Right on. I had a set of TA cranks on a Motobecane Grand Record. They flexed like crazy. Replaced them with Stronglight 93's. The French are known for soft metals. Heck, my mom broke her leg in France, a few years back, and had a steel pin put in her leg. When she got back home she noticed her leg wasnt straight. The darn pin had bent. Surgical steel! Another operation, more healing, what a mess.

While we're nit-picking an otherwise fine product...I think back in the day lasers only existed in science fiction movies and military research facilities, not on assembly lines to etch the logos and lettering into parts. The laser etching looks a little out of place on a component with classic styling.

I was going to stay out of the whole C&V vs. CR thing but what the heck, I'll throw my 2 cents in...no one has mentioned what I consider to be the biggest difference between the two and the primary reason I spend more time in C&V - the format. I'm not thrilled with the "upgraded" forum software here but at least it is forum software. CR is using vintage list server technology that really doesn't facilitate the free flow of conversation. I receive the digest of the forum because I wouldn't want the volume of email it would otherwise generate but that makes it really hard to follow a conversation. I'm sure I miss a lot. Only for the absolute most interesting threads will I go to the archives and look it up but even then the messages can be difficult to read because of the odd formatting. Otherwise I like them both and find they both have many fine individuals and a handful of folks who can get a bit full of themselves. Just ignore that which does not interest you.

Can I comment on the cranks? Very nice and very reasonable price. I really like the retro look along side the up-to-date features that make them rideable. Features like 175mm version and modern metal alloys manufactured by a factory with a QC dept, modern taper and threads for the remover helps too :)

There's a similar trend in wood working tools over the last few decades. Lots of home wood workers want vintage chisels and hand planes that are in short supply. Stanley #1 hand planes in crappy condition cost over $1000, you can buy a beautiful copy of it for ~$250 with much better metals and machining. If you're really going to use a #1 hand plane, the cheaper, new version is much better. Seems like it's the same for TA cranks now.

Nag, nag, nag, nag.

Does anyone remember the original topic of this thread?

http://www.jaysmarine.com/TApro5vis.jpg

-Kurt

I don't see where anyone suggested laser etching. The number could be stamped much smaller, like it is on vintage rings.

Please remember this is prototype #1. We are not committed to anything. Fonts are easy to change. Posters on our blog hate the idea of a foil sticker. It looks cheap they say. So, who knows where we will go with it? Deciding on the size of the '48' is still a ways off. We need to ride the cranks first!

Is it a 46 or 48t chainring?

I hope It's 46... ...the jump from 30 to 48 will exceed most FD's range.

It looks like laser etching to me in that picture but maybe not. I'd definately go with stamping.

Like I said, that is just a little bit of nit-picking. I think it looks very nice overall.

Sure. I've got 4 sets of them here, including 2 track crank sets.

That's a pretty accurate assessment of each end of the spectrum that most of us pendulums swing back and forth between.

I definitely tend to the #2 side, and don't hesitate to happily pay an asked price if it's what I want. Heck, I gladly paid $600 bucks for a pristine 36 year old Raleigh just to get a 531 frame to build up. And then went #1 and hunted up good prices on a mix of new and old parts which kept the finished bike under a grand. The cost doesn't come close to being compared to the endless enjoyment of riding a steel classic. :)

+1 Right on.
-Gene-

Back on topic...

A 42 & 26t combo would work for hilly century bikes and light touring rigs :thumb:.

Combine that with a 11-32 and your riding would be unlimited.

I think $160 for the crankset is a very fair price. As was mentioned previously, the TA' cranks were pretty poorly made (at least the 2 sets that I had) and flexed quite a bit when I would pedal hard. Considering what you would pay for a vintage TA crank and if it needed new rings or you wanted to change the gearing to suit your taste, you could easily pass $160 in cost quickly.

As I had stated in the thread about triples, I am a fan of compact doubles now. I am currently running 46/34 w/ a 10 speed 11-34 cassette and have had no trouble getting my 42 year old butt over the largest hills in my area. If I lived in a more mountainous area the VO crank would be a nice way to lower the gearing further, if needed. Not having a large ring(50th or greater) is not something I miss. I rarely ever feel I need taller gearing. If anything, I more regularly think of lowering my gearing even further as I get tired!

I like to find deals, sell for a profit and reward myself with bikes and bike stuff I like. Price is relative to how much you want it IMHO. I am another who is equally at home on both ends of the C&V pricing spectrum.

I put a 43-30 on my wife's bike:
http://www.os2.dhs.org/~john/bumby/build6.jpg