Ablejack: in my understanding, TA cranks were installed on the earliest MTBs because everything else at the time was 52/39 or thereabouts. Campy had a triple, but it was 54/42/36! Once some Japanese companies started making 110/74 cranks in 1983 or so, nobody ever used a TA on a MTB again. The claim that the TA cranks wouldn't fail is the opposite of my reality. They failed frequently. Every experienced bike mechanic I've known, and I've known some great ones, would, upon seeing a TA crank, say, "check it for cracks," with a dismissive tone as if cracks were standard-issue with this crank.
As for looks, that's subjective, of course. To me, the Francophile bikes are over the top. They often do look good as a package, but I'd feel weird and self-conscious riding one unless I was in a parade. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/-/GXxVcqV5SBcJ. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
