Track Crank Suggestions

I am building a track bike right now and don't know what crank I should build it up with. I was going to order a Sram Omnium, but they're sold out. It's a relatively cheap crank and seems like its quality is pretty good. I have looked at the Campy Record track crank and it's crazy expensive. Same with the Dura-Ace one. I need something around $150 but also something that will last some time, as I plan on using it for many years. Any suggestions?

__________________
Lemond Tete De Course
-Sram Force
Trek T1

FWIW. I don't think it will matter for the first season which crank you use ... even a 130BCD crank that you might pull off one of your road bikes ... "half" of the BMX rings are dual-110BCD/130BCD, and a 48t BMX ring (for example) should be almost as stiff as a typical 144BCD crank & chainring.

So, if you really that you think want the SRAM crank, wait until it is available in the size you think you want ...

Besides, after a few races (or, training runs), you may decide that the crank length you were thinking about using for your track bike may not be the length you want to spend big/(any!) bucks on ... and then, where will you be?

So, you should use the current unavailability of the SRAM Omnium as an opportunity to experiment with different crank arm lengths rather than a momentary nuisance or an inconvenience.

Check out Sugino.

__________________
Sex is horrid
Pain is Fun
I cut my fingers off
One by one

Check out the classified ads or maybe put up a WTB on Fixed Gear Fever Forums:

http://www.fixedgearfever.com/modules.php?name=Forums

I like my Campy Record track crankset. My Dura-Ace track feels just as good though and you can find them used at reasonable prices. The Sugino crank is also top notch and can be found used from guys that upgraded. Lastly, don't be afraid of trying a Miche. I had one nd it never gave me any grief.

I don't know anything about the FSA carbon track crankset, but it looks nice for $230.

Sugino RD2, Messenger cranks..about $140 with a 48t 1/8 inch track ring. 130mm BCD(a little unusual for track) but other 1/8inch track rings are available.

I have the 2008 FSA carbon crankset and have had no worries. very smooth and has really good ankle clearance. Looks great too!

The really nice thing about FSA is the stunningly wide range of quality a given product might have. It could come off the line with FSA's top of the chart quality, i.e.....meh, so so....or it could be a veritable cat turd covered in burnt hair. In FSA's favor, however, they do make up for questionable QC by making wildly imaginative performance and product spec claims.

__________________
Sex is horrid
Pain is Fun
I cut my fingers off
One by one

Haha Yep. Sounds like you and I know the same FSA!

i'll give you some food for thought.

a) first i'd stick away from anything other than 144BCD, chances of borrowing a 151 or 130 at the track from a buddy is generally remote. over time you'll generally end up with 47, 48, 49, 50, 51 and possibly 52. in the meantime being able to borrow rings to try different gears is pretty handy. i see a lot of riders get real frustrated cause they buy a bike that has 48/15 and they race this for everything they do (86"). nothing worse than having to crank at 150+ rpm just to keep with the bunch.again as you buy rings, spend the bit extra and get nice ones.

b) you can partially mix and match 3/32 and 1/8 in some circumstances. for example you can run a 1/8 chain on a 3/32 chain ring. but generally you want to run a complete matched drive train. personally i find 1/8 stuff easier to source.

c) there is not a lot of technology in track cranks. you see guys buying a really nice set of cranks and then swapping them frame to frame to frame over a number of years. so my view if you are just starting out. either buy really low end, while you just see if track riding is for you, or if you feel you are uber committed buy high end. the standard that i'd compare everything else to is DA. you can get 7600 at PBK for just over $200AU (as a plus you can get nice track BB's for these with loose bearings and no seals as opposed to cartridge). if you buy DA you'll usually get most of your cash back on eBay if you decide it's not for you.

d) i'm currently running a set of FSA carbon pro track cranks. at the time i got gifted them. to date they have been fine, they don't have the same stiffness as DA, but then again i'm not chris hoy and dont put out 2,000W so it's hardly an issue. i do wonder about the longevity of the pedal thread inserts given the number of stannding starts i do in training.

as it turns out i'm replacing them, not through any fault in them, but i'm building a new bike that is a full carbon frame and will have a hand done air brush finish on it. i'm going to get DA, have the annodizing removed, then finished in black chrome. so basically the FSA aren't bling enough ;-p

e) the omniums get decent reviews in terms of stiffness. i'm not particularly bothered by a wider Q factor, but obviously some people are. if that extra 10mm of so is going to bug you, maybe these aren't the best choice. i'd think many serious pursuiters would not have them as their first choice.