Subject: [CR]Drivetrain weights and Sampson Stratics Crank

(Example: Framebuilding)

From: <Doland.Cheung@sce.com>
Subject: Subject: [CR]Drivetrain weights and Sampson Stratics Crank
To: KCTOMMY@email.msn.com
Cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2001 09:26:28 -0800


Tom,

If these are the diamond cross-section CNC cranks, I'm sorry to say they suck, performance wise. Sampson had a "deal" on them with his Ti BB in the USCF magazine back in 94 or 95 and I bought a set.

About the cranks: - Way light at 360g or so for both arms, but you pay a price in stiffness. In particular, I could literally feel the left crank arm twist under pedal load. And I'm only 135 lbs! - Will polish up real pretty since they have no coating, just raw aluminum. Sampson included instructions about sealing the grain and stuff. I tried it and it didn't seem to work, I still have sweat stains on my cranks but I'm sure they will polish out with Simichrome. - Uses a BB with 113mm spacing. Don't know the taper, but would assume Shimano. - I heard a rumour about some people pulling their pedals right out of the cranks, failures at the pedal eye hole. I was never able to confirm this, however.

About the Ti BB: - Was light and seemed to work fine. Didn't notices any additional flex. But then again, I only used the BB in a Look carbon frame and it has some BB flex in it already. - Comes with 2 aluminum lockrings, no fixed cup. Good for chainline adjustability, but near impossible to torque effectively without damaging the slots significantly. I got new replacements, but will use steel lockrings the next time I install the BB. - Could get the damn thing to stop creaking, even with teflon tape. Could've been a lockring tightening problem.

Only thing "good" about them is that they look kinda cool and they are really light.

Hope this info helps.

Doland
>From: KCTOMMY@email.msn.com
>
>2nd question: Another impulse buy: a Sampson Stratics crankset is coming
>my way. Does anyone have any road experience with these? In particular,
>what type and length of bottom bracket do they take? When were they made,
>how many were produced, and did they have any particular idiosycracies (that
>is, do I dare ride it or will it kill me)?