I'm a cheap bastard...
 

I haven't needed to buy a new cog for about 5 years, but I'm adding another bike to my stable so I'm going to need to order one.

Is there anything better for the money than a Soma cog? $22 delivered is the range I'm thinking of...

I'm very cheap. My FGs have Formula cogs. They're cheap, they seem to work.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-FORMULA-18T-...item43a384fbe8

Dura Ace cogs are awesome, but I think they are a little bit more. Something like $24 + shipping on tree fort bikes.

I own two Origin8 track cogs (17t and 18t) and am amazed by their quality. I also own a Dura-Ace 15t, as well as some incredibly cheap stamped ones. Origin8 claims theirs are the strongest available, they're on amazon.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Origin8-Track-Co...item53e4f29414
I am extremely content with the quality and price of an Origin8 cog.

You can get Dura Ace cogs on eBay for $24.99 shipped. If you're looking for something 13-16t, these would be a good choice.

I don't like the cheap Formula stamped cogs. They wear quickly with fairly non-aggressive riding.

I do like Eighth Inch ($24.50 shipped on eBay/a lot of other companies rebrand the same cogs) and Origin8 cogs (shown in above post).

Just stick with the Somas. They're great cogs for the $$, and you won't find anything better at that price, and anything cheaper won't be as good. I get mine in black for $19 + shipping here >>> http://www.worldclasscycles.com/Trac...nents_cart.htm

Here's the kind I have:

http://www.amazon.com/Origin8-Torq-L...5841095&sr=8-4

and what is this?:

http://www.amazon.com/Origin8-Torq-L...5841095&sr=8-9

The latter is for a cassette hub for singlespeed conversions.

I think the confusion comes from their description of it as a "Track Cassette Cog"

No I figured it was for SS, but how do you stop it from sliding up and down the length of the cassette? Or is it just much deeper than the photo suggests?

It's meant to be used with a spacer kit >>> http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/167...p=065%20SETSC7

Great. That's what I figured, but there's alot more companies than last time I was looking at cogs.

I just ordered a *gulp* Mongoose Cachet to be my beat-around/travel/polo bike. If the hubs are actually sealed, I figure it shouldn't be too bad of deal. I've been riding fixed since the late '90s. I've got an old Airborne Ti track bike and a nice custom framed-S3X bike. Both are too nice to really abuse, so I'm giving the 'goose a shot. I figure if the frame or wheels are too ****ty, I'll just return it.

They're not that bad durability wise; there's a couple around here on the undergrad campus. All of them have their mongoose livery stripped nonetheless. However, the shape of the frame and the wheels are undeniable....

I rock the Surly cogs. $19.99 with free shipping on eBay. I don't know if they're rebranded, but they work fine. A buddy of mine has had one for several months, too.

I like Dura Ace, but they aren't available over 16t. My 17t is from Euro Asia Imports.

SOMA and Euro Asia Imports are my second favorite.

DA cogs have always been my favorite for value, this last summer i bought a wheelset and it came with a 17t phil wood cog, i know they're a little more but i have damaged a DA cog(3 years, no service at all, 3 teeth chipped) but i imagine it'd be impossible to hurt his phil cog, it's like having a tank screwed onto to my rear hub

Wait, is this new cog for a Mongoose Cachet? If so, I change my recommendation to the cheapest stamped steel crap cog you can find. :lol:

Why?

The spec sheet (for what it's worth) says the hubs are Quandos. Quando hubs are made by the same factory as Novatec hubs, which I've used before with no problems. The misc. parts are crap, but all I'm really interested in is the frame and wheels. I've got tons of parts to swap over, just not those two crucial ones.

You do realize that it really is true that ~90% of all bicycle frames are manufacturered in about 12 different factories in Asia. Sure, Huffy/Pacific might set the quality control standards down a touch lower than Trek but modern factories put out pretty damn good quality regardless.

A touch? C'mon... Regardless of where they're made, department store bikes are drastically inferior in terms of quality than bike shop bikes. There's a reason they're so much cheaper.

Good thing you have plenty of parts to swap on.

+1

In order to fill a quota by say a big box dept store such as walmart, costs have to be saved everywhere in order to have to even have a bottom line due to walmart's super cheap prices; first would be materials...

Same factory, but it doesn't mean their qualities are the same. One factory could produce premium parts and utterly cheap parts; Quando falls into the latter.

Another reason dept. store bikes are cheaper is that size options are much more limited - thus saving them $ on manufacturing.

Aside from weight and geometry... frames are frames. The rest is the incredibly cheap components they add to the frames.

Formula cogs at Benscycle for only $6.99 in January. http://www.benscycle.net/index.php?m...th=188_190_870

Spend the money and get the DA cog, that way you won't have to buy one for another 5 years, it's one of those penny a day items. totally worth it, it will wear slower, increasing chain and ring life. Surly and Soma are guud too. can't speak for the origin8 stuff i've only seen their early bars and stems, but they where quite ****.