D
Don
Guest
Many thanks to the person on this forum who first informed me of the short cranks (Thorn) offered by
St. John Street Cycles in Jolly Old. http://www.sjscycles.com/store/vIndex.htm
I received a 150mm Thorn triple crankset today. I ordered it 9 days ago on a Sunday. On Monday SJS
Cycles emailed me that what I ordered was considered a "kit" so they would assemble it for me AND
charge me less. Gotta love those guys. Also, assembly and delivery across the pond in 9 days---very
impressive.
The Thorn looks great. Much better than the TA cranks. The side that shows rivals Campy Record in
finish quality. I know I have both Record and Racing Triple cranks from Campy. Ignore the dark
shading on the website picture. I think that is a shadow or something. Maybe that is an older
finish. There is an attractive diagonal ridge along the face of the crank arms. That may cause a
shadow. I did get TA rings and they look very good too, (especially the outer ring) and they are
ramped. Total cost assembled and delivered apx $205 USD.
Things to remember when looking at their site: All prices include
17.5% VAT which yanks do NOT have to pay. If you buy an entire crankset the price is lower.
They have lots of neat, hard-to-find items on their site. I also purchased a pair of TA pedal
washers and 5-Minoura bottle cage holders. They had two sizes. I had never seen the larger size
Minoura before. Note that the Minoura holders can be taken apart and rotated 90 degrees so they will
mount on either vertical or horizontal tubes. They are also great for holding things besides water
bottle cages. I think the larger size would fit on above seat stems.
They also have fat zip ties that may be good for mesh seats. I was going to measure the ones on my
Giro seat and see if the ties at SJS would work. If they did I was going to order 8 to redo my seat
after break in. I forgot because I was having fun looking at other things on the site. So, be
warned---this site could cost you more than just the price of a crankset.
Only negative---I thought the packing was a little sparse. I forgive them. They probably do not know
how “insensitive” the USPS can be at times. My package contents arrived in good
condition.
If you have been looking at TA short cranks from the Hostel Shoppe, ignore the catalog price. They
have raised the price (online) of the bare crank to $250 plus shipping. Add the cost of rings and
bolts and you have more in a crank than the average person pays for a DF bike. They blamed in on the
falling dollar. I know the dollar has not fallen anything close to that amount.
So, in summary. SJS Cycles has great products, great prices, great service. I am totally pleased
with all aspects of my first order. Don't hesitate to order from them just because they are not US
based. They delivered faster than many stateside vendors and they have some rare products. If you
have been thinking of ordering shorter cranks, this is the place to order from. Don't delay. Do your
knees a favor. Don
St. John Street Cycles in Jolly Old. http://www.sjscycles.com/store/vIndex.htm
I received a 150mm Thorn triple crankset today. I ordered it 9 days ago on a Sunday. On Monday SJS
Cycles emailed me that what I ordered was considered a "kit" so they would assemble it for me AND
charge me less. Gotta love those guys. Also, assembly and delivery across the pond in 9 days---very
impressive.
The Thorn looks great. Much better than the TA cranks. The side that shows rivals Campy Record in
finish quality. I know I have both Record and Racing Triple cranks from Campy. Ignore the dark
shading on the website picture. I think that is a shadow or something. Maybe that is an older
finish. There is an attractive diagonal ridge along the face of the crank arms. That may cause a
shadow. I did get TA rings and they look very good too, (especially the outer ring) and they are
ramped. Total cost assembled and delivered apx $205 USD.
Things to remember when looking at their site: All prices include
17.5% VAT which yanks do NOT have to pay. If you buy an entire crankset the price is lower.
They have lots of neat, hard-to-find items on their site. I also purchased a pair of TA pedal
washers and 5-Minoura bottle cage holders. They had two sizes. I had never seen the larger size
Minoura before. Note that the Minoura holders can be taken apart and rotated 90 degrees so they will
mount on either vertical or horizontal tubes. They are also great for holding things besides water
bottle cages. I think the larger size would fit on above seat stems.
They also have fat zip ties that may be good for mesh seats. I was going to measure the ones on my
Giro seat and see if the ties at SJS would work. If they did I was going to order 8 to redo my seat
after break in. I forgot because I was having fun looking at other things on the site. So, be
warned---this site could cost you more than just the price of a crankset.
Only negative---I thought the packing was a little sparse. I forgive them. They probably do not know
how “insensitive” the USPS can be at times. My package contents arrived in good
condition.
If you have been looking at TA short cranks from the Hostel Shoppe, ignore the catalog price. They
have raised the price (online) of the bare crank to $250 plus shipping. Add the cost of rings and
bolts and you have more in a crank than the average person pays for a DF bike. They blamed in on the
falling dollar. I know the dollar has not fallen anything close to that amount.
So, in summary. SJS Cycles has great products, great prices, great service. I am totally pleased
with all aspects of my first order. Don't hesitate to order from them just because they are not US
based. They delivered faster than many stateside vendors and they have some rare products. If you
have been thinking of ordering shorter cranks, this is the place to order from. Don't delay. Do your
knees a favor. Don
ostmaster@