Not sure if this is the best place to ask this.
My LBS sold me a brand new bike which was advertised as having Shimano Sora 34/50. Is this a Sora crank? There’s literally no branding anywhere on the thing. Should I take my bike back and ask for the correct groupset if not? The rest of the drivetrain is Sora confirmed.
by tsruc
11 Comments
What bike is it?
Shimano items are generally branded as such and will usually say “Shimano” somewhere on them. Even for their cranks that aren’t part of a particular series.
If it is a Shimano crank, it’d have the model number lightly etched on the **back** of the crank around the pedal hole.
Edit: Forgot to mention, for what it’s worth, manufacturers usually have a caveat that says “We reserve the right to change the final spec of the bike for [insert reason]” because sometimes they may not be able to get the exact parts if there are supply issues so they may spec it with a similar model from a different brand. Most common culprit is the cheapo Shimano hydro brakes being subbed in with Tektro hydro brakes. Not usually much difference between the two. Not heard of them subbing in different cranks though.
Ive seen this recently when a bike is sold and says that is X groupset, everything is exept the crankset, I believe this is for cutting costs as it is quite an expensive part like [https://www.cannondale.com/en-ca/bikes/road/endurance/synapse/synapse-sora](https://www.cannondale.com/en-ca/bikes/road/endurance/synapse/synapse-sora) (because it no longer is a cheap square taper BB, but an external BB since modern Sora are hollowtech). If the LBS said full sora groupset then it should also include it. Check for any model markings, sometimes OEM Shimano parts wont show labels.
Look on the back of the crank set, where the pedals screw in. There’s stamping of the model number on Shimano cranks, as well as the crank length. This is where you can find your answer.
Is this a Kona rove? Pretty sure they can come with sora cranks or something else based on what’s in stock.
Looks like a set of Samox cranks (https://samox.com/product/g3s/).
I believe these have been coming on a lot of QBP brand owned bikes lately.
That’s not Sora. Sora is either 5-bolt or hidden 4-bolt, both for a 24mm Hollowtech II bottom bracket. This is bottom-barrel generic crank on what appears to be square taper or similar.
Whether it matters is another question. It’s heavy, but so is Sora. Sora has better aesthetics, slightly better chainrings, and more consistent alignment with the FD than square taper. I’d bring it up, but if you they stonewall you, don’t feel like you’re missing out.
Not a Sora crank, doubtful it’s even a Shimano crank. Looks like a GRX style crank that’s made for a square taper BB. If the chainrings are 46/30, it’s a cheap crank made for gravel bikes, to give the same gear range as a GRX crank.
Edit: After an image search, I think it may be an OEM crank from Pro-Wheel.
It looks like the BB is not compatible with the Shimano crank. Looks like a square taper style BB from your pic. This is common for many bikes and is still considered a “Sora” groupset (you still have a Sora front derailleur) .
Both my gravel (Canondale with Sora groupset), and my roadie (Kona with 105 groupset) have FSA cranks.
AFAIK some manufacturers (Canondale for example) exclusively use non-shimano compatible BBs (though there may be some exceptions).
This is a [Prowheel](http://pro-wheel.com/main/), probably an [RPL-421](http://pro-wheel.com/main/?product=rpl-421) or similar.
You might be able to find the “Prowheel” text on the inside of the crank.
If you are in the UK, it’s commonly used by Halfords (Carrera, Boardman, etc.)
It’s not a Sora
Prowheel at a guess