Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
The all-new White Industries Titanium Cranks are a collaboration among three US-based manufacturing specialists: Brunk Industries, White Industries, and Moots. Ahead of today’s release, we swung by the White Industries shop in California for a first look. Take a behind-the-scenes look at the new Ti cranks here…
Believe it or not, titanium is a fantastic material for bicycle cranks, offering the right characteristics for a component subjected to such high stress. They can be exceptionally durable, offer an impossibly high strength-to-weight ratio, and be impressively stiff, improving power transfer and feedback while riding. When we heard White Industries was set to introduce some titanium cranks to their stunning collection of machined aluminum cranks, we jumped on the opportunity for an inside look. It turns out I was the first person—outside of the makers involved—to see the titanium cranks in person, so this is very much a true first look.
The new Titanium Cranks from White Industries were born from a unique collaboration between three manufacturing specialists: Brunk Industries, Moots, and White Industries. If you’ve heard of the latter two, then you’re probably aware that Moots has over four decades of titanium welding and fabrication experience in the bicycle industry, and White Industries is approaching 50 years of designing and fabricating precision bicycle components. Brunk Industries has over 60 years of precision metal manufacturing experience, ranging from medical to aerospace.
Over three years ago, Brunk’s Director of Product, Mike Bishop, realized there was an opportunity to use their experience with titanium forming in the bicycle industry. Mike approached Alec White, White Industries’ CEO, and they quickly realized they would need a third specialist with titanium-welding proficiency to make their new idea a reality. As luck would have it, Brunk had an office just a few blocks from the titanium experts at Moots. A three-way partnership was born.
“Titanium is an incredible material,” Mike Bishop explains, “but it demands deep proficiency to use it well. We wanted to bring together partners who represent the very best in their fields and see what could happen when that proficiency was combined.”
The result is a titanium crank that’s entirely made in the United States. White Industries developed the crank architecture, drivetrain integration, and system compatibility that define the Titanium Cranks platform. The threaded pedal interface, lockring, spindle interface, aluminum pre-load collar, and aluminum spindle are all designed and machined at their shop in Petaluma, California. The two halves of the crank arms are stamped and formed by Brunk Industries, and then everything is welded together and finished by Moots in Colorado. They use the same aluminum spindle, extractor cap, and 10mm fixing bolt as White Industries’ machined cranks, allowing them to be swapped between models if required.
The Titanium Cranks are available directly from Moots with an 8-bolt chainring interface, 29mm spindle, 68/86.5mm or 73/91.5mm bottom bracket shell width, and three crank arm lengths: 165mm, 170mm, or 175mm. They are also available to purchase from White Industries, with the addition of their MR30 chainring interface, a 30mm spindle option, your choice of extractor cap color, and the options from Moots. The White Industries version is finished with their name laser-engraved on the crank arms, and the Moots version has a laser-engraved Moots alligator.
I got to chat with Alec at White Industries about this collaboration, the first of its kind for the company. Not only did the development of the cranks take a few years, but it also gave White Industries a chance to learn about Brunk and Moots’ processes and expertise. Much of what Brunk does is kept under wraps, but Alec understands they are the best at what they do, and their collaboration is why they’ve been able to design and manufacture a titanium crankset like this. “There’s a reason why no one is making a titanium crankset like this,” Alec explained. The design allowed them to use a very small amount of high-quality material very efficiently, resulting in minimal waste.
Like other titanium cranks, this White Industries x Moots offering isn’t cheap. They are priced at $1,349 USD, which is a touch cheaper than the 5Dev titanium cranks (also made in the USA) and not far off from the Taiwan-made Cane Creek eeWings. Given the number of manufacturing steps and the number of experts involved, I’d argue the price is justified. Although I haven’t ridden with the cranks yet, they are a stunning creation from a unique collaboration, and I’m eager to see them on more bikes.
You can purchase Titanium Cranks now from WhiteIndustries.com or Moots.com. Also, for anyone attending Sea Otter next week, you’ll be able to check the cranks out in person at the brands’ respective booths.
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