Thread drift alert...

Ashtabula was a place that for many years, bicycle cranks were made. And naturally, they bore the name, "Ashtabula." They appeared on many very functional but heavy bicycles, including Schwinn.

The Schwinn Varsity was my first ten speed. It had those cranks. They were *very* heavy. But they were also very strong. And the way the bike was made, you couldn't feasibly upgrade to lighter cranks.

Thread drift: complete. Resume speed.

Saul