01 November, 2006

News From TA Specialites

We get e-mails asking about TA pedals almost every day. Today I learned that TA pedals won't be available again until December. Sorry.

I also confirmed that TA will not make any further runs of Pro Vis cranks after this next production run. That last run is in honor of their 60th Anniversary. We have a bunch of the cranks on order, but have already sold out of some sizes. So I've been thinking about trying to increase our order. Does anyone else want to reserve some, assuming I can up our order.

The latest is that they are due to arrive in late January. The cost is probably going to be around $225 without chainrings. There is more info here.

5 comments:

  1. I have a Cyclotourist setup on one bike. It's okay. I was going to buy another for a new bike, but they're just too expensive. In general I think TA has lost control of their costs and pricing.

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  2. I agree with Neil. $225 for a crankset - without rings - that is no more difficult to make than a Sugino is absurd. This is strictly a knock against TA as a business. The actual design I love.

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  3. There is no question that these cranks are expensive and I also see no reason for them being so precious. But I'm not too upset by it because they are a once in a lifetime purchase. Unlike derailleurs, hubs, shifters, or even handlebars, these cranks will never wear out. They can even be polished with a bit of Simichrome and shine again after decades of use. And since rings from 26 to 68 teeth are available they can work on almost any bike and be set up as a double or as a triple.

    Actually, compared to the $600 carbon fiber cranks, they might even be a good deal.

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  4. Are they better than any other well finished aluminum crankset? With rings and bolts, $200 better?

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  5. It's wierd, the TAs look very elegant but functionally they don't really get the job done, they're just so flexible. Still, if you can deal with the rings flopping around when you stand up and hammer, I think Chris had earlier posted an entry about old Nervar and Stronglight crank arms -- they take the same 'rings and they're far cheaper and tons more soulful to boot. The old Nervar/Stronglight cranks fit just dandily on plain vanilla modern Shimano BB spindles too, which as I recall ain't the case with the TAs.

    Who t.f. is TA kidding?

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