Submitted by
jrp227
a Cross Country Rider
from Richmond, VA USA
Date Reviewed: April 11, 2011
Strengths: Stiff, light, q-factor, great rings, awesome for years up until that one day...
Weaknesses: Non-drive side broke off one sunny afternoon on a hard pedal stroke about 1.5" from the pedal spindle. I am a reasonably large person, and it broke on my singlespeed, but it felt so darn strong all those years that I was quite surprised and a little freaked out when it happened.
Bottom Line:
Bike parts break. This one owes me nothing. Great crankset, but I'd be interested if anyone else has heard of the 960 breaking. Or if anyone else has a spare non-drive 175mm they're willing to part with. Hard to find these days.
Similar Products Used: Various Shimano, Sram, Bontrager, etc.
Bike Setup: Many bikes wore this piece before it finally gave up.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
DianeWong
a Cross Country Rider
from Poway,CA,USA
Date Reviewed: October 23, 2010
Strengths: Beautiful,light,and strong
Weaknesses: After six years of hard use,these cranks show signs of wear!
Bottom Line:
I must give credit where it is due. Over six years,and four thousand hard ridden miles later it is still going strong. The chain rings look used,but my drietrain is shifting,and working perfectly.If you enjoy high quality functional bike parts, My advice is to pick up one of these if you can.
Weaknesses: Chain rings sound expensive but I haven't had to replace mine yet.
Bottom Line:
I picked this up brand new at my LBS and just like all the other riders reviews said, it does feel like you can push an extra gear out of this crank! Extremely stiff and smooth, and very responsive! I had the stock strong arm II on the bike prior to this and I can't compare. XTR has yet again impressed me, I had no doubt though! 5 chili's for value compared to the M970 ($450 - $600) and 5 chili's overall cause I cannot express how good this crank really is. Buy it if you can find it!
Bike Setup: Turner Flux, Fox/Push front and rear, XTR, Mavic SL Disc
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Zachariah
a Cross Country Rider
from Palm Desert, California USA
Date Reviewed: February 28, 2009
Strengths: Stiff, light, looks absolutely BOSS. Mine weighed only 791g complete, with BB.
Weaknesses: Chainring options are non-existant...except for Blackburn/Middleburn replacements. Cannot add 29t middle ring (2x9)due to limited BCD. Finish scratches away too easily.
Bottom Line:
One turn of the cranks, and you will notice direct, linear power transfer immediately. Stand on the pedals, and FEEL a surge of torque and acceleration, as you rocket past the competition. Not even the M960s successor, the FC-M970 can offer this sensation(close, though).
After trying two carbon models(see above), I have concluded that the stiffness, weight and overall durability is superior to uber-expensive carbon cranksets.
Submitted by
Justin Armer
a Cross Country Rider
from Prescott, AZ
Date Reviewed: November 12, 2007
Strengths: Super Light, Super Stiff, Super Silent, Spot on shifts.
Weaknesses: Price
Bottom Line:
XTR is XTR, it speaks for itself. These cranks are exactly what you'd expect from a top of the line crankset. They are so stiff and smooth they feel like they are helping you pedal. I would be impressed but that would be like being impressed by how well a Ferrari drives, you kinda expect it. I give them highest value chili becasue you can't put a price on ultimate performance.
Wheel World has the XTR FC-M960 crankset for $279.99 right now. Does anybody know a better deal than this? Given that this is a 2006 model, I can't seem to find a better price..... Read More »
I'm noticing some great deals on the FC-M960 Cranksets now that the new stuff is out. I'm currently running some XT Octalinks that work fine. I like the idea of a nice light stiff Read More »
Hi,
I just picked up a nice-condition FC-M960 crankset with included bottom bracket. I'm well able to install it myself but don't have the right special tool(s). Is this all I n Read More »
