[New Product Information] PAUL COMPONENT / 100% Pure PAUL Crank

2025/5/8 池山豊繁

When it comes to the news that caused a stir this April Fool's Day, it has to be this, right?

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"Beautifully machined crank arms... hmm, square taper BB? Even so, this is just an April Fool's joke, right? It has to be, right? (Damn, I want these so bad.)" That's what I was thinking, but it turns out they were serious.

So, I exercised my authority as the ordering manager and placed an order on impulse.

After waiting about a month—word is they had some stock on hand at release, but it sold out in the blink of an eye—the restock batch is finally finished, and they’ve arrived at Circles.

For this first shipment, we have Silver and Pewter in stock.

PAUL COMPONENT 100％ Pure PAUL Cranks

Colors: Silver / Pewter / Purple / Black
Crank Length: 170mm

Price: 69,300 JPY (incl. tax)

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The legendary cranks are back, updated for the modern era

The new release from PAUL COMPONENT is called the 100% Pure PAUL Cranks. Machined in PAUL's workshop using ultra-strong 2024 American aluminum alloy, these crank arms are unmistakably a modern update to the 100% Pure Cranks they used to make back in the day. (I'm sure many of you know that PAUL used to make cranks—they were available for both road and MTB use at the time.)

Found one! Here’s an original MTB crank.
Back then, it was ISO square taper and used specific chainrings for single-speed setups.

When Paul himself suggested, "Let's revive the classic 100% Pure Cranks and update them for modern standards," the engineers at PAUL must have been just as excited.

Square taper cranks in 2025?

However, for this update, Paul decided: "Let's go with a JIS square taper BB standard."

Apparently, there was some confusion in the shop at first about making new cranks with a square taper in 2025, but as development and testing on the prototypes continued, Paul's intentions became clear to the rest of the crew, leading to this successful product launch.

Looking around, WHITE INDUSTRIES (who are great friends with PAUL, being from the same area) makes beautiful 3-piece cranks with 30mm spindles. Personally, I think PAUL didn't want to overlap with that, but rather stick to their original design while catering to modern component choices.

Of course, in terms of pedaling stiffness, direct-mount BB systems are superior to square taper. But a great part of this update is how clear it is who this is for—understanding that those who love PAUL COMPONENT aren't just prioritizing stiffness above all else.

One subtle but welcome change is the switch from the original ISO square taper to a JIS square taper. JIS BBs are generally easier to find, and with more options for things like spindle length, it feels much friendlier to the average rider.

Chainring uses SRAM-compatible 3-bolt direct mount

The chainring mounting method is the standard SRAM-style 3-bolt direct mount.

At Circles, we primarily carry WOLF TOOTH chainrings, but there’s a wide variety of these available on the market, not just in terms of tooth counts, but also offsets (0mm / -3mm / -6mm).

Connecting back to the BB discussion, the true beauty of this system is that by combining different BB spindle lengths, you can ensure clearance between the chainring and chainstay, and fine-tune your chainline and Q-factor. This is the perfect synergy between a square taper and the 3-bolt direct mount system.

The official brand has also put together a great guide for chainline and Q-factor based on chainring offset and BB spindle length, so please refer to that.