So I want to install a so-called "compact" road road double. Now I'm trying to choose between the Sugino Alpina and the Velo Orange Grand Cru.
My heart says "Alpina" because of its looks. As I don't do retro for retro's sake, I couldn't care less that the Grand Cru mimics some visual elements of old Stronglight and other European cranksets from the 1960's amd '70's. That's not to say that the Grand Cru is unattractive; I just prefer the looks of the Alpina.
Another consideration, for me, is that I've used Sugino products for a long time, while VO is only a few years old and the GC is a new product. Then again, I've been happy with the VO in-house products I've used. But those products have included, maninly, accessories like fenders and bells, not central drivetrain components like cranks. Then again, Chris, the proprietor of VO, stands by what he sells and has always been friendly and helpful to me.
One last consideration is that, whatever I buy, I may swap the chainrings, as I have some 110 BCD 'rings in different sizes. So I would be buying mainly for the arms, and the Alpina can be had for a bit less than the Grand Cru.
Decisions, decisions. What do you, dear readers, think?
For me, a decision like this usually comes down to price. The Grand Cru looks like a pretty good product, but if you like the look of the Alpina, and it's cheaper, it's probably the way to go.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's just old age creeping up on me but a low q-factor bothers my hips. Weird.
If I were buying, I'd go with the Alpina since I don't like being a pioneer on stuff like cranks and Sugino stuff is solid. However, you ought to consider the Grand Cru so the rest of us know whether or not we ought to go for it or stay away.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, if I wanted to be retro, I'd simply get an old Campy crank off of eBay.
I have the Alpina on my Royal H mixte, and just got the Grand Cru for review, which I will place on the "women's bike" Shogun that I plan to give away in the Spring. About the Alpina, I can say that I prefer the higher Q factor on an upright-ish bike; it just seems to feel better. For a sportier roadbike, I think that I prefer the old-style cranksets, although I like the Sugino triple on my Rivendell just fine as well. Hard to say really! Oh, and I too prefer the looks of the Alpina in many ways. The chainrings are almost floral.
ReplyDeletePretty good post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts. Any way I'll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon. Big thanks for the useful info.exness com login
ReplyDeleteGreat post full of useful tips! My site is fairly new and I am also having a hard time getting my readers to leave comments. Analytics shows they are coming to the site but I have a feeling “nobody wants to be first”. exness login
ReplyDelete