Retrospec Fixie Cranks Review
After its invention in the 1800s, fixie bikes have been a popular choice among riders, both athletic and casual. There are many reasons why many people, especially if they are first-timers, tend to opt for fixie bikes.
One of the biggest reasons is its lack of shifters, which makes the bike a single-geared one, hence providing the rider with fewer interruptions while riding.
However, what makes a fixie bike so great is the parts it is assimilated with. In our Retrospec fixie cranks review today, we will be discussing the various features of the cranks of a fixie bike that the company Restrospec has to offer.
So without further ado, let us get started!
7 Things for the Retrospec Fixie Cranks
Below we will be listing out all the amazing features the best fixie cranksets from Retrospec has.
1. Crank Arm
The crank arm of the Retrospec fixie crank has forged aluminum as its material. Aluminum is well known for its durability and lightweight, and thus it can easily be implied that the crank arms possess the same characteristics as stated for their material.
Moreover, the forged aluminum’s low weight also helps the rider gain speed much faster. It also makes controlling and navigating the bike a much easier task by making the bike relatively lighter.
2. Arm Length
The crank arm of the fixie crank from Retrospec has a length of around a hundred and seventy millimeters. This measurement tells us that the arm is of modest size, making it suitable for fixie bikes.
If the crank arms were any longer than what they already are, you would hit the ground when trying to go around a corner.
Conversely, if the crank arm was shorter, then increasing up to your desired speed would have been a rather difficult task and would take a lot of time as well.
3. Chainrings
Retrospec has ensured that a majority (if not all) of their customers remain content with their purchase by making three different sizes of the fixie crank chainrings available in the market.
You will be able to choose whichever size and style you feel the most comfortable with. However, before we move on to disclosing the three sizes, let’s know what exactly are chainrings?
What Are Chainrings?
Chainrings are that part of your bike which looks like it has a set of teeth. The number of teeth (denoted by a number followed by the letter ‘T’) a chainring on a bike has usually varied from one model of the bike to the next, and what is suitable for someone else might not be ideal for you and vice versa.
The higher the number of teeth on your bike, the more energy you will have to put in to move the bike from its stationary position. The three available options on the Retrospec fixie crank are:
44T Chainrings
44T chainrings denote that there are 44 teeth in the chainring. Out of the three options available, the one with the least number of teeth and subsequently bikes with this option is much easier to use.
Bikes with a 44T chainring produce much less resistance against the pedaling motion. Therefore, they are also much lighter, making bikes integrated with this option an excellent choice for beginners or people who are only looking for a bike they can use for casual riding.
46T Chainrings
The 46T chainring has 46 teeth on it and produces more resistance against your leg’s pedaling motion than the 44T. Moreover, the 46T chainring is also slightly heavier than the previously mentioned one.
48T Chainring
This chainring has the most number of teeth out of all three and is, therefore, the most difficult to use due to the fact that you will have to put in a lot of force to get the bike moving initially.
However, the plus side to having your bike integrated with a 48T chainring is that you will be able to ride the bike faster, and you will also be able to travel farther than you would if your bike had a 44T chainring. In the end, it all comes down to how you wish to use your bike and what type of topography you would ride it on.
4. Plateau Teeth
The fixie cranks from Retrospec are designed to have single plateau teeth, making them extremely compatible with all kinds of chains.
We would suggest you go for a chain that is a bit heavier than usual if you wish to put your bike to rough use, but not getting a heavier chain would not harm either in case you only have moderate cruising in mind.
5. Compatibility
You will be able to use these fixie cranks on single-speed bikes and fixed gear ones. Moreover, it is highly recommended that you use fixie cranks from Retrospec with your bike’s flip flop hubs since they are very compatible with one another.
6. Available Colors
Those who love to try out and choose from a variety of different colors would be delighted to know that the fixie cranks from Retrospec are available in eleven different colors!
These include: white, blue, black, purple, yellow, pink, grey, light blue, dark blue, red, and even orange. With so many color variations available for one single product, your bike cranks will not have to look out of place as you will be able to color coordinate it with your bike’s color.
On the other hand, you will also be able to go for a funkier or contrasting color if you wish to.
7. Circle Diameter
This product from Retrospec has a Standard Bolt Circle Diameter (BCD) of approximately one hundred and thirty-three millimeters.
This measurement also tells us that the distance between one hole to the next on the crank is about 77.9 millimeters or more (it could be even less too).
Conclusion
With the last feature of the fixie cranks from Retrospec out of the way, we have come to the end of our Retrospec fixie cranks review.
We hope you found this article helpful and that we could dissolve any doubts and answer any questions that you may have had regarding this product.
Thank you for reading till the end!
