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Chater-Lea Grand Tour Crankset lends classic British style to modern 1x & sub-compact gearing

Chater-Lea Grand Tour Crankset, classic British road bike style, modern detail materials, UK-made alloy square taper all-road gravel 1x sub-compact road cranks
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Remember those British-made, classic Grand Tour road pedals we saw earlier this spring? Now Chater-Lea has the Grand Tour crankset to thread them into, blending their own mix of classic road bike styling with modern quality manufacturing, finish & detailing. Developed to give your modern retro bike builds a touch of class, the three-arm Grand Tour cranks offer both single ring and sub-compact double chainring to give your drivetrain the best gearing for real world road & all-road riding…

Chater-Lea Grand Tour Crankset – classic style & modern detail

Chater-Lea Grand Tour Crankset, classic British road bike style, modern detail materials, UK-made alloy square taper all-road gravel 1x sub-compact road cranks
c. Chater-Lea

The first new cranksets to be made under the Chater-Lea name 55-years, the contemporary take on classic crankset styling of yesteryear maintains the beloved retro looks – and CL initials cut into the rings – while modernizing with gear selections that will actually be fun to ride.

Chater-Lea Grand Tour Cranks – Tech details

Chater-Lea Grand Tour Crankset, classic British road bike style, modern detail materials, UK-made alloy square taper all-road gravel 1x sub-compact road cranks

While pretty much every new crankset we cover is the newest, lightest, stiffest, most carbon fiber-est thing to use the latest spindle axle diameter and bottom bracket standard, this is not that. Instead, these are UK-made alloy cranks that you will fit to a square taper bottom bracket (110mm for long for singles, 113mm for doubles).

Chater-Lea Grand Tour Crankset, classic British road bike style, modern detail materials, UK-made alloy square taper all-road gravel 1x sub-compact road cranks

But they aren’t necessarily heavyweights, and not devoid of new tech. The Grand Tour arms themselves are machined from 7050 T7451 alloy and clear anodized. The chainrings are silver ano, machined 7075 T6 alloy. Then, machined 316 stainless steel chainring bolts, nuts & dust caps finish them off – with decorative ti nitride PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) coating to give the heads of the steel hardware a classy ‘brass’ look (standard raw stainless hardware will also be offered as an option.)

Chater-Lea Grand Tour Crankset, classic British road bike style, modern detail materials, UK-made alloy square taper all-road gravel 1x sub-compact road cranks

For now the cranksets are only being offered in 170mm arms, with a 142mm Q-factor, and two different chainring setups that share the same proprietary 3-bolt spider. Chater-Lea will sell rings separately as wear items, and also say they would introduce additional gearing options if there is consumer demand.

Chater-Lea Grand Tour Crankset, classic British road bike style, modern detail materials, UK-made alloy square taper all-road gravel 1x sub-compact road cranks

The single ring chainrings (36 or 40 teeth) feature narrow/wide profiles for good chain retention with 9/10/11sp chains. The double ring chainrings come only in a sub-compact 46/30T pairing, without dramatic tooth shaping but feature shift pins for reliable shifts with 9-11-speed chains & drivetrains.

Weights vary by gearing option, with the 36T single ring the lightest at 565g, 40T at 582g, and 46/30T at 668g.

Grand Tour cranks – Pricing & availability

Chater-Lea Grand Tour Crankset, classic British road bike style, modern detail materials, UK-made alloy square taper all-road gravel 1x sub-compact road cranks

The new 100% UK-made Chater-Lea Grand Tour cranks have not officially opened up for orders yet, but we have gotten some more exclusive availability info. You can register your interest now for either the 1x or 2x cranksets on the Chater-Lea website, but official ordering will open up within the next two weeks.

Complete crankset pricing will start at £600, presumably for the single ring setup, adding a bit more for the 2x setup. Those first crankset orders though, are already expected to ship before the end of August 2020. So, your modern retro road, all-road, gravel, or cross bike build won’t have to wait too long for a little more shiny C-L bling, on top of those Grand Tour pedals.

ChaterLea.com

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AP
AP
3 years ago

Beautiful.

mr mud
mr mud
3 years ago

They killed their sales by sticking with square taper.

Gillis
Gillis
3 years ago
Reply to  mr mud

This is for the Rivendell crowd, no one else.

Chris White
3 years ago
Reply to  mr mud

For the type of bike and rider that these cranks are aimed at, square taper is ideal.

Lyford
Lyford
3 years ago
Reply to  Chris White

For recreational riders who average, say, 150 watts or less, does crank and BB stiffness really make a big difference? I’d think a good-quality square taper setup would be fine for that kind of use.

Dockboy
Dockboy
3 years ago

Too bad they’re not forged. That’s a heck of a price, too.

Jim E
Jim E
3 years ago

Rene Herse cranks are almost identical.

BigDaddy
BigDaddy
3 years ago
Reply to  Jim E

It what way are they almost identical? Rene Herse cranks are forged, not CNC’d. RH cranks are not as expensive. They don’t even look the same.

Hurricane
3 years ago

If I want that “retro” look so bad, I’d scan Ebay for some Old Campy Super Record/ Nuovo Record cranks, probably for hundreds less and definately a lot cooler.

K-Pop is dangerous to your health
K-Pop is dangerous to your health
3 years ago
Reply to  Hurricane

It’s not just about the “look”. Good luck finding old Campy with sub-compact gearing. Even if that existed NOS vintage Campy Super R, Nuovo R, and Record goes for the same price on ebay, sometimes hundreds more. Go back to bed.

Hurricane
3 years ago

Just woke up….thanks for the suggestion. while your right K-pic, compact gearing would almost be impossible as stock Campy, but sourcing chainrings with the 135mm bolt pattern are probable.
If your right about the Campy cranks….I’m sitting on a gold mine

OriginalMV
OriginalMV
3 years ago
Reply to  Hurricane

Even 135bcd rings have a lower limit of 39T for tooth count, so there’s subcompact potential for almost any Campagnolo crank manufactured from the 1960s to present Chorus 12sp 48/32.

Horatio H.
Horatio H.
3 years ago

Could buy Middleburn cranks for less, and still support British engineering and manufacturer.

Craig
Craig
3 years ago

Nice cranks but I’m struggling to see the value in the price tag.

Bryin
Bryin
3 years ago

Unless you win PROFESSIONAL sprint finishes, the “stiffness” of your crank or BB makes no difference. You will go just as fast with this crank as with any other….

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