Lightweight Square Taper Crank

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Fisherfreerider
Posts: 269
Joined: Thu Sep 29, 2011 1:19 am

by Fisherfreerider

So I am building an old Klein Quantum II frame and it has the pressed in square taper BB. Are there any current or previous lighter weight cranks that I can use with this? My other idea is to have the frame threaded for a GXP type BB.

by Weenie


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lechat
Posts: 260
Joined: Thu Sep 30, 2010 3:32 pm
Location: S.E. TN

by lechat

The 1st Storck Powerarms by THM were square taper, I believe.

jooo
Posts: 1510
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2011 3:48 am

by jooo

Storck Power Arms:
Image
I think you can also get Ti spindles for press fit Kleins from Phil Wood.

eh, lechat beat me to it.

Tune Bigfoot is one of the lighter options too:
Image
Last edited by jooo on Mon Jul 16, 2012 4:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.

socratease
Posts: 160
Joined: Thu Oct 13, 2011 5:25 pm

by socratease

Phil wood will also make press-fit external cups if you want to go that route.

sharkman
Posts: 1399
Joined: Fri Jun 25, 2004 8:32 pm
Location: the Netherlands

by sharkman

Extremely lightweight would be a bit over the top since the frameset isn't that light. You'll need a crankset that is suited for jis tapered axles. As mentioned above the tune bigfoot in black would be a nice option. Bit heavier but matching the frameset would be a dura ace 74xx crankset (the one with the ti axle bolt). I had a propeller ti crankset (at least I was told that it came from fly sports) which looked sweet but that would be hard to optain nowadays (and in the end it cracked).

Fisherfreerider
Posts: 269
Joined: Thu Sep 29, 2011 1:19 am

by Fisherfreerider

I talked to Phil Wood today and I think I will go that route to use a Sram Red crank.

Clevor
Posts: 247
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2005 12:04 am

by Clevor

I have a vintage 2003 Campy Record crank. This is a collector's item since it was the first carbon crank Campy made. As such, the chainrings are made in Italy (not any more) and the carbon is uncharacteristic (for Campy) 3K weave. As it uses square taper, if I ever installed it I would use a Phil Wood Ti BB. Pretty pricey, but weight is around 130 gms I think. Plus the crank itself weighs 519 gms, so a surprisingly light setup for something so antiquated.

thisisatest
Shop Owner
Posts: 1980
Joined: Sat Jun 13, 2009 4:02 am
Location: NoVA/DC

by thisisatest

chainrings may have been made in italy but those arms were made in speedway, indiana.
about the klein frame, reset racing also does conversion bbs for kleins, in hollowtech, gxp, both octalinks, and square of course.
http://www.reset-racing.de/

danwerle
Posts: 20
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2008 4:34 am

by danwerle

Thanks for posting this question. It's one I've wanted to ask for some time.

I've got nothing but square-taper compatible cranks on my bikes and really am happy with all of them.

The Paul's crank won't work for you, as it is only available for single-speed or fixed-gear applications. It's heavy, really pretty, and really well built. Here's their Web site, just for fun: http://www.paulcomp.com/rdcrank.html.

The Middleburn RS 7 is really pretty, stiff, but a bit heavy. It is a very versatile crank, but isn't available with 172.5 mm arms and was designed with off-road intentions: http://www.middleburn.co.uk/cranks_rs8_&_rs7.php.

The White Industries crank is a really great idea. It's stiff and has a whole ton of options available for rings; however, they are propietary. It's a bit hefty for the project you're intending, but I've been pretty pleased with mine: http://whiteind.com/cranks/roadcranks.html.

Finally, the Specialites TA cranks are ones to consider. I've got the Carmina, and am really happy with it. You can change out the spiders and there are rings available for it in virtually every size. It's probably the stiffest of the bunch and the lightest of the ones mentioned here (not in the same category as the Stork). http://www.specialites-ta.com/gb/manivelle-vortex.html.

I've tried the Tune BigFoot and was pretty disappointed - it wasn't very stiff, creaked like an arthritic's knees, and didn't seem very reliable.

Stronglight also makes a square-taper crank (not available in black, as the others are).

Like others have said, the best of the bunch is probably the early generation Dura Ace. That was probably the best crank I'll ever use.

Thanks again for posing this question. I'm excited to hear your thoughts about moving to SRAM with the Phil Wood bottom bracket.

by Weenie


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Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

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