10-speed Ultegra vs. Dura-Ace

In article ,
Mark Hickey wrote:

Tom Sherman wrote:

Peter Chisholm wrote:

...
As for the crank, I think the ALUMINUM crank of either Chorus and
Record, at MUCH less $ than DA or ultegra, with a really simple, very
effective proven BB design is the way to go. SO MANY are swayed by the
outside of the BB bearing crank, which answerts no \question, solves no
problem with regard to the square taper BB/crank setup. PLEASE don't
claim it is stiffer...it is when tested by a gorilla machine that exerts
much more force than any human....

Peter,

Are you saying that Chalo Colina is not human?

I think we've been intimating that for years... his size alone pretty
much disqualifies him.

It's getting cold in here!

But...equipment which is designed for Chalo's size and power is likely
to be overdesigned for the majority of cyclists. He's so big and strong
that he (or possibly Shaquille O'Neal, who is known to have a really big
custom mountain bike) personally may be the extreme limit of size and
strength among serious cyclists.

Put more bluntly, there may be heavier cyclists than Chalo, but they're
probably riding a lot less vigorously than him.

Below average,
--
Ryan Cousineau, http://www.wiredcola.com
Verus de parvis; verus de magnis.

Tom Sherman wrote:
Peter Chisholm wrote:

...
As for the crank, I think the ALUMINUM crank of either Chorus and
Record, at MUCH less $ than DA or ultegra, with a really simple, very
effective proven BB design is the way to go. SO MANY are swayed by the
outside of the BB bearing crank, which answerts no \question, solves
no problem with regard to the square taper BB/crank setup. PLEASE
don't claim it is stiffer...it is when tested by a gorilla machine
that exerts much more force than any human....


Peter,

Are you saying that Chalo Colina is not human?

I'm saying that he is certainly at the fringe of the rider bell curve. I
don't think amnufacturers should build to his example.

O5 Chorus sure is.

Get your own break.

Qui si parla Campagnolo wrote:

As for the crank, I think the ALUMINUM crank of either Chorus and
Record, at MUCH less $ than DA or ultegra, with a really simple, very

effective proven BB design is the way to go. SO MANY are swayed by
the
outside of the BB bearing crank, which answerts no \question, solves
no
problem with regard to the square taper BB/crank setup.

Outboard bearings address a major shortcoming in the threaded-shell BB,
which is that there is not enough room for both an adequately large
spindle and adequately large bearings inside the shell.

The regular square taper spindle is just TOO SMALL, though you have yet
to admit it. If a stem (or a seatpost, or a fork steerer, or a crank
arm) had to be made from 1/4" thick forged and hardened steel to
function without breaking, you would admit it was sized way too small
for its job. Well, that's the way a square taper spindle is made,
because it's way too small for the job. And it can't be made bigger
without compromising the bearings' durability. Those thinks are bunk,
Peter, just like cottered cranks are bunk, even though they were
conventional at one time.

There was a time when bike frames were made of solid steel bars, but in
due course they were improved. BBs are being improved now, despite the
complaints of those who for whatever reason prefer the old stuff.

FWIW, I expect that square taper cranks and BBs are going to be an
increasingly cheap bargain for a while as more and more folks get
acquainted with the benefits of a better system. So count your
blessings. You'll be able to pick up lightly used and NOS square taper
cranks for a song after Campy changes over to tubular spindles. Just
like with the slant pantograph derailleur and index shifting, their
adaptation to a superior paradigm will be late, but they will catch up.


PLEASE don't
claim it is stiffer...it is when tested by a gorilla machine that
exerts
much more force than any human.

Of course a large diameter spindle running in outboard bearings is
stiffer, but "stiffer" does not necessarily equal "better" in every
case. Excessive flex is just a side effect of the real structural
problem, and whether it is a problem itself is a matter of taste.

Chalo Colina