Sturdy Titanium Crank

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Greyfox
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2021 12:00 am

by Greyfox

Hello everyone,

Long time lurker, first time poster…

I am considering a Sturdy ti crank and was hoping that some of you who have one might provide some feedback on your experience.

I am wondering how you find the stiffness. I know that @kode54 finds the Cane Creek stiffer. How do others find it?

How is the overall fit and finish?

Also, I was wondering about the fitment on the bottom bracket. It is a tapered fit onto the bottom bracket axle. I wonder if the ti crank will fuse to the axle over time as sometimes happens with titanium bolts? That’s one area that I prefer on the Cane Creek - the hirth joint with the built-in axle is nice.

Hopefully @kode54 can chime in as he has direct experience with both the Sturdy and the Cane Creek. It would be great to get a comparison of the two.

Thanks in advance for everyone input.

Greyfox

kode54
Posts: 3749
Joined: Tue May 23, 2006 9:39 pm

by kode54

@Greyfox...

Here's a few answers for you...
Cane Creek eeWings are finished quite well and built to last. I have had a set beadblasted to match my Moots. These have taken a beating and I've thrown them on several gnarly gravel rides where they have hit a few large rocks and several falls. No issues. Construction of all the parts are well done and uses a reversed SRAM spider pattern. I have Sigeyi power meters on both of them with no issues whatsoever. Very stiff.

The Sturdy cranks are good...but I have it on an all rounder bike (allroad) so I don't subject it to harsh road conditions. It has only seen rough road and hard pack crushed gravel. They are light and also have no issues. Its light due to the lattice nature inside the crank arms which you cannot see. It also has a standard spider pattern...i think CINCH. I forget. I'm not really someone that knows or can tell if a crank is more stiff or not and besides, I have these on different bikes and have not tested them on the same bike for comparison sake...so take my observations as a grain of salt. The finish of the Sturdy is purposeful and done raw on purpose...mainly to match the frameset. I actually like the raw finish and using the bike along with the cranks...builds a patina over time.

Not sure about the galling of the titanium to aluminum, but I typically use anti-seize when putting these parts together, like spiders, chain rings, Ti bolts on spiders, etc.
Personally, I think you have to visualize how the bike will look with either crank. I have a bead blasted eeWing on my Moots. The standard brush Ti on my brushed Ti Guru and the raw finished crank on my raw finished Sturdy. They all look like they belong on each bike...that's what I was looking for in the end. Hope that helps.
- Factor Ostro VAM Disc
- Factor LS Disc
- Specialized Aethos Disc
- Sturdy Ti Allroad Disc
- Guru Praemio R Disc

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

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crlincoln
Posts: 157
Joined: Sat Dec 08, 2018 7:42 am

by crlincoln

Greyfox wrote:
Mon Nov 22, 2021 6:04 pm
Hello everyone,

Long time lurker, first time poster…

I am considering a Sturdy ti crank and was hoping that some of you who have one might provide some feedback on your experience.

I am wondering how you find the stiffness. I know that @kode54 finds the Cane Creek stiffer. How do others find it?

How is the overall fit and finish?

Also, I was wondering about the fitment on the bottom bracket. It is a tapered fit onto the bottom bracket axle. I wonder if the ti crank will fuse to the axle over time as sometimes happens with titanium bolts? That’s one area that I prefer on the Cane Creek - the hirth joint with the built-in axle is nice.

Hopefully @kode54 can chime in as he has direct experience with both the Sturdy and the Cane Creek. It would be great to get a comparison of the two.

Thanks in advance for everyone input.

Greyfox
I'd recommend you drop Tom a note and have a chat with him about what your requirements and what you're looking for. He has the ability to potentially build in more stiffness or less... as well around multiple different bottom bracket standards as well.. think that's the beauty of 3D printing...

Mine, with bike, are coming soon... :D

Also Tom is a great guy to chat with...

Greyfox
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2021 12:00 am

by Greyfox

Thank you @kode54 for the detailed reply. Just what I was hoping for!

@crlincoln, contacting Tom is a good idea. I connected with him last year over email and found him to be very helpful. I just thought I might hear from some people who have the crank "in the wild" so to speak. I look forward to hearing your thoughts when you get yours.

Thanks again.

Greyfox

kode54
Posts: 3749
Joined: Tue May 23, 2006 9:39 pm

by kode54

Yes, great point. I forgot to mention contacting Tom directly as @crlincoln said. When I ordered mine...I gave Tom much detail on how I ride and what I was looking for in a crank. With the eeWings...you get what everyone else gets and if you want something out of the box, its not a bad way to go. But, if you want something that's tailored to your riding...the Sturdy is the ultimate route to go. I got what I asked for...and it wasn't stiffness I wanted. I was more into an all rounder with endurance in mind for the distance I ride. Tom delivered. The inside lattice is adjusted and 3D prinited accordingly and fine tuned. I'm sure you can request a specific stiffness. Be prepared to give Tom the info like current cranks, likes and dislikes. He takes everything into consideration and builds it to your requirements. Tom in very responsive despite how busy he tends to get.
- Factor Ostro VAM Disc
- Factor LS Disc
- Specialized Aethos Disc
- Sturdy Ti Allroad Disc
- Guru Praemio R Disc

RichTheRoadie
Tinker, Taylor, Tart
Posts: 2070
Joined: Sat Nov 29, 2008 8:00 pm
Location: Sydney, Aus.

by RichTheRoadie

Anyone that believes they can actually feel the difference in stiffness of any current crankset is delusional.

Something like an old school skinny Tune BigFoot Vs a new eeWings, may just be tangible to actually feel; but anything else is mind tricks.

kode54
Posts: 3749
Joined: Tue May 23, 2006 9:39 pm

by kode54

Yeah besides too many variables. Bottom bracket, overall frame stiffness, etc.
- Factor Ostro VAM Disc
- Factor LS Disc
- Specialized Aethos Disc
- Sturdy Ti Allroad Disc
- Guru Praemio R Disc

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



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