Submitted by
LF-X
a Cross Country Rider
from Bergheim, Germany Date Reviewed: August 24, 2009
Favorite Trail:
70% Road / 30% Trail
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
got them for free
Strengths:
Light. Easy Installation
Weaknesses:
Not too cool appearance
Similar Products Used:
Several Xt and LX cranksets. Truvativ ISOflow.
Bike Setup:
Renault Sport - Team Spirit VTT.
Bottom Line:
I got them for free as friend upgraded to XTR cranksets.
They had less then 1000km run so far (so you could consider them as new). I now gave them around 300km.
Installation is very, very easy (if you have the right tools). I personally don't trust the bearings too much.
But my old bearings were starting to die as well (I'm a bearing crunsher). In Germany I already saw them for araound 130,- $. I think this is a fair price for a XT component that usually lasts quite long.
The Hollowtech mechanics look good. Much better then classical mechanics used in cranksets.
Shifting performance seems not to be that perfect. I would say that my Truvativ ISOflow did the job a little bit better/faster. Might be that I'll have to readjust my derailleur a little bit more to get it shift faster.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
pedalitup
a Cross Country Rider
from Oregon Date Reviewed: August 7, 2009
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
online
Strengths:
Stiff, light, easy to install
Weaknesses:
Its too wide on the drive side as noted in a previous review.
The BB bearings start to cadence click after too few hours.
Similar Products Used:
Previous generation XT with isis style BB
Various Shimano road outboard bearing cranks
FSA K force light 2x9
Bike Setup:
Salsa El Santo with Reba fork and XT drivetrain
Bottom Line:
I was warned by our local ace mechanic that outboard bearing type cranks literally eat bearings compared to what I had. Did I listen. . .heck no! Had to have the newest flavor Koolaid and all
I'm a climber, the Cadence click drives me nuts when the bearings wear out. Luckily I kept my older generation XT cranks and BB which is now back on my bike. Its silent when I'm climbing at 6mph for an hour.
The BB area of the frame was properly faced. The outboard bearings on my Dura ace 7900, FC-700R and FSA K force light cranks never make a sound.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rory
a Cross Country Rider
from Edmonton Date Reviewed: March 13, 2008
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
Absolutely everything. Light, strong, easy installation, good looking, dependable, silent...tbe list goes on.
Weaknesses:
Nothing. I repeat....nothing.
Similar Products Used:
Hussefelts, holzfellers, non-x-type shimano, race face turbines
Bike Setup:
norco team hardtail with custom heavy duty XC build
Bottom Line:
I personally believe this is the best crankset ever designed. The xt spline interface is second to none. I also believe the lack of surface area on the XTR spline is a poorer design than the XT interface(and I prefer the XT as a result). Stunningly light and incredibly strong. I've seen several downhill bikes set up with these cranks and I've never heard of a single complaint. I have bought a set of 2008 XT's for my other bike since first purchasing these and I absolutely swear by them. This is the best crankset money can buy...and they're not even that expensive if you search around for good deals online! I've run through all sorts of ISIS spline cranks and destroyed pair after pair of hussefelts. Never again. I don't think I've ever been more happy with a bike purchase.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brian
a Cross Country Rider
from Woodinville, WA, USA Date Reviewed: September 9, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$270.00
Purchased At:
Local Bike Shop
Strengths:
Easy installation. Seem durable. Quiet operation.
Weaknesses:
Have not found any yet.
Similar Products Used:
RaceFace Deus
Bottom Line:
I used RaceFace cranks for almost two years and 2500 single-track miles. When you get them setup and dialed in they work well. But I grew tired of bolts loosening and the cheap bearings the RaceFace uses. Out of frustration I bought the Shimano cranks. So far, I have been happy. They are MUCH easier to install than the RaceFace cranks. Let's see how they make it through a Northwest winter.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bernard Escandor
a Cross Country Rider
from San Francisco, CA Date Reviewed: September 11, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Wilder Ranch
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$270.00
Purchased At:
JensonUSA.com
Strengths:
Light; easy to install
Weaknesses:
None so far
Similar Products Used:
Earlier Shimano XT & XTR cranks; Truvantiv Fire EX;
First impression out of the box, this crankset is light. So light I thought that it would not last after a couple of rides. The bottom bracket is redesigned and there is no axle. The axle itself is integrated into the right crank arm. So the bottom bracket cups are treaded into the bottom bracket shell as usual. The bearings are larger and they sit on the outside of the frame. You will need a special tool like the Park BBT-9 to tighten the bracket cups. Once you've set those in, just slide in the right crank arm and bolt pinch the left crank arm onto the exposed axle. With a Park BBT-9 and a torque wrench, installation of this crankset is a breeze, although, I didn't exactly follow the exact directions when I was installing this crankset.
Three 2.5mm spacers were included in this set. Per the instructions, you are to use two spacers on the right and one spacer on the left of the bottom bracket cups when you thread them in for a 68mm bottom bracket shell, which my frame has. I noticed that my front derailleur can't shift the chain to the larger ring. I've troubleshooted by reachoring the cable for the front derailleur and even checked my chain length. With much observation and trial-n-error, I removed a spacer from the right side so there are only two, one for each side. With that said, I can now shift to the larger ring. See how 2.5mm makes a big difference? I'm not sure if this will cause any problems in the long run, execpt for the possibility of "chain suck" since the larger ring is pretty close to the chain stay.
Overall, after breaking it in on a few rides, this crankset is awsome. I've had no problems with it and shifting is clean. The crankset is great for those who are looking for an addition to their cross-contry/race set-up. It's remarkably light and stiff. Great product.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
David Hampton
a Cross Country Rider
from Kannapolis, NC USA Date Reviewed: April 17, 2006
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$270.00
Strengths:
Great Product, Light, Super Stiff, Looks Great
Weaknesses:
None
Similar Products Used:
RaceFace
Bike Setup:
KONA Kikapu Deluxe Full XT
Bottom Line:
Really Impressed with these cranks. Could not be any easier to install and maintain. Really like the outboard bearings. Quite with no creaks.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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