# Pake French 75



## serious (May 2, 2006)

I finally purchased this frame and as I am trying to build the bike, the Omnium GXP cranks don't fit. The crank bolts actually hit the frame chain stay. Unbelievable!

So I now have to look for an alternative, Sugino or maybe Dura Ace, but now I wonder if they will fit. How does Truvativ manage to build a track specific crank that does not fit on a track specific frame, is beyond me. :mad2:


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

serious said:


> I finally purchased this frame and as I am trying to build the bike, the Omnium GXP cranks don't fit. The crank bolts actually hit the frame chain stay. Unbelievable!
> 
> So I now have to look for an alternative, Sugino or maybe Dura Ace, but now I wonder if they will fit. How does Truvativ manage to build a track specific crank that does not fit on a track specific frame, is beyond me. :mad2:


Did you get it completely installed? Or just the drive side?
If it was just the drive side finish the install and check it?


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## serious (May 2, 2006)

It was completely installed. I even added spacers even as I knew this will not work. With enough spacers to clear the frame, the crank will squeeze the bearings when tightened (as expected). Oh well, I will install an old Sugino RD2 crank with the square taper BB and see if it all fits and then go from there.


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## palu (Aug 14, 2008)

Are you sure they don't fit? There is a picture of one right on their website with Omniums.

Here is another, which is among many other examples. Maybe your frame is tweaked. 

Pake French 75 - Pedal Room


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## serious (May 2, 2006)

Very sure. I have the new frame. One difference is that the new frame has the track ends drilled to allow for a screw to stop the axle from moving forward. Maybe they make the chain stay thicker now. I have seen several Pake French 75 owners mention this problem, and in my internet searches there are many Omnium complaints about the crank not fitting track frames. Ugh.

But looking at Dura Ace cranks or Sugino 75 with their 42mm chain line, I wonder if these cranks will hit the chain stay also.


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## palu (Aug 14, 2008)

serious said:


> Very sure. I have the new frame. One difference is that the new frame has the track ends drilled to allow for a screw to stop the axle from moving forward. Maybe they make the chain stay thicker now. I have seen several Pake French 75 owners mention this problem, and in my internet searches there are many Omnium complaints about the crank not fitting track frames. Ugh.
> 
> But looking at Dura Ace cranks or Sugino 75 with their 42mm chain line, I wonder if these cranks will hit the chain stay also.


Wow, that's a huge oversight on their part. Can you use a spacer? On my fixed roadie, I wanted to put on DA 7800 double cranks, which has a 43.5mm chainline. So I put an extra 2.5mm spacer on the drive side with the chainring in the inner mounting position. I didn't know if the spacer would cause problems, but it has been trouble-free for many miles. Kind of a ghetto fix, but better than buying new cranks for me.


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## serious (May 2, 2006)

I did try using spacers too. Even with a 2.5 mm spacer on the drive side the crank did not clear the stay! And even if this had worked with that spacer the bearings were too preloaded for smooth operation. 

I finally ordered the Sugino Mighty Comp crank and BB. These are basically the 130 BCD version of the Sugino 75. I had to go 130 BCD to make sure they don't hit the stay. These freaking cranks are as expensive as the Omnium.


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## palu (Aug 14, 2008)

Something about good ol' ST cranks that I just love. On my other ride (Cross Check), I bought some old DA 7400 cranks for it. Love the look. I may eventually put the original ST cranks on the fixed gear as well.


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## Juanmoretime (Nov 24, 2001)

I have the French 75 too. Running a Miche square taper bottom bracket with a Vuelta crank with a Genetic ring. Works. Very well with a good chain line and plenty of stay clearance. The bb is. 107 mm.


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## serious (May 2, 2006)

Juanmoretime said:


> I have the French 75 too. Running a Miche square taper bottom bracket with a Vuelta crank with a Genetic ring. Works. Very well with a good chain line and plenty of stay clearance. The bb is. 107 mm.


Good to know!

The chain line with the Sugino Mighty Comp (which I ordered) will be 45mm and with the smaller spider (130 BCD) it should fit. The Omnium chain line is closer to 43mm and the ring cleared the chain stay no problem. It is the freaking beefy 144 BCD spider that hit it.


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## serious (May 2, 2006)

Update: my Sugino Mighty Comp crank and CBBAL-103 bottom bracket arrived from Japan (ordered via Amazon). It fits perfectly! The crank is a true single speed crank like the Sugino 75, but 130 BCD. So happy.


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## serious (May 2, 2006)

I finally finished my Pake French 75 build. Here are the major components. Note that the frame had to be drilled for water bottle cages. 

- Pake French 75 track frame with Pake CF fork
- Stan's NoTubes A340 rims
- Sapim CX Ray spokes and Paul Components hubs
- Sugino Mighty Comp singlespeed crank
- Bontrager Race Light Aero bullhorns with Specialized S-Works stem
- Bontrager XXX Aero Brake handles
- TRP R920 SL Brakes
- Thompson seat post
- Specialized Toupe saddle
- K710SL TI Nitride chain
- Crankbrothers eggbeater pedals
- Lezyne water bottle cages 
- GP4000 S tires with tubes

Weighed at the shop at 17 lbs on the nose (includes pedals, cages and computer ).


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## serious (May 2, 2006)

And a few more pictures with a brief review. 

The frame (AL) and fork are on the stiff side with very sharp handling compared to my previous SS bike that had a street geometry. This is expected. Unexpected was the stability at speed. I am not a super confident descender, but even at 68-70 km/hr the bike was rock solid. Over rough roads the bike will beat you up, but as I come from mountain biking (and years of racing on rigid, singlespeed), I am very used to a rough treatment. 

The aggressive geometry is not for everyone, but if sharp handling and confidence inspiring turning and descending are important, this is a good frame/fork combination. It is definitely good enough for road, even if it is supposed to be track specific. 

I was not shooting for ultra light, but I wanted reasonable, so at 17 lbs I find the bike to be light enough and really great at climbing and accelerating.


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## Juanmoretime (Nov 24, 2001)

Very nice. It looks like you drilled your frame and put in rivnuts. I'm about to do the same. Any words of wisdom besides measuring carefully, making sure I'm centered correct and the right height on the tubes for easy reach but no interference removing the bottle?


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## serious (May 2, 2006)

Juanmoretime said:


> Very nice. It looks like you drilled your frame and put in rivnuts. I'm about to do the same. Any words of wisdom besides measuring carefully, making sure I'm centered correct and the right height on the tubes for easy reach but no interference removing the bottle?


I had it done by a friend who owns a bike store (Evolution Cycles in Toronto). He also built the wheels. He has professional tools and knows what he is doing. I would have destroyed the frame, guaranteed.  

The job came out perfect. Professional stuff.


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## markaitch (Nov 3, 2010)

apparently all those garish stickers/decals come off stan's ztr 340 rims? was it much work? is there a particular reason you chose tubes over tubeless?


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## serious (May 2, 2006)

I rarely bother to take off stickers, but on the frame they were poorly placed so I peeled them off. Then after the wheels were built the mechanic asked me if I want to remove the stickers. I told him no, but when I got home I changed my mind. So I peeled them off VERY easily with no trouble. 

As for tubeless, it is not for me. I still use tubes on the mountain bikes and in 8 years of racing and tons of 8 hour solos, I never had a flat. And on the road, I only had one flat in 7 years of riding.


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## Juanmoretime (Nov 24, 2001)

I peeled all my stickers too except the back wheel.


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## serious (May 2, 2006)

Juanmoretime said:


> I peeled all my stickers too except the back wheel.


That is a beautiful bike!


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