Alpha Drive is new for 2002 and is designed to meet the needs of mid-level enthusiasts as well as folks who just need a better shifting crankset. Available in two versions: 3 steel chainrings or 2 alloy and 1 steel chainring. The Alpha Drive offers great styling and quality at an affordable price.
Submitted by
xxtruepain18xx
a Downhiller
from reading Date Reviewed: June 22, 2009
Favorite Trail:
local
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
came on komodo
Strengths:
light kinda, chaing rings bash guard
Weaknesses:
easily bent
Similar Products Used:
n/a
Bike Setup:
Jamis Komodo 2007 2.0, 130 front travel
Bottom Line:
do not like them at all after 3 weeks they bent ar e horible bent do wn and torked. great for light riding drops and jumps is a no i weigh 130 AND these r trashed altho they have yet to snap
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Submitted by
Manosaur
a Weekend Warrior
from australia Date Reviewed: September 21, 2008
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
good if ur into the normal trail riding and the occasional long jump
Weaknesses:
not good for anything extreme
Bottom Line:
i bent my crank doing a 5 meter jump, need sumthing stronger.
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Submitted by
sjpendleton
a Cross Country Rider
from Los Alamos, NM Date Reviewed: June 12, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Anything with lots of climbing
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$25.00
Purchased At:
eBay
Strengths:
Relatively lightweight, relatively durable
Weaknesses:
Bad Marketing
Similar Products Used:
Deore LX, Truvativ, lots
Bottom Line:
I don't know what on earth FSA is doing marketing this as a FR/DH crank. This is clearly an XC crank, and it works quite well for that. It's plenty durable for that and is fairly lightweight at the same time. I have the acrylic bashguard and I love it (I know, strange for XC, but it works for me).
Also, there seem to be several versions out there. Some have complained about the lack of a cro-mo insert causing the stripping of the pedal threads; mine actually do have just such a cro-mo insert. I would recommend making sure they've got that, otherwise pass on them.
Bottom line, it works well for XC but don't buy this for FR/DH.
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Submitted by
the doglet
a
from hong kong Date Reviewed: February 3, 2008
Favorite Trail:
any: just as long as it has me on it
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Purchased At:
friendly bike shop, mui wo,lantau,HK
Strengths:
stiff, light, cheap, problem free for 4 years except for natural wear and tear and a bent inner chain ring. my drivetrain was the envy of my riding buddies because it came with the bike and has been faultless for years without an upgrade.
Weaknesses:
trouser guard had to go. looked poor quality in my eyes and did not fit the image of a fearless trail king! Had to replace the bb every 6 months because it would get clicky. Went for RPM BB made by FSA. Cheap and great while they last.
Similar Products Used:
Upgraded to a deore lx 2008 just because it was time even though the alpha drive was still going strong. will re-use it elsewhere.
Bike Setup:
NRS G,revelation coil 85-130, gravity dropper 4",mavic x223, avid cable discs, thomson 50mm stem and EA70 monkey bar.
Bottom Line:
I ride exclusively in Hong Kong and the trails here are very unforgiving. This crank just kept on going...and still is. Respect. Great for skillful XCers who ride hard, even though I do say so myself.
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Submitted by
Charlie H
a Weekend Warrior
from Minnesota Date Reviewed: January 22, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Hill Side Park
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
Strong, forged (not cast), anodized finish holds up well, poly bash guard came with it ($35.00 @ jensenusa.com), cro-mo pedal inserts
Weaknesses:
Kinda heavy
Similar Products Used:
Shimano Deore, Alivio, and Cheap Truvativ
Bike Setup:
DiamondBack Response with Sram 9sp. x.5 drivetrain, Titec Hellbent bar, stem and grips, FSA Alpha crankset, Avid bb5 brakes
Bottom Line:
Great crankset for the money (would have paid twice as much as I did and still thought I got a great deal) I got the complete crankset for less then the cost of the poly. bashgaurd. I am 6'6" tall and weigh 250lbs and these cranks don't flex under my weight (unlike the Truvativ cranks)and found my bike shifts beter and faster. To think some people spend hundreds of dollars for cranks?
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Submitted by
Greg Phillips
a Weekend Warrior
from Australian in Indonesia Date Reviewed: August 19, 2007
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
came with bike
Strengths:
worked well until it busted
Weaknesses:
I busted 2 teeth off the granie chain ring and one off the middle. Product lasted 6months x 1.5 rides /week approx 50km /week is (very) approx 1200km - combination urban and very rough - rocky, muddy offroad cross country.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano LX and XT (on other bikes)
Bike Setup:
Giant Anthem3 2006/7 with SRAM chain and Diore LX derallieur (yeah what a mongrel setup)
Bottom Line:
Seems that nothing has changed since they first released this product. I'm a little dissappointed that Giant chose to put it on a full suspenion Anthem3 late06 model when (as noted by another reviewer) they only seem good for grannie to ride down to the shops. Dont buy it. You can do better. If it comes with your bike, use it till it breaks.
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Submitted by
TJ H
a Weekend Warrior
from BELLEVUE,WA Date Reviewed: March 26, 2007
Favorite Trail:
urban
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
isis
Weaknesses:
bent bad
Similar Products Used:
hussfelt
Bike Setup:
yakusa set up for urban riding
Bottom Line:
they bent off a 11 stairs I know that thats not whar they are made for but thats weak
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Submitted by
Rodney M
a Weekend Warrior
from Manila, Philippines Date Reviewed: January 19, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Maarat San Mateo Rizal
Duration Product Used:
Tested or demo'ed only
Price Paid:
$50.00
Strengths:
i dunno yet
Weaknesses:
i dunno yet
Similar Products Used:
truvative
Bike Setup:
freeride
Bottom Line:
i just got this crankset today, i got the one with the dual rings and clear bashguard.(looks great!) it came off a 2007 jamis komodo 1.0. i havent installed it yet.
im just wondering,what kind of bottom bracket is this? its like a thin version of isis. what do u call this kind of bb? can i buy a new one if ever i wreck it?
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Submitted by
Alan
a Downhiller
from Mexico City Date Reviewed: November 28, 2006
Favorite Trail:
SNT
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
came with bike
Strengths:
They look cool with the bashguard Bashguard is pretty sturdy They dont flex much under my weight (110lbs)
Weaknesses:
Chainrings bend easily under heavy abuse I ruined the pedal thread on one side (may have been rider error)
Similar Products Used:
Truvativ Isoflow, Truvativ Firex
Bike Setup:
Ironhorse Yakuza Chimpira
Bottom Line:
These cranks are not very suited to riding which involves heavy abuse of the bike. I am very light and Ive bent the chainrings a couple of times. I dont think that they suck. Actually, I think that they would be very good cranks for a xc/am bike on a budget.
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Submitted by
Mindaugas Shutavichius
a Weekend Warrior
from Vilnius, Lithuania Date Reviewed: June 8, 2006
Favorite Trail:
padvalas
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$70.00
Purchased At:
gerasdviratis
Strengths:
You think I will write "cheap" yes? Well NO! They are not worth even that amount of money. They are quite light though
Weaknesses:
they are total crap. dont buy them. They have bent after few not very rough rides. What kind of metal is that? Probably crapmetal
Similar Products Used:
truvativs (hussefelt crancks are better but still crap, because their inserts are falling out quite soon), some cheap shimano's
Bike Setup:
dj3, alex, fsa, quando..
Bottom Line:
dont buy them. Make a wooden crancks yourselves, they will be better than these..
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Submitted by
Jim Nasium
a Weekend Warrior
from Sydney, Aus Date Reviewed: October 23, 2005
Favorite Trail:
oxford falls
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
came stock
Strengths:
light, cheap, havent had any problem with them so far
Weaknesses:
... None yet
Bike Setup:
VERY custom 2004 haro escape 8.2 Used with chain guide, and e13 bash plate
Bottom Line:
For the first six months i used these cranks i ran them with the two smaller chain rings and the FSA bac plate. I found this worked really well and even though my chain was falling off the chain rings did not bend. I do heavy freeriding and light downhill and i have had no troubles so far. After getting the chian guide and new bash plate the performance has risen even more. Now i am not losing chains and the cranks are doing a great job
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Submitted by
Cliff Roberts
a Downhiller
from HPeasy NC Date Reviewed: August 25, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Northwood
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
Sun and Ski Sports
Strengths:
They look cool and with the bashguard they seemed indestructible...
Weaknesses:
But they actually are made from CrapSteel® and are as easy to break as your old 1 piece BMX cranks. You do remember those things right?
Similar Products Used:
I have cranks on all my other bikes, but that is where the similarities stop.
Bike Setup:
Haro Escape 8.2 with brand new Holzfeller cranks.
Bottom Line:
I rode them pretty hard for the first week I had them, several drops over 5 feet, high speed rock garden runs, etc. But then out of nowhere the right arm bends after dropping off a curb! I almost thought I had blown out my ankle thinking it was impossible to bend cranks off such a small drop. But this is apparently not the case.
If these cranks are the best you can afford, go buy a whole bunch of 1 piece bmx cranks and replace them as needed.
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Submitted by
Gregory Topov
a
from Canada Date Reviewed: May 16, 2005
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
on custom built bike
Strengths:
* Cheap
Weaknesses:
* Threads in crank strip quickly, not strong. My experience is the same as everyone else. I was doing light FR and urban riding, and in less than six months the pedals had stripped the thread in the crankset. * The original FSA AlphaDrive crankset has a unique bottom bracket that is not compatible with the Truvativ ISIS system. The newer ones are compatible.
Bike Setup:
2004 DaBomb Molotov custom,
Bottom Line:
These are cheap, but you get what you pay for. Don't bother trying to save money with the FSA AlphaDrives, unless you are limiting yourself to light cross country riding. If you do any freeriding or urban, you'll probably strip the threads in the cranks quite quickly, or bend them. Either way, you can expect to replace them quite soon. If these are stock on your bike, ride them until they die, but otherwise you should invest more money in a better set of cranks (eg Truvativ Hussefelt) from the outset.
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Submitted by
Brandon
a Weekend Warrior
from scottsdale Date Reviewed: April 30, 2005
Favorite Trail:
????
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
airpark bikes
Strengths:
cheap
Weaknesses:
bend easy
Similar Products Used:
wal mart bike cranks
Bike Setup:
stock haro 8.1 for now
Bottom Line:
i did a 5 foot drop today and when i went to pedal it felt wierd to pedal yep sure enough i bent the my damn cranks. well looks like cromo cranks are the next step
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Submitted by
Matt
a Downhiller
from Boulder City Date Reviewed: March 23, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Downhill Trails Up at BOOTLEG
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
none found
Weaknesses:
Stripped so easy, you wouldn't beleive
Bottom Line:
I've had my X1 for about a year and have just recently started downhilling up at bootleg canyon(after i upgraded some parts on the bike such as my forks) the other day while i was out riding lower lake view with my little brother(for those of you who dont know bootleg, that's like the easiest trail up there) i was pedaling up a slight incine, and i hit my knee on my top crown. I look down and there's my left crank arm on the ground. And the sad thing was, it wasn't even loose, it just "buckled under the pressure" (literally) I had had no problem with the cranks up until then other than the chain never wantin to stay on any of the chainrings as we were ridin down reaper or snakeback. But now i am stuck looking for new cranks and a new bottom bracket b/c Haro can't put good cranks on to begin with or I can't realize to replace the cranks when i purchased the bike.
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Submitted by
kirk
a Racer
from thousand oaks, CA, USA Date Reviewed: February 20, 2005
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
smooth
Weaknesses:
weak, undurable
Bottom Line:
I was just cruisin on my brand new 2004 Haro Escape 8.1 when I clipped a rock with my right pedal and bent the right crank arm. What a weak excuse for a strong crankset. I would not suggest this set for any rider that does more than a cruise down the dirt path, or a ride arounf the block.
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Submitted by
Lincoln
a Weekend Warrior
from North Richmond, NSW, Australia Date Reviewed: November 20, 2004
Favorite Trail:
The Oaks
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
came with bike
Strengths:
um... i suppose they look ok - they are fairly light, and cheap too
Weaknesses:
not too strong - i hit a rock coming into a corner today, which nearly threw me off - but as i went to pedal away, the pedal wasnt where it should have been, the crank had a pretty mean twist in it.it was a pain in the ass to pedal that out. It was a pretty mean hit, so im not sure how other cranks would have handled it... luckily the snafu pedal is ok!
Bike Setup:
Mongoose Sommet
Bottom Line:
If u are happy to plod along little tracks here and there, as well as riding to the shop for milk, then this crank is good for you (or your nanna). If u enjoy pushing a little bit harder, then I'd upgrade. If i had cleats, i would have been stuck, luckily i had platform pedals. The crank arms are probably really good for throwing at naughty dogs. I had problems with the smallest chainring too, it actually had a bent tooth in it, just from the chain slipping off inside. i swapped it for a different brand, all good now. REMEMBER - YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.
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Submitted by
Thomas
a Weekend Warrior
from Ottawa, ON, Canada Date Reviewed: September 14, 2004
Favorite Trail:
anywhere fun
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$85.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
inexpensive
Weaknesses:
pedal threads
Similar Products Used:
deore hollowtech; hussefelt
Bike Setup:
Azonic DS-1, DJ1, hayes 8" hydro, etc.
Bottom Line:
I bought this w/out knowing much about cranks. This product would be just fine under light use, but after some hucking the pedal threads are stripping - steel inserts are a must. Oh yeah, I'm pretty much 200 lbs.
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Submitted by
Mat
a Weekend Warrior
from Melbourne Date Reviewed: July 31, 2004
These cranks are useless. I'm only 14 and not overly heavy. I do ride fairly hard, especially seing the bike was desinged as a cross country bike, but even so, the middle chainring (don't ask me how) has huge dents in it, and is extremely warped. i can't use the smallest chainring, because the chain gets jammed behind the second. They might be OK for light cross country, but anything else and you'll bugger them.
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Submitted by
Geeo
a Racer
from London Date Reviewed: January 4, 2004
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Came with bike at www.edinburgh-bicycle.co.uk
Strengths:
Nice looking cranks specially with bash plates on.
Weaknesses:
The chainring bent like butter!.
Similar Products Used:
Suntour chainset that came with other bike
Bike Setup:
Shimano Deore rear gear shifters & cogs, 8 gears at the back. I have only the one 42t 104BCD cahinring at the front.
Bottom Line:
I use these chainrings on a hybrid to commute to uni. I was left stranded,in the dark 'cause these things bent for no apparent reason. I just hopped off a small kerb and peddaled to find the chain had fallen and chainring bent! On a better note the cranks are actually pretty good.
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Submitted by
mike h
a Weekend Warrior
from terrace bc canada Date Reviewed: September 27, 2003
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
mcbike
Strengths:
look allright, cheap, isis, held up for a while
Weaknesses:
they bend
Similar Products Used:
some cheap tapperlock
Bike Setup:
02 brodie enduro
Bottom Line:
these cranks are bending and i dont even ride them very hard, the bb it came with broke on a small drop off some stairs. they held up for a while but i am gonna buy some raceface dh cranks.
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Submitted by
Derek U
a Downhiller
from Winnipeg, Canada Date Reviewed: July 16, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Urban
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$75.00
Purchased At:
Alter Ego Sports
Strengths:
-Fairly light -good for aggresive XC
Weaknesses:
-Weak chainrings -weak metal -no bashguard
Similar Products Used:
-'02 Truvativ hussefelts
Bike Setup:
Brodie Bruzza
Bottom Line:
About a month ago, but bent my crank when my bike hit the ground after doing a wheelie.(not very high up) I was disappointed. But i still rode with them. Today, when i was torqueing the crank up a hill, it snapped. Not right off, but more than halway. I do lots of jumps etc. So i guess this is understandable. So i just bought some RF Prodigy DH cranks and they should hold up good. If you want some pictures of the busted crank, e-mail me for them. Not bad for a $75 pair of cranks. I'm
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Submitted by
Shane
a Racer
from Sudbury, Ont, Canada Date Reviewed: July 15, 2003
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Came with bike
Strengths:
Good looking crank when you take the large chainring on ang put a bash guard and they are strong enough for the average person
Weaknesses:
none yet
Similar Products Used:
Race Face DH, Truvativ Husselfelt
Bike Setup:
2001 brodie electro with 2002 z-1 wedge and sun rhyno lites.
Bottom Line:
They are a pretty sweet crank system if you put a bash guard on.. they look pretty cool but the BB isnt sealed, so you have to watch out for mud and such..
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Submitted by
Eyal
a Weekend Warrior
from Israel Date Reviewed: July 1, 2003
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$55.00
Purchased At:
local B.B.
Strengths:
Balck coating seems strong. Smooth shiftimg. Spider is ok.
Weaknesses:
Chainrings bend like ruber - but stay bented ( unlike ruber ). the outer chainring is so soft - couldn't believe it!! - Its a joke !!
Similar Products Used:
Deor, Deor Lx , Bonrager...and this...
Bike Setup:
03 santa Cruz Heckler, Sherman, avid mech...
Bottom Line:
The outer chianring is so gentle -mine bent just buy "touching" routs. The impacts were just regular soft ( xc routine ) impacts - no freeride or anything harsh!
I wouldn't buy this again.
Better of with a Deor ( not Deor Lx ), unless you have some decent chainrings to put on this spider.
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Submitted by
Tim
a
from Vancouver, BC Date Reviewed: June 11, 2003
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
On Top
Strengths:
They're cheap.
Weaknesses:
They bent like limp noodles with in a month.
Similar Products Used:
Race Face North Shore and Prodigy
Bike Setup:
Brodie Brute with Z1, 8" Hayes and D321s with Michelin 2.8" and High Roller 2.5" rubber.
Bottom Line:
These will bend doing any kinda of free-riding. They might be ok for light cross country, but these are by no means strong cranks.
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Submitted by
scott
a Weekend Warrior
from hamilton ontario canada Date Reviewed: January 2, 2003
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
looks good. strong enough for lightish freeriding.
Weaknesses:
some of the black paint is already chipping off.
Similar Products Used:
cheap shiamano
Bike Setup:
'02 brodie hellion, 'zocchi exr 100 (great), trektro's,.. my crank came with only 2 chainrings and a fsa bashgaurd instead ($50 value 4 free) which is good for my riding.
Bottom Line:
Great crank, works well, feels strong and performs well in many conditions.
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Submitted by
Anthony
a Cross Country Rider
from Brisbane, QLD, Australia Date Reviewed: December 10, 2002
Favorite Trail:
gillas run
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
long crank arms for amazing speed on road, reazonably light for their price.
Weaknesses:
when hitting rough terrain crank arms can easily become 2 long.
Similar Products Used:
shimano alivio crankset
Bike Setup:
Mongoose LE stock except for new Koski saddle.
Bottom Line:
if your thinking about buying these cranks get them because they are what you want. if you are a person that wants the best of everything maybe these arent for you but for the midle class rider their great if your willing to settle for something at this price.
$ 49.99
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