crankset of 238 grammes ...
rear hub of 164 grammes ...
front hub of 36 grammes ...
http://www.m5-ligfietsen.nl/site/EN/M5_Specials/Light_weight_hubs/
71 gramme side pull brakes ...
http://www.m5-ligfietsen.nl/site/EN/M5_Specials/M5_lightweight_brake/
http://www.m5-ligfietsen.nl/site/EN/M5_Specials/M5_lightweight_brake/#57
Winner's 2006 European Alumininum Award
Nice hubs, but the cranks are fugly.
May not complement a classic design but I think it will look OK on some on many modern, eclectic designs.
Also, anyone (everyone?) considering acquiring these should absolutely inquire whether these cranks are approved for use in a ROAD bike. And if so, what rider weight limit?
Because you can't stand, and get out of the saddle, you don't put as much stress on a crank on a recumbent as you do on an upright bike. Even when you can muscle it, spin mode is almost always correct.
And yet many more attractive cranks perform the same function.
Also, they seem to have some rather angular surfaces, that in engineering they teach lead to stress fractures. Couple that with their super lightness, and they're not just fugly, they're scary.
A great company.
Neile
Ya gotta get that M5 low racer on the front screen.
Imagine all the sponsors that could be put on that thing. Zipping through the streets and it could protect you like a sheet of aluminum. Yes, steel would be better, but then you could never lift the damm thing.
Also I think this would be great for cold windy days
so we can ride in the winter.
Be good
Robert Marcus
"There's a cryptic note in the Excel Sports catalog entry for those M5 brakes: ""Stiffness (pressing against the rim) is a whopping 4-6 times that of the other brakes. The M5 brakes are all power so choose them for the strongest brakes on the market, but take a pass if you are more interested in modulation.""
Huh?!?!?
""Take a pass if you are more interested in modulation""??? Are they actually implying that these brakes are so powerful that they're strictly Binary: On or Off, you're either rolling or you're stopped?
What cyclist *wouldn't* be interested in the ability to modulate (i.e., feather) their brakes?
Irv Schacter, don't you have these M5 brake calipers on your Seven? What's their story?"
Niele, is this the shop you plan to get your next recumbent racer? They have some pretty snazzy designs.
Mmm, no. I already have a nice 'bent. (Not that I wouldn't love an M5 -- cost and space no object)
The crank interests.
