Recommend a square taper compact chainset!

timbob67

It's winter bike servicing time! I converted to a compact chainset last year (from an old Shimano 2300 52/39 double), and found a suitable one at Spa Cycles which let me keep using a reliable and cheap square taper cartridge bottom bracket.

The crank arms went on last winter, and in taking them off this afternoon (for the first time since installation), I discovered that they're made of cheese - the threads stripped right out of the drive side with only minimal force on my crank puller, leaving little curved metal fragments in the thread of my tool. The cranks are now off, having used a bit of intentional cross threading to wedge the puller in the crank and screw it out, but I'm not in favour of putting them back on, because there's really nothing left now to get them off a second time...!

So, recommendations are welcome please for a well priced, not terrible looking, square taper compact chainset!

me-109

FSA Vero for about fifty quid.

staffo

Stronglight Impact Compact works fine for me. If you get the latest model make sure you get a 113mm JIS bottom bracket such as the Shimano UN55. Most stores recommend a 107mm bb but that is for a previous model.
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... trochar560

yakk

Just to add that the stronglight impact chainsets I've had came with self-extracting bolts, so no need for a puller to remove.
Yak

passout

Interesting to hear about spa cycles - was going to buy one of theirs.

I have the FSA vero and its fine. Planet x had a few square tapers discounted a while back - can't remember the brand.

thegibdog

If you run SPDs I have some Specialites TA Vega compact cranks you can have for this price of postage as they have some M520s fused into them!

timbob67

Thanks chaps - I'll have a look at then Stronglight and FSA chain sets