Submitted by
JasonPuett
a Cross Country Rider
from Meriden, Kansas, Usa
Date Reviewed: November 16, 2008
Strengths: ISIS drive, ramp and pin shifting
Weaknesses: could be lighter.
Bottom Line:
I have had these cranks on two different bikes, I have had no issues with crank creak (probably due to the ISIS drive mounting) and I have had no issues with shifting. I have had better luck with these rings than a lot of Shimano versions that I have dealt with. I am fully satisfied with these. Best for moderate use trail riding, if you are racing, and watching weight, spend more money.
Weaknesses: Non drive side creaks after about 250 miles of being torqued up. preload bolt is alloy and rounded off on 2 feet lbs! crap design, we were better off with square taper than this.
Bottom Line:
if you only ride 30 mile at the weekends this will last you ok, but if you want to do 50 miles per day, it wont last you very long
Bike Setup: FSA V-DRIVE MEGAEXO 2007, LX, Formula Oro 24, Fox F-100RL
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Djivo
a Cross Country Rider
from Zagreb
Date Reviewed: November 14, 2007
Strengths: Very strong, small teeth setup allows you very slick uphill drive.
Weaknesses: None so far. Only the paint on the pedals could be a bit more resistent to scrathes.
Bottom Line:
I actually purchase the whole set of V-drive, which was a huge advancement from my previous Truvatim Suntour 48/38/28 setup. This crankset is way much stronger and it does not bend even though I am a very strong driver (115kg). This is a very good product, made with lot of attention to the strength.
Submitted by
roy mcdonough
a Cross Country Rider
from chicago
Date Reviewed: September 17, 2006
Strengths: none
Weaknesses: THESE CRANKS ARE WEAK! They came stock on my latest bike purchase and if i had known fsa's reputation when i bought the bike, i would have asked for different cranks. i'm shocked that ANYONE would rate these plastic-quality cranks. they're awful. easily, the most flexy cranks i've ever ridden.
Bottom Line:
STAY AWAY. Guys at my lbs agreed that fsa cranks are some of the flimsiest cranks out there. ANYTHING would be better, but check out the truvativ cranks instead - they're solid.
Submitted by
Andrew G.
a Cross Country Rider
from New Jersey
Date Reviewed: June 6, 2006
Strengths: Light, stiff, smooth. Looks good.
Weaknesses: None, other than the finish on the crank arms scuff, but that's to be expected.
Bottom Line:
For the price, these cranks are fantastic. Incredibly smooth and stiff and work well with the gigapipe bb (though many would disagree re: isis bb's, it's just my experience). They look great, though the paint scuffs a bit. Unbeatable deal.
Submitted by
verong
a Cross Country Rider
from Philippines
Date Reviewed: January 26, 2006
Strengths: Cheap, inexpensive, cool flat black finish, shifts very smooth, light.
Weaknesses: Paint is not scratch resistant.
Bottom Line:
I always jump and bunny hop on and of the trail, yet no loose bolts. I used it for more that a year and BBs are still well intact. I'm sub 140lbs. It went thru d worst conditions including mud & CEMENT (I made a stupid mistake when I rode across a construction site)... still no squeaks man!
Bike Setup: Cross-country, Trek 8900, SRAM X.0 Drivetrain, Marzochi Forks, Shimano XT, Mavic Rims, DT Spokes, Thompson Stem & Seatpost, Avid Breaks, FSA Cranks, Chrisking headset, Michelin Comp S lite with Continental Supersonic Tubes.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
ANDREW
a Weekend Warrior
from BATON ROUGE, LA. USA
Date Reviewed: August 28, 2005
Strengths: LOOKS
Weaknesses: FLEX
Bottom Line:
I AM 6'3" 245LBS AND A LAZY SHIFTER. MAYBE I AM TOO HARD ON THESE CRANKS, OR MAYBE I AM FEELING REAR END FLEX GOING FROM A HARD TAIL TO A FULL SUS. I HEAR A LITTLE GROANING WHEN I AM TWISTING IN TOO HIGH A GEAR. OTHERWISE, THEY ARE REALLY COOL LOOKING AND SMOOTH SHIFTING. EXTERNAL BEARINGS ARE NEW TO ME. LET'S SEE HOW LONG THEY LAST.
Submitted by
Adam
a Cross Country Rider
from St. John's
Date Reviewed: July 5, 2005
Strengths: Pretty cheap, light weight, doesn't seem to flex much at all, Shifts fairly smooth, looks pretty good, Easy install and removal.
Weaknesses: Has loosened itself and self extracting bolts loosen and are easily lost.
Bottom Line:
For the money, these work great and look smart. After about 3 weeks of riding they had to be tightened but have been good since. The extracting bolts on the octalink version lossened themselves off but i spoke with FSA today and it was no problem to mail me some new ones, Advice to all is to use a threadlocker on these caps.
Bike Setup: k2 zed 2.0, marzocchi mx pro eta, avid SD 7, Maxxis advantage, Mavic Xm 217?, Shimano deore XT derailleurs, Shimano BB es51 octalink, Specialized seat, thomson elite, fsa orbit Dl Headset, Race face Prodigy stem, easton ea30 bars.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from Denville, NJ, USA
Date Reviewed: May 31, 2005
Strengths: External Bearings, large diameter spindle, stiff cranks, nice rings. Torx chainring bolts. Non-drive crank and preload screw easily installed with hex key - no special tools needed.
Weaknesses: Aluminum inner ring - should be steel.
Bottom Line:
This is for the MegaExo version. I have about 300 miles on 'em. Easy to install. Feel very smooth. Outer rings are beautifully ramped and pinned. Shifting feels automatic. No issues with chain suck etc. I'm curious to see how long the bearings will last as they seem very exposed to dirt etc. IMO a really great value if you're looking to get away from Shimano.
Strengths: Strong, lightweight, stiff, nice Integrated MegaExo BB design, oversized bearings and very affordable!
Weaknesses: None so far.
Bottom Line:
This review is on the V Drive MEGA-EXO, not the standard V Drive. This crankset has oversized external bearings which make this a stiff crank. They've performed better than expected and I've had no problems with them coming loose. I ride hard, crank many miles so give this crankset a second look before you spend more on another set. They're very light for XC riding and strong enough for freeriding if you're an in-between guy like me. http://www.fullspeedahead.com/fly.aspx?layout=product&taxid=52&pid=218
Does anyone have experience with the V-Drive? A week or so I completely destroyed (it's about damn time!) my o.e. SR Suntour crankset. I picked up the V Drives for dirt cheap used Read More »
09 kona unit and the fsa bottom bracket feels like it's done already, has anyone tried a different make of bottom bracket other than fsa with the fsa v-drive cranks?
thanks. Read More »
The threaded part of the spindle on my FSA V-Drive SS crankset cracked and FSA is dragging their feet on honoring their warranty. So, in the interest of getting my bike back on th Read More »
I found truvativ BBs on sale [url=http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/17875-030_TRUMT8-3-Parts-48-Bottom-Brackets/Truvativ-BB-GXP-Team-Cups-English-2010.htm]Truvativ BB GXP Team Cups Read More »
