Spoke construction crank?
 

http://vintagebicycle.files.wordpres...g?w=682&h=1024
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'm not sure what to think of it and I'm sure plenty of people here will find it amusing. Maybe somebody here has information on this.

:wtf:

I've seen that many times. I always figured it was for show. It certainly wasn't a production item.

Of course the cool kids will want it in a lower spoke count, and with radial lacing.:roflmao2:

I first came across this crankset on bikecult.com's "Bike Works NYC Chainring Archive" from which I quote:
""A hand-made gadget by a certain Japanese enthusiast." Stronglight 49 crankarms with spoked-wheel spider armature, made of thin spokes (1.2mm diameter), with 51- and 45-tooth Simplex chainrings, on a custom Toei bike."

(They show a different photo of the same bike as far as I can tell.)

I figured

Thank you :)

I had a book on road bikes back in the early 80's shame i gave it to a friend-most likely his dog ate it.

there was a frame in th eform of a cross with tensioned wires to hold it together.
I really want that book back!

Pretty but -- more or less lateral flex than a regular Stronglight 49 set-up?

Okay, I don't know how else to say this: I want to see the nipples.

Looks very cool in an over-thought-out, over engineered way. Which makes me wonder "why?". Is it lighter? Stiffer? Does it offer any sort of performance gain? Or is it just a show-off-y one-off piece?

I'd love to take that into the LBS to ask if they can true a chain ring. I'm pretty sure they'd cry.

I think you spoke for all of us.

Yes-- not sure that this one would do well in a vise....

Having trued lots of chainrings (a sort of sub-specialty for me, although it usually the spider I'm bending), and trued lots of wheels, the nipples are a bit of a puzzle here. It looks like an entire additional ring has been added inboard of the small ring, which I find unfortunate in terms of not having the "expected" look a production item, but with of course really no other way to accomplish the job.
It must be quite striking in person though, and the guy apparently made his own spokes.

I have to wonder how many old bikes have been sacrificed to these Toei builds. It's an interesting hobby culture where the owners are apt to get creative, much like with custom cars.

A ring between the chainrings is drilled for the nipples and also acts as the spacer.

Especially if they have to call Park and ask for the world's smallest dishing tool...