Modern thru-axle cranks (yes this is in the right section!)

[pete_mcc]

I've been looking at new, external bearing, hollow axle cranks for my modern road and mountain bike recently. the problem is the prices are astronomical and all you can get are 'me too' carbon things with no life or soul. Add that to the fact that I still love 94bcd for my mountain bike and have recently bought a set of 110bcd road rings and I was hitting a wall.

So, what is a retrobiker to do in this situation:

1) want through axle
2) want external bearings
3) want something that is truly individual
4) want something that will last.

Answer was simple - Bullseye cranks!

First I needed a 94BCD spider and a 110 one for my road bike. Up steps Broady, our resident machinist. From a fairly rudimentary drawing he was able to create a spider that matched the needs perfectly:

Next David Gibson and another RB member helped out with some cranks, one MTB and one Road (they are different because of the axle length). They were both a little tired in the paint dept so off they went to the local powdercoaters, £20 later they looked like new.

Finally, our Maestro of Bullseyes, Gil_m, sorted me with some shims that took the standard 22.2mm Bullseye axles and adapted them to any standard outboard BB (I used Hope). He also supplied the decals.

The whole caboodle came together perfectly and now works faultlessly. they are a little heavier than modern carbon, but its not like I am searching for that extra gram to save, I stopped that when my waistline went over 34":

(Excuse the shitty iphone photos)

94BCD mountain bike on my Seven Sola.

110BCD (tweaked to Campa Record 110BCD - yes I know I need to remove the chainring tab) on my Sevem Axiom SL

So I have now added a number of extra years service on to cranks that are probably as old as many people on here!

 

[Rio]

well done! Looks great on both bikes

 

[ferrus]

superb work and ultra cool, they both look fantastic.

 

[BoyBurning]

Good work pete and the gang.

What's the tooth count on the 94 BCD rings?

Looks like quite a jump between the ratios? Any trouble shifting between the two?

BB

 

[pete_mcc]

Cheers for the words!

It's a fairly standard 42,32,22. I think it looks bigger because the actiontec rings are so thin. All shifts nice and tight, although I've put more miles on the road bike than the mtb so most of the MTB testing is in situ.

 

[Rio]

Cheers for the words!

It's a fairly standard 42,32,22. I think it looks bigger because the actiontec rings are so thin. All shifts nice and tight, although I've put more miles on the road bike than the mtb so most of the MTB testing is in situ.

the actiontec rings look great, but do you feel any flex cause there's not so much material?

 

[pete_mcc]

the actiontec rings look great, but do you feel any flex cause there's not so much material?

I did with the big ring on my older 110s, you would occasionally get the chain rubbing on the front mech if you stomped hard on the pedals when in the big ring but these compacts don't seem at all bad. To be honest I use the big ring so infrequently that I am tempted to remove it and that would remove any possibility of it ever happening.

 

[Rio]

the actiontec rings look great, but do you feel any flex cause there's not so much material?

I did with the big ring on my older 110s, you would occasionally get the chain rubbing on the front mech if you stomped hard on the pedals when in the big ring but these compacts don't seem at all bad. To be honest I use the big ring so infrequently that I am tempted to remove it and that would remove any possibility of it ever happening.

thanks pete! I do think the triple setup looks awesome though...

 

[john]

Loving your work as ever Pete. Unique and suitably retro solution.

How do you find the egg rings? What sort of ratio (if that's the correct term) are they?

Did you seven come with the coupler? Or did you have it added. If added, brave man!

 

[pete_mcc]

Thanks John, I will get some suitable full bike shots up in the post 1998 section at the weekend so you can see them both in their full titanium glory.

The Egg rings have been a firm favourite for many years, I've had a set on one bike or another for 15 years now. These are certainly my most egg like ones - I bought them as I moved from Cambridge (flat) to Bucks/Chilterns (very hilly).

They do take a little getting used to, but that is not because they feel odd, its because you ride in a far more natural way with the whole stroke feeling more even (imagine spending your whole life with one shoe 2" taller than the other and then one day removing that odd shoe!). You feel totally normal after a few rides.

These ones are at about 20/25% ovality, which is fairly high but not as extreme as some of the TdF bikes in recent years, or like Mr Wallace on here. You really feel the benefit on the hills so I went for a higher ovality on the inner (36T @ 25%, outer is 50T @ 20% I think).

The only down side is Chris Bell has stopped making them so these will have to last, but seeing as another set is still strong after 15years I'm not too worried.

The couplered Seven was a wish list bike for a very long time. I used to spend a 50% of my time living in hotels and motels (a few years back I was in Holiday Inns top 10 residents - I am Alan Partridge) and always wanted a coupler bike. This one turned up on ebay a year or so ago and with the help of a US member I snagged it.
Ironically I have been ill for the last year and my doctor has banned me from travelling so the bike has yet to be uncoupled!