[Dog Welder]

The profiles, GT's, Haro's, DMR, they're all cromo cranks that use the 48 spline interface. They look like the same crank so are they made by some anonymous manufacturer? kinda sorta like how Giant makes frames for a bunch of different companies? Is there a strength/performance difference?

 

[shootr]

No, there are some significant differences in some, (though I may be swayed to believe that a few are manufactured in the same factory (DMR, Kona, GT).
I happen to rund a set of 175 DMRs and like them, but the differences between them and profiles are obvious, profiles are made in the US, they cost more but have better quality control and that results in a superiour product in the end, the thing that I DO NOT like about profile is that EVERYTHING is proprietary about them, meaning theat they use non standard BBs so bearing sources other than Profile direct are out of the question., as well as with them you sill suddenly need a non standard allen key, because unlike anything else on your bike (which is metric), they have imperial sized hardware..

This is one of the main reasons that I chose to run DMRs, the fact that I can go to my local bearing supplier and get bearings at a reasonable price when I need to replace them, as well as a smaller intitial cost....

This is NOT to say that there is anythign wrong wtih profiles, they have their reputation as being the best for a reason, and it is well earned.

 

[fennell]

its called a rip off ......haha

 

[M.W.]

Some of them are the same. There's the ones with the bolt-on arms (Older DMR, non-square 24-7s, Azonics, etc.), the ones that are sorta like a profile (Newer DMR, Diamondback, etc.), and then there are the one-off ones (Profile, I think the Haros, Primos, etc.)
Some of the companies that have one-off ones will put some off-the-shelf taiwan ones on lower-priced complete bikes with their name on them just to keep the costs low.