Submitted by
ruib99
a Cross Country Rider
from Date Reviewed: August 28, 2009
Favorite Trail:
XC
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$120.00
Purchased At:
Oro Cyclemart
Strengths:
2.2 kilogram. Lighter than DEORE and FC-M542 Hollowtech.
Weaknesses:
The allen bolt of its left crank, it is very soft.
Similar Products Used:
FC-M542 Hollowtech 2
Bottom Line:
The allen bolt of the left crank arm too soft.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
ozzybmx
a Weekend Warrior
from Australia Date Reviewed: August 25, 2009
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$180.00
Purchased At:
online
Strengths:
Stiff , looks great once you get rid of the hideous bashring, Cheap, solid construction with steel pedal inserts . If i ever break this i will buy another , and i can see that happening.
Weaknesses:
None
Similar Products Used:
many different shimano cranks , tried raceface.
Bike Setup:
AM with all top bits , cheapest part is my SLX crank due to pure ability.
Bottom Line:
Cant gett a better crank for anywhere near the price, BB is crap as usual .... just change it when you get the cash . The money you have saved on this crank over the XT ot RF AM will buy you a hope ceramic BB . Ditch the 150g bashring for a light one and you have a crank the weight of an XT with twice the strength.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
philly cheese
a Weekend Warrior
from Santa Fe, NM Date Reviewed: July 18, 2009
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Strong, Light, Looks Cool
Weaknesses:
The Bashguard is heavy and dumb-looking
Similar Products Used:
truvativ holzfeller
Bike Setup:
03' SC Bullit
Bottom Line:
Really good crankset. BB is smooth. Crank is stiff. replaced the bashguard cause IMHO it looks dumb and irs eally pretty heavy. One thing to note - the triple chainring, besides not having pedal inserts is not the same crank as the double. If you look close at the spider, the double's is thicker and sturdier. My wife has the triple and its slightly more flexy.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
sickspeed16
a Downhiller
from Titusville,NJ,USA Date Reviewed: July 15, 2009
Favorite Trail:
The rocky ones
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$100.00
Purchased At:
Chainreaction.com
Strengths:
Stiff, durable. Not really much more you need to say when it comes to a AM/FR oriented Crankset. It's about 100grams less than the saint and I'd be willing to bet just as stiff. Just took the bike to Diablo to race and it put up with what was arguably the narliest course to date.
Weaknesses:
Got nothin.
Similar Products Used:
Truvative garbage
Bike Setup:
Sanction...built for abuse
Bottom Line:
If your looking for a relatively cheap crankset that can handle whatever you throw at it, and still hang just on the light side, gotta get one of these.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ojai Bicyclist
a Downhiller
from SoCal Date Reviewed: July 13, 2009
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Best bang for your buck out there. Shimano BBs last forever, their interface is MUCH better than everyone else's (cough TruVativ and Raceface), and they are the perfect blend of strength (steel pedal inserts) and weight (only a few grams heavier than XTs). If you have a 68/73mm BB, these are THE best cranks you can get.
These are money. Everything a DH'er needs but nothing they don't.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
drstepi
a Weekend Warrior
from Kielce,Swietokrzyskie, Poland Date Reviewed: March 31, 2009
Favorite Trail:
any
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$115.00
Purchased At:
allegro
Strengths:
design, finish and quality, when out of the box looked soo nice made me reluctant to get it dirty, after 6 mionths of some abuse looks still good. Wiegh is a big pro over the competeing brands, I'd say the bash guard though plastic handles it's duties unless hit hard on a rock (mine got hit in dirt and on wood)
Weaknesses:
Not sure about the whole fittin system and bushings quality, but that was only heard from third parties, my bushings are ruuning free so far
can be a hassle to mount with ISCG 05 chaingurad and some types of front der.
Similar Products Used:
shimano, truvativ, sugino, sachs
Bike Setup:
2006 Gemini with 2007 bomber all mnt z1 sl, luoise brakes, some mix of shimano deore/alivio/xt and stx(!) tioga cokpit, ns hubs and pedals, mavic d521 and DM24 rims, conti tires
Bottom Line:
it's a good value (in wiegh to price and strengt categories) product aimend at all mountain market, so a very demanding one.
And when used in that manner it is a good choice, will last long . I punish my bike and myself on some light DH/FR courses too, and my style is go up just to go down and enjoy it.
So for such light punishment it serves good and deserves 5 stars for that, 3 for some issues in the BB area (check weaknesses)
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
michaelblade
a Weekend Warrior
from Solag,Calif. USA Date Reviewed: December 8, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Roller Coaster
Duration Product Used:
Tested or demo'ed only
Price Paid:
$145.00
Purchased At:
Secret Ebay source
Strengths:
Easy to instal.But I'm a mechanic.Shifts smooth with older XT front D-Railer.I run an 8 spd XT R cog. New Sram 850 8 spd chain. SLX worked fine on the test run.Very lightweight.
Weaknesses:
Plastic bash guard.But just the look of it. It looks like it will absorb impact smoother than a metal guard but I'm not sure how well it will protect that exspensive chainring.
Similar Products Used:
XT 22/32 with Race Face bash.LX 22/32 with RF bash.
Bike Setup:
2006 GT I Drive 5.XTR RD and 8 spd dual shifters. XT FD. Heavy duty FR wheels.Kenda stickies 2.4 . Drop Off 2 20mm axel.Raceface Diablous 70mm stem.Ergon grips.Small frame.Stock Shimano mech disc brakes.XTR shift cables.WTB Speed V seat.
Bottom Line:
I think this setup is good for 180 pound and under riders.I mean bombproof.That is just my opinion.If I was heavier than 180 I would go with Saint.Shimano makes good stuff.And this crankset appears to be just what I need.It does shift well and seems very strong. A year from now I'll give an update.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
meehow8
a Cross Country Rider
from louisville, ky Date Reviewed: October 24, 2008
Favorite Trail:
where's the mountain?
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$240.00
Purchased At:
shop
Strengths:
good gearing, solid design
Weaknesses:
plastic bash- but it's beefy and keeps the weight down
Similar Products Used:
fsa v-drive, truvativ, sugino, shimano
Bike Setup:
mountain cycle zen w/ 5th air, X9, slx ft.double der., elixir r 185/160, mavic 321s, thomsons
Bottom Line:
This crank is beefy and pretty light too. The gearing is on the money. I'm happy shimano kept it real and came out with something for those of us who don't want a triple. It's perfect for those that run a bash and need a solid purpose-built crank. The splines are smaller and tighter than other 2-piece designs which tend to loosen and strip. The spindle secures like a threadless stem- not with a single bolt like other brands. I like the torx chainring bolts. It's stiff and the design should be super durable. Obviously, it just came out and time will tell. I think they got it right with this one. However, we'll see if the plastic bash is the weak link. It does keep the weight down and seems to be chunky enough. FSA and Shimano are where it's at if you want durability and don't want to have a crank arm come loose on you at the worst time.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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