On 10/3/07, Tom Sanders <tsan7759142@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> I am a bit bewildered by the range of options on track cogs. The prices
> seem all over the place, from in the $ teens to over a hundred bucks for
> some with things like Titanium oxide coatings. This does not seem to be a
> Ti cog, rather a coating of some sort on it. Steel or aluminum?
Don't go near an aluminum cog, unless you're making a record attempt. ...No, not even then. Those Nitride coatings of various types are intended to harded the steel surface and prevent wear--but perhaps nowadays they are meant to look good. I assume you're considering only 1/8" cogs but it seems like lately quality cogs are being made in 3/32" too.
The thing I look for in cogs is well shaped, well machined teeth.
That's why a good DuraAce or SunTour cog can be worth the money. The
fixie popularity has probably made quality cogs common now, but it
used to be there were lots of stamped steel cogs with rudimentary
teeth. Some cogs are dished a bit to one side or the other and that
can help or hurt with chain line. Now that I say that, I can't
remember if I've every seen a dished cog that wasn't 3/32". So I'd
ignore the hype and just look for good machining on the teeth and
avoid stamped cogs.
>
> I gather the steel must be a heck of a lot more durable. It doesn't seem
> like you'd save a lot of weight on a single cog by buying a more exotic
> metal in one and the price would seem to escalate sharply to do so.
>
> Perhaps some folks more familiar with them could run through the options and
> evaluate what is worth while and what is not in them?
>
> Do Dura Ace cogs fit on Campy hubs?
For me every time. There's more standardization in track gear, like
Shimano making 144 bcd cranks. I never ran into a difference in
english vs. italian threading in a track hub like you see with
freewheel threading.
>
> Are there drillium cogs?
Haven't seen one, but I haven't followed the recent fad. For something 18 tooth and up, I'd be tempted to clamp it to the drill press and go to it.
--Mitch
>
> Thanks all,
>
> Tom Sanders
>
> Lansing, MI USA