As the owner of about 4x Nervar cranksets, I have to disagree slightly with Jerry Moos. I have 2 steel nervar cranks (Raleigh Supercourse MK2 models, 3-pin with alloy rings), and 2 Nervar Star (5-pin, 128 bcd) models.
There is one huge downside to ALL nervar alloy cranks, and it was pointed out in an article about the early history of the TI Raleigh Bicycle Team.
The alloy cranks have nubbed arms, and they are fully 100% polished cranks. I don't know if you ever tried to polish nubbed arms, but it's exceedingly difficult to polish in the vallies between the nubs. At least with Campagnolo Nuovo Record derailleurs (the only other nubbed alloy parts that I'm aware of), the derailleurs are anodized, and the nubs are aligned in rows and columns, so they clean easily and won't tarnish.
In the original TI Raleigh Team article, they complained about the first-year 1973 parts (Nervar Star cranks and Huret Jubilee derailleurs), saying that once the Nervar Star crankarm turns grey, IT STAYS GREY, FOREVER, and also they complained that grit will easily jam inside Huret Jubilee derailleurs and foul the shifting. These problems were especially acute in the wet environment of the U.K.
- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA, USA