tack, a coin of the correct diameter that matches the country of origin of say the frame or the crank-set?

frantik

all my mtbs have bright shiny covers.. i didn't know i was sitting on gold

Grand Bois

I bought a bag full of assorted parts on eBay for $17 that contained two sets of Stronglight caps. Now all of my cranks have dust caps.
I've never had any desire to try to look like a racer and I think it's a good idea to keep those fine threads in soft metal clean and protected.

Citoyen du Monde

It is not racer style, it is common sense. The crank bolt covers serve no use other than aethetics.

rootboy 

Aesthetics is a good reason, IMO. I kind of like GB's idea of protecting the soft threads in the crank arms too, not that they're all that vulnerable but who knows. They do tend to trap moisture if you ride in the rain, etc. But a light coating of grease on the crank bolts and cap threads will handle that. I don't ride in the wet anymore, so my bikes carry their dust caps. I like the way they look.