That's a lofty goal, but FSA has shown the ability to produce high-quality, attractively priced equipment that--if not sufficient to topple Campagnolo--certainly places them on the same playing field.  The CSC-Toscali team, rode with FSA carbon cranksets in this year's Tour de France (see photo at left), and chances are you'll see their parts on more teams' bikes in 2004.

FSA's offerings include most--but not all--of the components needed to put together a bicycle.  They now make a variety of double and triple cranksets, matching bottom brackets, bottom brackets, headsets, handlebars, stems, seatposts, and seats.  They're also reportedly working on wheelsets as well.

We recently contacted Doug Stuart and asked if we could road test his top-of-the-line carbon crankset.  Although we have not had the opportunity to test Campagnolo's crankset (Campagnolo does not provide items to us for testing, and we don't have $700 sitting around for a Record crankset), we have been riding a both non-Campy carbon crankset and Record alloy cranks for some time, giving us a point of comparison.  Doug graciously responded and sent us both the crankset and the matching, titanium bottom bracket to ride for a few months.

The Cranks

FSA's Carbon Superlight crankset (see photos below) features all-carbon construction that looks similar to Campagnolo's 2004 carbon crankset.  The webbing between the arms of the spider is more pronounced than the 2003 Record version, but the carbon fiber has a weave of overlapping fibers (Campagnolo has switched to non-direction carbon fiber this year).  

The chainrings, machined from T6 aluminum alloy, are treated with a matte black finish, and are equipped with ramps and pins to make shifting easier.  The design of the rings also includes a wider spread on the webs that reach from the outside of the big ring to the chainring attachment points than on Campangolo's rings.  The wider design is stronger, and results in a stiffer setup.

The chainring bolts are machined aluminum allow, as are the crank fixing bolts.  Overall, it's a very attractive package; we're waiting to see how long the matte finish on the back side of the big chainring lasts, but that's a minor concern.  The carbon fiber layup is clean and attractive, and the gloss finish is flawless.  FSA advertises the weight of the crankset at 505 grams, almost the same as Campagnolo's 500-gram carbon crankset.

The yellow and white graphics are nice--not as understated as the simpler logos on Campagnolo's carbon crank, but certainly a standout.  You decide which you like better.

Front view, 1	Front view, 2	Back side	Chainrings feature pins and ramps
Closer view of the back side of the crankset	Bottom bracket features a Ti spindle and alloy fixing cups	Spindle is hollow.	Click on any image for a larger version

The Pltainum Pro Ti bottom bracket FSA provided is perhaps even more trick than the crankset.   The features list sounds more like Space Shuttle specs than a piece of cycling equipment: hollow titanium spindle, triple industrial bearings, composite anti-creak sleeve, alloy bolts.  FSA puts the weight of the bottom bracket at 172 grams, 18 grams lighter than a Record bottom bracket.  Click on the link below to read Tech expert Tim Laflin's  thoughts on the weight issue . . .

ISIS?

The Platinum Pro Ti bottom bracket is only available in a splined, "ISIS Drive" design that's similar to  the bottom brackets offered by ShimaNO (ISIS has ten splines, ShimaNO has eight).  If having a ShimaNO-like product on your bike really rankles you, try this: think "ISIS."  Keep repeating that to yourself, and you can forget that it's not a Campagnolo-compatible part.

Whether a lighter ISIS bottom bracket or a slightly heavier Campagnolo setup is "better" depends on your priority: weight or bearing resistance.  Tech expert webmaster@campyonly.com weighs in with his thoughts in this comparison of the two systems.

The Road Test

We've had the cranks on out Campy Only Merlin for several months now, and we can report that they outperform both our previous carbon crankset and our Record alloy.  The cranks feel very stiff, and despite our best efforts we get much less flex (barely enough to rub on the derailleur cage) than with our standard Record crankset.  That's a big improvement, and helps give the impression that this crankset gets more energy to the rear wheel.   The arms are more than stiff enough, and the crank's light weight helps during accelerations, since there's less weight to get moving.  Shifting is on par with our other Campy cranksets, which is to say that the chain moves easily from the small to large ring with a minimum of fuss.

The best part, though, may be that this crankset carries a price tag about two-thirds that of a Record carbon crank.  The Superlight model retails for about $450, compared with $700 or more for a Record carbon.  Add about  $100 for the Ti bottom bracket, and you still have a package that performs as well or better and leaves you with $250 or more to spend on other things.

Suggestions for FSA?  Not many.  We would include torque specs and installation instructions with the crankset.  They're available on FSA's web site, but you have to go there an look for them (for example, the ISIS splines should be lubed, unlike tapered splines, which are not).  If you've used Ti or alloy fixing bolts, you know It's also a good idea to torque down the cranks with steel crank bolts, then take the steel bolts out and replace them with the lighter version.  FSA recommends that and says on their web site that the steel bolts come with the crankset, but ours were missing.    (Our crankset did came with a set of alloy bolts that didn't fit the bottom bracket, which came with its own special alloy bolts.)

Other Road Tests: