I have noticed a few people chiming in in various threads about the twin pinch flight crank debate and what is / isn't acceptable on a mid school bike.
***I would like to make it clear that this thread is in now way a stab at the judging at MK*** I think MK was a fantastic event and I am personally very pleased with the awards my bikes received. What I am hoping to do here is clear up any confusion that may be floating around, as it seems a lot of people are unsure about when twin pinch flights arrived, and what a mid school version looks like.
The reality is that it is very simple to spot a set of real mid school flights as there was only ever one type of
mid school twin pinch flight crank. Here are a few pointers.
1) Twin pinch flights were released in 1997.
2) They were USA made.
3) They were Non Wrap (all of them). For those who aren't clear on what non wrap means, it refers to the fact that the crank arm does not wrap around the pedal boss.
4) They came with conical US standard hardware (flush mount spindle bolts do not fit into the spindles as an upgrade).
5) They stopped making non wrap in 2002, and switched to a full wrap version (USA MADE).
6) in 2003 production moved to Taiwan and continued to be full wrap until today.
So if you spot a set of twin pinch flights look at the pedal boss. If it is a non wrap set of cranks they are mid school. If they are full wrap then they are in fact 2002 or newer (most often a lot newer). A 2002 USA made set of full wrap twin pinch flights will have conical US standard spindle bolts. A Taiwanese made post 2003 set will have flush mount spindle bolts.
Below is an ad for the Mid School cranks showing the non wrap pedal boss and the correct hardware. Hope this is helpful to those who were unsure.
