The ISIS crank availability "advantage", unfortunately, is a deceptive
one, since the range of ISIS-compatible cranks out there is largely
limited to 170-175mm lengths. If the rider does not need those
lengths, the (current) ISIS crank availability situation is not much of
a driving consideration.
For the ISIS, KH, and Profile hubs, the question is, what crank lengths
does the hub manufacturer supply that are compatible with its hub? A
refinement of this question also asks, for which applications?
This is not the place for a full discussion of this topic; the main
thing is for the consumer to think of his/her specific application
(i.e., "I'm a small guy doing trials but prefer low cadences", or "I'm
a tall woman doing extreme off-road and can spin like heck"😉, and
consider the range of cranks that are suitable for that application
from each hub supplier. This range, for the KH and Koxx, is 4-5 lengths
that span a reasonable portion of the unicycling market's needs. For
the Profile, this is 10 lengths that cover the longer range more
thoroughly, and is limited in the shorter range to 145mm. If you are
primarily a MUni rider, then being able to purchase a 125mm crankset is
irrelevant to you, and you might appreciate the refinement that is
available from the Profile line. For instance, some riders use 165 or
160mm cranks on their 24" MUnis. If you are doing mod trials and are a
small person, then you might want to use 125mm cranks on your trials
setup, and choose the KH or Koxx instead. Finally, the same rider
might want to swap cranks for different purposes. Participating in a
24 hour race might prompt a rider to swap in shorter cranks for more
speed.
However, if the ISIS 170-175mm predominance fits the rider's needs,
then he/she has a HUGE selection, and this is a great advantage. A
small caveat is that (again) most ISIS cranks are designed for road
bicycle use. However, there are exceptions, such as the Bonz trials
cranks, which come in 160 and 170mm.
I've also been glad to see and test some trials-quality square taper
cranks, such as the Profile trials 158mm, and the Middleburn 165-180mm
trials cranks. These cranks work very well on the 36" unis that
'LiveWire' (http://www.livewireunicycles.com) supplies to customers,
and are integral to the Outta Phaze unicycle. The Middleburn crankset
is the practical successor to the Kooka crankset that was so popular.
They are also available with the ISIS interface. Please 'contact us'
([email hidden]) for more information or to purchase these
fine cranks.
--
U-Turn
Weep in the dojo... laugh on the battlefield.
'LiveWire Unicycles' (http://www.livewireunicycles.com)
'Strongest Coker Wheel in the World'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/gallery/albup39)
'29er Tire Study' (http://u-turn.unicyclist.com/29erTireStudy/)
'New York Unicycle Club' (http://www.newyorkunicycle.com)
-- Dave Stockton
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