pigmode

It doesn't matter. Campy is Campy. They support what they build and are not dependent on having to mesh with the aftermarket.

DocRay

Oh, I'm sure they will think of a way to not only make it more expensive, but make you want to pay more.
The Ferrari Syndrome.

DocRay

That was a Shimano Dura Ace crank, and the problem was that the mechanic did not tighten the bolt. Same thing could have happened with an incompetant mechanic and a square taper. In 0.001% of cases, anything weird can happen. Campy tests parts to death, not just in a lab. They always run at Paris-Roubaix with prototypes.

With Campy, you pay through the nose for lightness, but from Veloce to Record, it's just as tough. A crank failure would kill their business.

terrymorse 

Until the moment that it no longer works. Then you're lying on the ground, wondering what just happened. Hopefully with nothing more serious than road rash. There were no warning signs, because the propagating crack was concealed beneath the crank.

It's always the left crank that snaps off, because it gets the greater stress.

ultraman6970

I agree with qcastillo. Wonder what campy is thiking... weird.. too weird and complicated... the idea it is too complicated, campy likes to keep thing simplier... this makes no sense...

Wonder if some other company will took over this niche of opportunity. Long life to regular BB!

UM

nitropowered

Didn't Campy have a run of bad cranks a while back? I think it was Super Record.

mellowdave

WTF are you talking about?

roadfix

Hmm.......so how often does this occur?

ultraman6970

******************************???

53-11_alltheway

Interesting. I just wonder if it will be on par with the world beating DA7800 crankset (hollow aluminum is hard to beat in this department)

mingsta

Sorry, didn't realise that no one was allowed to have an opinion on this except you.

cs1

You've go to be kidding. In 30 years of riding I've never seen anyone snap a crank. Even my 230 lb brother who's been riding the same SunTour equipped bike for 17 years never had a failure. Square taper works fine for most riders. The other innovations, I say that lightly, are basically BLING. They're just ways to sell more product.

Tim

thewalrus

I've seen a snapped campagnolo crankarm, it separated about 2 inches below the pedal mounting hole. This was a very thoroughly used 10 year old crank. It had to be clamped in a vise to unscrew the pedal.

classic1

I've broken at least 10 cranks - mostly cheapo sucky Galli cranks because I couldnt afford top gear when I was a kid, but a few other different brands as well. Sugino, Sun Tour Supurbe Pro, Shimano, Galli branded Stronglight. Must be something about the letter S. Most of them broke or cracked at the pedal, but I've broken them half way up the crank arm a few times. Right side, left side, doesn't matter.

My father has broken at least 5 cranks over the years, and I know a guy who has broken more than both of us put together - including numerous Campagnolo cranks.

With enough use anything will break eventually.

lotek 

Yes Campy super Record cranks did have a tendency to fail if
the stress risers weren't filed (at the spider crank juncture).
There were also some reports of them cracking just above the pedal threads.
However, How many millions of square taper cranksets are out there that
are still working?
I have the funny quirk about me, I actually inspect my bike on a regular
basis, the campy failures all occur over time and start with small cracks that
progress, not a catastrophic failure.

Marty

2Rodies

And airplanes are safest mode of transportation until the one you are on falls from the sky. Anything and everything will eventually fail from use and fatigue, to try and paint Campy and or square taper design as inherently more likely to fail is completely baseless.

pigmode

One thing's for sure, Campy is the master when it comes to aesthetics. Just like their current brakeset, the sleek curves on these new crankarms are stunning.

DocRay

I have to disagree with that, Campy cranks are fugly- dura ace are really nice.

Grasschopper

Now see this is clearly a point of personal opinion...becuase I think the DA are fugly and the Campy are sexy. Each to their own.

jbhowat

The cranks in that picture are nt Campagnolo, FYI.

I'm pretty sure they are FRM or something.

gcasillo

Some people like circular saws, some don't.

pigmode

I'll take the Irwin, excellent work-a-day blades made in Japan.


Yup, well proportioned curves =sexy, and in this case, functionally so. I have a Dura Ace 7800 brakeset sitting here for my new build, and they are beautiful pieces of equipment--until you put them side-by-side with the Campy Records, then they look tall and blocky. But they'll still look good on my bike...

cs1

Obviously, Dick's bird shot has blinded you to the truth.

Tim

cs1

When I built my last bike I had to decide between the very functional Centaur dual pivot brakes and a special set of NOS Chorus Monoplaner brakes. The Chorus won out. They don't stop nearly as well as the Centaur but boy are they sexy.


Tim

terrymorse 

Sorry to gore a sacred cow, but the square taper design is problematic from an engineering and reliability standpoint. The taper forces the crank to crawl up the spindle and produce high stress, the bearing surfaces fret, the design invites improper installation, critical areas can't be inspected without disassembly, disassembly and reassembly puts undue stress on the crank and wear on the bearing surfaces.



What I like about (the splined spindle design) is that it does not
have these near damaging press fits that the square requires and that
torque and crank alignment are searate and that the crank bottoms when
installed so that it doesn't creep up the press fit to a fit tighter
than when installed. It is this last feature that cracks some square
taper cranks.

Jobst Brandt