General: Cranksets

Get the Sram s300 courier crankset, it comes with bottombracket on ebay for 87 bucks. Its smooth, light, and stiff. What else could you ask out of a crank?

Posted By: MREAlways looking on eBay for older Campagnolo parts, but it's still expensive... :)

There's old Campy, and there's good old Campy. Just because it says "Campagnolo" on it doesn't make it a wise purchase.

The old Record/Nuovo Record/Super Record cranks (early 60s to mid-80s) had a reputation for developing cracks around the spider - the star in the middle that holds the chainring to the crankarm. Cracks in metal are never a good thing; cracks in metal subjected to a lot of stress are particularly bad, as they may give way in big ways in dangerous situations.

Most old Campy cranksets have not failed in this way, and I don't mean to cast aspersions on them. I've owned 70s campy cranksets and I've ridden 70s campy cranksets, and my crankarms have never torn off the spiider. Old Campy chainrings are bulletproof. But I build a lot of oldie bikes, so shop guys give me oldie bike advice; "don't buy a 70's Record crankset without checking for cracks first" is a regular bit of advice I get.

Newer Campy cranksets do not have this problem. Basically, everything in the C-Record era (1986-1994) and the modern era (1994-present) is absolutely trustworthy. They're much more 'aerodynamic' in appearance than the older cranks; smoother, more rounded. They also use different-sized chainrings from the older cranks: 135 BCD instead of the older 144 BCD (which is also the standard for track cranks, partly because Campagnolo was the most prestigious crank manufacturer).

Other companies in the 60s-70s made cranks that looked a lot like the Campy Nuovo Record/Super Record cranks, including Miche and Gipiemme in Italy and Sugino in Japan. If that's the look you want, an off-brand might be a better option; it will almost certainly be cheaper than Campagnolo, just because it doesn't have the fancy name. Or you may want to get a newer Campagnolo crankset; 90s Veloce cranks can be gotten from eBay for around $30, and there are a variety of 135 BCD chainrings in tracky sizes (say, 44T-49T) from manufacturers like FSA, Stronglight, Token and others. Campagnolo came up with a way to dump the last of their backstock of square-taper cranks last year; they started bundling their remaining alloy Record cranksets (which were replaced by carbon in 2004, and with non-square bottom brackets in 2007) with chainrings drilled for mounting on both 135 BCD and 144 BCD crankarms.

Posted By: MRELet's say I get something like this :

http://cgi.ebay.com/CAMPAGNOLO-CAMPY-CRANKS-52-TEETH-45-TEETH-170-STRADA_W0QQitemZ200385803981QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2ea7ecb6cd&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14#ht_3788wt_1167

Can I remove the small chainring?? and use the crankset

Yes, you can. That's the standard fixed-gear conversion: To use whatever double-ring road crank you already have, remove the chainring you'll never use (usually by using shorter chainring bolts, or putting spacing washers in place of the missing chainring), put the remaining chainring on the inside or outside (depending on which lines up better with the cog). You may have to replace the bottom bracket or futz with spacers to get the chainline right.

I would say sram omnium is one of the best cranks going on out there right now, the gxp BB will give you a more solid and lighter ride than that of a square taper BB. so if you dont ever want to have to upgrade down the road, go omnium.

The omnium can be a little pricey, so If you are looking for a little more value, go with the s300, i havent personally used it ( I have used rds and the currently use the omnium) but I'm sure its still good stuff.

Well consider this, is it a track specific frame, or is it a road conversion? I say this because,, I have used campy road cranksets, converted them to a single speed crankset, and just used that, but I only used them on road frame conversions, they didnt line up correctly on my orbea or my uno(track specific frames). But that is just a suggestion, if you want to do campy, you can find cranksets for decent prices and just convert them.

Thanks for the info...

How do I make sure the BB that comes with the Omnium will fit my frame? or is it standard stuff...?

Any opinions / experiences for these : http://www.benscycle.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=188_193_658&products_id=3137 ?

When sizing a BB there are standards however, you still need to do some sizing. Having the original BB will help you do so

68 x 113 ISIS English

68mm is a standard shell width (some are 70, but those are Italian standard).
113mm delineates the length of the BB and depends on the BB shell and cranks you will use.
This will most effect the performace because of chain line and other clearances.
Because it is a fixed gear you neednt worry about derailer clearances and all the details.
ISIS means splined, as opposed to square taper. It is the Crank/Axle connection.
English delineates the threading of the BB, others are ISIS Overdrive, French, Italian etc.

Well the frame I have is a regular one, I know this means nothing but it doesn't come from a rare or special bike, it was just a standard road bike...

I was planning on getting the Sugino RD which costs around 85$ + the matching BB which costs about 35$
I don't mind spending a bit more if I'm gonna get a better ride... There are some deals on eBay for that Ominum + BB

Any thoughts on this : http://www.benscycle.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=188_193_658&products_id=3137 ?

Thanks

Primato has a proprietary 135 BCD, meaning you will have to buy Miche rings. Otherwise the Primato is similar to the Sugino 75 and is NOT right for you.

I already said this in another thread today (and have said and seen it said plenty of times recently), but you're not experienced enough to notice a "better ride" from one crank to another right now, especially if you're spending over $50.

Therefore, you're not going to get a "better/faster/stiffer ride" out of the Omnium than the S300 or the Sugino RD or Messenger, or an IRO, Alien or anything else. The S300+bb can be had for $75 +shipping, better if you wait for a deal. The only discernible difference is weight (all .2 LBS of it between the two SRAM made cranks), and your frame is probably heavy as it is. You're better off spending that money elsewhere.

Well, I wouldn't say beater... It's in great condition, and from what I've been told, it was pretty expensive back then...
I don't think it's a crappy frame

http://velospace.org/node/21020 (not mine... but someone on here has one)

I see... thanks!

I've been looking at chainrings and separate cranks and some have for example 130, 144 BCD etc...
That refers to the size of the threaded holes.. right?
Now, when I check to buy a set of chainring bolts, it never makes mention of the size...

Novice/newbie question wtv, tell me what I'm not getting here :)

Thanks

Not quite. It isn't bolt size, but the diameter of the circle the bolt holes on the crank make. Wait, that's hard to understand...

Here's Sheldon Brown's explanation.

Also, the bolt holes on cranks aren't threaded. If you're buying a ring and crank separately you'll also need to purchase stack bolts made for track or single speed use.

Track bikes use a BCD of 144, most modern road bikes use 130. Depending on what product you're looking at, either one of those sizes will be fine. If you're looking to graduate to "real" track riding eventually, 144 would be the better choice. But do understand that if you end up using 144, your options will be more limited and more expensive (for the most part).

it's not your lbs's fault they charge msrp for the products they sell.
online shops are going to put bike shops out of business in the forseeable future.