[dead flag blues]

Has anyone used a Campy UT crankset for muddy cross racing?

I'm putting together a new bike for this season and am debating about using an old, square taper, Phil Wood BB, or a new UT. Money isn't a big issue, tho being bombproof is.

 

[handsomerob]

Has anyone used a Campy UT crankset for muddy cross racing?

I'm putting together a new bike for this season and am debating about using an old, square taper, Phil Wood BB, or a new UT. Money isn't a big issue, tho being bombproof is.

if'n ya lookin' for bombproof... I would think a Phil BB with a square taper crank would pretty much be the gold standard.:thumbsup:

 

[Rubber Lizard]

The UT design isn't that well sealed.
Seconding the Phil Wood BB and a square taper crank.

 

[DRLski]

I know Zank uses the UT for both of his cross bike FWIW

 

[Applesauce]

The UT design isn't that well sealed.
Seconding the Phil Wood BB and a square taper crank.

Since when? It doesn't look like it's sealed that well, but the outside of the bearing cartridge (the part that's hard-up against the crank-arms) has as good a seal as any of Campy's cartridge BBs...which are pretty durn good, in my experience. Unless you have a gigantic, artsy cut-out in your BB shell, through which dirt could enter from the back side (where there is only a fairly flimsy seal), UT cranks are pretty well sealed. I would definitely rock them on a cross bike.

 

[dead flag blues]

Thanks, gang!

Fwiw, Applesauce, it's a Redline Conquest Team, don't think there's much in the way of a cutout there.

 

[crestlinefarm]

I'll let you know in a few months, I just ordered some Veloce UT cranks for my 'cross bike!

 

[zank]

I ran UT last season with no bearing issues at all. BUT, the weather in New England was very dry for most of the season. I did, however, race in Portland at the GP and that was a mud-bath. I pulled the crankset when I got home and the grease was still white.

I am going to run them again this year, but I did get some Enduro bearings that have double seals. I think UT are fine cranks for cross.

 

[wankski]

^^^ wow, that's pretty impressive... guess campy knows their sh!t... when i installed mine and spotted the obviously exposed ball bearings on the inside face, i was like *wtf*... but obviously they know what they are doing... makes me feel better when i ended up removing all grease on the cups and locktiting them instead... extra seal! muhaha...

 

[zank]

I am also going to start using loctite rather than the torque wrench on the cups.

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

I ran UT last season with no bearing issues at all. BUT, the weather in New England was very dry for most of the season. I did, however, race in Portland at the GP and that was a mud-bath. I pulled the crankset when I got home and the grease was still white.

I am going to run them again this year, but I did get some Enduro bearings that have double seals. I think UT are fine cranks for cross.

Dude that race wasn't even muddy...you should have come the week before..

 

[Greg Hejtmanek]

I went with Centaur cause I worry about the carbon thing. ( I know I am wrong) Something in my little mind, I feel carbon is road and alum. is cross. I haven't had any problems, but never faced Portland mud either. Phil BBs are hard to beat.

 

[zank]

I agree entirely. Especially considering I have a set of Chorus with a huge groove worn into them from mud and heel rub. Carbon doesn't stand up to the abrasion nearly as well as aluminum. Especially when it comes to someone as knock-kneed as me

I now have Centaur on my bikes.

 

[evilbeaver]

Save yourself a headache and get a UT crank with a standard road BCD...the compact BCD is Campy-specific and only TA makes rings that will fit it (Campy doesn't even make a 46/36 or similar in their compact BCD). That said, I moved a Chorus Compact UT crank to my bike and ran it single-ring last year with a FSA bmx chainring that I "customized" with a rat-tail file to make it fit the campy BCD. No problems so far, though I may be looking to TA for a 46/38 or similar this season.

 

[Applesauce]

Save yourself a headache and get a UT crank with a standard road BCD...the compact BCD is Campy-specific and only TA makes rings that will fit it (Campy doesn't even make a 46/36 or similar in their compact BCD). That said, I moved a Chorus Compact UT crank to my bike and ran it single-ring last year with a FSA bmx chainring that I "customized" with a rat-tail file to make it fit the campy BCD. No problems so far, though I may be looking to TA for a 46/38 or similar this season.

The "standard road BCD" UT cranks all have Campagnolo's standard 135 mm BCD, you know... It's not super limiting, but you certainly can't get the kind of selection you can with a 130 crank. Especially not now that Salsa has pretty much chopped 135 rings from its offerings.

A Fulcrum crank would solve this problem, and you still get Campy's otherwise superior design. But they're downright garish.

 

[dyg2001]

I agree entirely. Especially considering I have a set of Chorus with a huge groove worn into them from mud and heel rub. Carbon doesn't stand up to the abrasion nearly as well as aluminum. Especially when it comes to someone as knock-kneed as me

I now have Centaur on my bikes.

Campy Centaur UT Compact 172.5 is currently on sale at aebike:
http://aebike.com/itemdetails.cfm?catalogId=39&id=706&guid=AEBIKE-DD-423-169

 

[dyg2001]

The "standard road BCD" UT cranks all have Campagnolo's standard 135 mm BCD, you know... It's not super limiting, but you certainly can't get the kind of selection you can with a 130 crank. Especially not now that Salsa has pretty much chopped 135 rings from its offerings.

A Fulcrum crank would solve this problem, and you still get Campy's otherwise superior design. But they're downright garish.

What BCD do Fulcrum cranks have? I thought the choices were the same as Campy UT--either "standard" 135mm or "compact" 110mm-with-the-one-funny-hole. If Fulcrums came in 130mm that would be nice, since I already have several 130mm rings and guards.

 

[dead flag blues]

Aha! Just ordered one.. Thanks!!

Campy Centaur UT Compact 172.5 is currently on sale at aebike:
http://aebike.com/itemdetails.cfm?catalogId=39&id=706&guid=AEBIKE-DD-423-169

 

[Applesauce]

What BCD do Fulcrum cranks have? I thought the choices were the same as Campy UT--either "standard" 135mm or "compact" 110mm-with-the-one-funny-hole. If Fulcrums came in 130mm that would be nice, since I already have several 130mm rings and guards.

Yeah, Fulcrums are 130. I don't know if the compacts are standard 110, but I would assume so. Seems to me like a funny capitulation by Campagnolo, but nonetheless a welcome one... The catch is, you get plain ol' ano'd aluminum, rather than the EPS rings of Chorus and Record. But I guess that's not a big deal if you're just going to swap out the rings anyway.

 

[velocb]

Atmo the Campy Ut cranks offer up a big performance advantage racing cross. I rode the Chorus version with a 39/46. The 46 was a TA ring.

For me the 1. weight savings 1/4-1/2 lb ish and 2. stiffness outweigh some issues I had. My frame does not have a hole in the bb shell which campy states clearly in its tech that you need to have to allow water drainage. That said the bearings were fine until PDX finals. Two days in that and they were toast. Rebuild kit is maybe $80 so its your call wether that is an issue.

On one set I did rub the inside of the drive crank arm with the f-derailleur. It created a wear mark. I opted to replace it as I didn't want to risk a failure but that might have been a bit erring on the safe side.

With all that said, they rock. Seriously. Sprinting, starts efforts out of corners I could really feel a difference between the UT and the old school cranks. However, the old record bb is sooo smooth and the record alloy crank arms are things of beauty. They are still very nice. But for a race machine and on race day I'd go with the carbon UTs.