All City 612 Track Crank

I could sum up this review of All City’s 612 Track Crank in one word: solid. The thick arms of this cold forged crank grip every bit of the square taper on the bottom bracket axle, and the slight hollowing in the back of the arms not only saves a bit of weight but also improves the crank arms’ resistance to torsional flex, making this a very stiff crankset indeed.

At 730 grams for a single ring crankset, this is about 100 grams heavier than a Miche Primato, a track favourite. What you gain is dependability and punishment resistance away from the track – when jumping off steps, for example. The 612 is a crank designed for the new urban fixed-wheel rider, who wants to ride fast on a bike that can take a hammering.

The chunky spider has the common five-arm 144 BCD pattern and it holds a fairly thick CNC'd 46T alloy chainring. This is tough enough to klonk on a few ledges without too much bother. It’s designed for traditional 1/2" x 1/8" track chains, so don't try and fit a standard 3/32" chain.

The gold anodising is super thick and tough, and it made the rest of my bike look lack-lustre and in need of a polish from the moment it was installed! A couple of months on and this chainset is still looking shiny and new, and it is still as tight on the bottom bracket as when it was installed. I put it on a Kinesis Convert, in place of a generic alloy unit, and it made a noticeable difference in power delivery. The bike felt even stiffer, and the drivetrain felt taut and efficient.

The 612 is a good-looking crankset that is built to take more abuse than most 700C framesets could handle. It would be ideal for big, powerful riders, for the new wave of urban trick riders, and for hipsters looking for the right colour match – it’s available in red, blue, silver, white, black and gold. It comes in 165mm and 170mm crank lengths.

Verdict

Super stiff crankset for strong legs or heavy landings, and it adds a dash of colour