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Submitted by
panzer07
a Weekend Warrior
from fremont ca usa
Date Reviewed: April 14, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | toads | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$260.00 | | Purchased At: | universal | | Strengths: | Very easy to install and setup, looks great, light, stiff and strong. Steel middle over composite adds durability with no weight penalty. Vastly improved shifts compared to Race Face rings. Spins great with no drag - power loss. | | Weaknesses: | None well maybee the torx head bolts on rings. | | Similar Products Used: | Race Face Dues - crapola! | | Bike Setup: | SC Nomad | | Bottom Line: | Like the setup much better than the new XTR for ease of install and removal at half the price. Chris King bottom bracket will add to the cool factor and you can pick colors. Great cranks for the $$$. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
david
a Cross Country Rider
from Australia
Date Reviewed: December 23, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Stiff, durable, light, and good shifting | | Weaknesses: | Cosmetic items like the XT rubs off the crank arm after a while from use. | | Similar Products Used: | Race Face Evolve XC, XTR, Deore, LX | | Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz Super light, Full XT Build Kit, Fox F100 RLT and For RP23 | | Bottom Line: | Great performing crank, doesn't misshift like others have stated, Light, seems to take a beating. I've ridden allot on it doing 24 hr races and marathon races. Seems to be doign well so far for durability and reliability.
cant really fault it, | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Carl
a Weekend Warrior
from RSA
Date Reviewed: March 16, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$150.00 | | Strengths: | Looks good, smooth, easy to service, Shifts. | | Weaknesses: | Chainrings, BB | | Similar Products Used: | LX, Race face Evolve XC | | Bike Setup: | Anthem Team | | Bottom Line: | Review for Hollowtech II M760
Shifts well. Looks good. Stiff and strong. My middle chainring will last 2 chains and the life of a cassette (2000 miles). They are "consumables" like tires and brake pads. Replace them when needed. XTR will last longer but costs a lot more.
The BB is marked by a "Do not disassemble". Which means that it is possible to disassemble. The bearing can be replaced by another sealed unit for $2-3 by a keen handyman.
I like my XT crank.
It can be less pricey though. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeroen Hanselaer
a Cross Country Rider
from Antwerp, Belgium
Date Reviewed: November 15, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | GOUVY - Ouren - Irhhausen | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$180.00 | | Purchased At: | Some Dutch internet store | | Strengths: | Looks good, easy install (octalink) Good performance | | Weaknesses: | None ( AFTER 7 YEARS of Intesive XC abuse) | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized crankset, Race Face EVOLVE XC | | Bike Setup: | Specialized Hardrock (Customized = only frame left original) | | Bottom Line: | I had them for 7 years, used them on all kinds of roads & trail and weather and they just ruled. Even the chainrings last long, if you keep them in good condition.
Realy great crankset. ( i hope the Race Face ones i put on my other bike will keep as long) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
john francis
a
from brea,ca,usa
Date Reviewed: November 3, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | gooseberry mesa,utah | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$190.00 | | Purchased At: | la habrc cyclery | | Strengths: | crank is light and easily worked on | | Weaknesses: | i have had to replace the small and middle rings after less than three months | | Similar Products Used: | lx crank, shimano wheels, shifters, | | Bike Setup: | santa cruz bullet | | Bottom Line: | I was very disappointed with the durability and life of the components will concider changing manufacturer in the future for crank components. Shimano must have known that this was the weak part of the crank because my dealer tells me that the 08's have a different middle ring. The replacement that was installed isn't aluminum and should last longer,but after spending good money on a crank set less than three months is rediculous | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt Kuhl
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego, CA
Date Reviewed: September 13, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | I haven't picked one yet | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$200.00 | | Purchased At: | eBay | | Strengths: | Lightweight and strong as heck | | Weaknesses: | I haven't had any problems at all | | Similar Products Used: | Deore, Acera | | Bike Setup: | 2007 TREK 3900
SRAM X-9 shifters
SRAM X-0 rear derailleur
Shimano XT crankset/front derailleur/chain/cassette
Marzocchi Bomber MX Pro 100mm fork
Avid Juicy7 brakes w/ 185mm/F, 160mm/R
Cane Creek SOLOS headset
Bontrager carbon stem and bars
CrankBros CandySL pedals
Mavic CrossTrail wheels w/ Kenda Nevegal 2.1" | | Bottom Line: | I actually picked up a set of the M770 chainrings that will go on these cranks when I move them over to my Remedy. I don't think I'm hard enough on this bike to warrant these cranks on it so I'll move them to where they will be better suited. Keeping these chainrings on the new Bontrager cranks, though. They're bulletproof. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
V T
a Cross Country Rider
from Pittsburgh, Pa USA
Date Reviewed: August 25, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Brady's Run | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$175.00 | | Strengths: | shifting,strength,rigidity,looks | | Weaknesses: | q-factor too high | | Similar Products Used: | bontrager, Lx | | Bike Setup: | GF Cake 3 dlx, ritchey carbon stem & flat handlebar, ITM carbon seatpost, Lx RF, FD, & RD, WTB Laser saddle, Mannitou R7 Platinum SPV | | Bottom Line: | Best choice for shifting,durability and weight.
Drive: Shimano XT FC-M760 Crankset
integrated crank and bottom bracket setup
Ring Size: 44-32-22T
Speed: 9
Arm Length: 175mm
Bolt Circle Diameter: 104/64mm
Crank Arms: Forged Aluminum/Hollow Type HOLLOWTECH II
Outer Chainring 7075 aluminum
Middle Chainring: Aluminum
Inner Chainring: Aluminum
Chainring Bolts & Nuts: Aluminum (bolt), Steel (nut)
Weight(including BB): 860g
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Clay Spradlin
a Weekend Warrior
from Wooster, AR...USA
Date Reviewed: August 3, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Cadron Park | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$150.00 | | Purchased At: | Ebay, I think | | Strengths: | Stiff and Strong | | Weaknesses: | a little heavy if your're a weight wennie | | Bike Setup: | Leader 526, FOX F100RLC fork, XTR shifters and Brakes, Mavic Crossride, XT drivetrain. | | Bottom Line: | I've been riding this crank for over 2 years and have had no problems at all. I'm not a hardcore rider, I do it mostly for the exercise, but I am 6-4 235 and can be hard on equiptment. overall I'm very satisfied. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt
a Cross Country Rider
from Prattville, AL, USA
Date Reviewed: July 27, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Thompson's Loop (Tsali) | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$170.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | Looks good and light weight | | Weaknesses: | Creaked from day one | | Similar Products Used: | Older XT crankset | | Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz Blur LT w/ Sram X.0, XTR, Chris King, etc. | | Bottom Line: | I bought this crankset new off of ebay. I had an older model XT crankset that always did great. This new one creaked and popped from day one. It performed ok but I decided to try an FSA V-drive Megaexo. Another problem I had was the chainrings being to weak. I broke a toothe off within the first couple of weeks. I wouldn't recommend this crankset. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a
from Port Elizabeth South Africa
Date Reviewed: June 5, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Harkerville, Baviaanskloof | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Same as below | | Weaknesses: | Initially the chain would skip off the middle ring when standing under full power while the rear shock is open and the rear wheel hits a bump. We moved the 2nd spacer from the tight hand side to the left so that the rings are closer to the frame. This seems to have improved the problem. | | Similar Products Used: | Truvativ | | Bike Setup: | Anthem Team with RP23, Reba Race, XT brakes dual control, Mavic X819 with MAxxis Crossmark UST tyres, XT crankset (duh!), XT derailleurs. | | Bottom Line: | This is an update over my last post. Intitially I was not happy with the cranks. LBS could not help. A fellow racer pointed out that by moving the extra spacer to the left would help. This seems to have done the trick. I do however ride more in pro-pedal 2 setting nowadays and this problem used to only appear when the shock was set open. Did a 144km enduro recently and not once did the chain skip off the front rings. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a Weekend Warrior
from Port Elizabeth South Africa
Date Reviewed: May 20, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Harkerville | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Looks cool, says XT on the side. Shifting is good | | Weaknesses: | Chain slips off the middle chain ring under pressure when hitting a bump on the rear wheel. Very annoying when doing cross country racing. | | Similar Products Used: | Truvative | | Bike Setup: | 2007 Giant Anthem Team, Reba Race, Fox RP23 full XT, including brakes, Mavic X819 rims | | Bottom Line: | I saw the complaints about the chain slipping off the middle ring and unfortunately I ignored this. Wanted full XT on the bike and upgraded the cranks to match. Only had the bike for 2 weeks now and sure to break teeth or chain soon with this problem. Hopefully the LBS can help me sort this out. LOL! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave
a Weekend Warrior
from Port Elizabeth South Africa
Date Reviewed: May 20, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Harkerville | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Looks cool, says XT on the side. Shifting is good | | Weaknesses: | Chain slips off the middle chain ring under pressure when hitting a bump on the rear wheel. Very annoying when doing cross country racing. | | Similar Products Used: | Truvative | | Bike Setup: | 2007 Giant Anthem Team, Reba Race, Fox RP23 full XT, including brakes, Mavic X819 rims | | Bottom Line: | I saw the complaints about the chain slipping off the middle ring and unfortunately I ignored this. Wanted full XT on the bike and upgraded the cranks to match. Only had the bike for 2 weeks now and sure to break teeth or chain soon with this problem. Hopefully the LBS can help me sort this out. LOL! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steven Salmons
a Cross Country Rider
from Rolla, MO, USA
Date Reviewed: April 23, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$115.00 | | Purchased At: | E*** | | Strengths: | Weight, good looks, shifting | | Weaknesses: | None so far | | Similar Products Used: | Alivio | | Bike Setup: | Pimped out Pirahna | | Bottom Line: | These cranks (Hallowtech II) are awesome. They are super light and the advertised weight includes the BB. My shoes do not rub the cranks. The shifting action is really smooth although I do not run the biggest ring. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Max
a Cross Country Rider
from San Francisco, Ca, USA
Date Reviewed: April 20, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | NOTHING | | Weaknesses: | very heavy slips of chainrings sometimes so thick that it always hits the side of my Sidi dhoes and loosens them | | Similar Products Used: | Truvativ RaceFace & Fsa= the best | | Bike Setup: | Specialized epic | | Bottom Line: | These cranks are overpriced overrated and way too heavy | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Richard Pike
a Cross Country Rider
from River Edge
Date Reviewed: April 11, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Local Rides | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$190.00 | | Purchased At: | Cyclesport, Park Ridge, NJ | | Strengths: | Light, Stiff, good looking, smooth shifting. | | Weaknesses: | Chain pings off middle/large ring under stress. | | Similar Products Used: | FSA Something | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale Prophet 800, Complete XT Drivetrain, new Mavic rear
wheel. | | Bottom Line: | Since owning these cranks the chain has skipped off the center ring under load especially on rough terrain / steep climbs with minimal pressure. I spent a few hours at the LBS demonstrating this, we tried,
- New XT middle ring
- Race Face Middle ring
- Reducing links in the chain
The result is that nothing has been able to stop the chain pinging off when you apply pressure and move over an obstacle. We finally pinpointed the crank as the issue after putting a 2006 XTR on the front and the problem dissappeared.
I finally opted for 2007 XTR front which I should have on friday. Very dissapointed, these lasted less than six months.
Cyclesport rocks and have supported the product / installment as best they were able, I must have bought the friday afternoon job lot. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Amandio
a Cross Country Rider
from Barrie, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: April 2, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$190.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Lighter than my Bontys, look cool | | Weaknesses: | don't know of any | | Similar Products Used: | stock Bontragger cranks | | Bike Setup: | Trek Liquid 25 stock except cranks. | | Bottom Line: | I read all the hype about outboard bearings and my cranks were looking tired so I though I'd fork out the cash for these things. They do look much better than my old Bontragger cranks and they are lighter however at the end of the day I really can't notice any difference between one and the other. I put power to the pedals and lo and behold they turn the cranks... lol.. They are firm and stiff but again I would expect nothing less. The outboard bearings are a cool bragging feature but don't see any difference in performance over the standard ISS drive bearings. One thing I have noticed however is that since I replaced the cranks I have been getting very occaisional chain suck. This never happend with the Bontragger cranks. They were put on by my LBS so they are installed right. If you can find these at a discounted price go for it. They are definetely good cranks and look cool too. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeremy
a
from Jacksonville, FL
Date Reviewed: March 26, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | San Felasco State Park, FL | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$175.00 | | Purchased At: | MTBR.com | | Strengths: | Looks great, very stiff crankarms, smooth, shifts great. | | Weaknesses: | Chainrings are weak. Teeth break off easily. | | Similar Products Used: | Raceface Ride XC & Evolve XC | | Bike Setup: | Trek Fuel 80 w/ custom build, Reba Team, full XT drivetrain & brakes, Answer Carbon Bar & Mavic Crosslands. | | Bottom Line: | This a great crank for XC/ All Mountain riding. You can get a good deal on them if you shop around. The crankarms are very stiff and light, and they look great!! They shift very smoothly. However, the chainrings are weak, teeth break off easily. I switched out the middle chainring to a Raceface and haven't had a problem since. Be aware that the chainrings are weak. I give it 4 chili's b/c of the chainrings. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Daniel Johnson
a Weekend Warrior
from Richardson
Date Reviewed: March 1, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Lake Grapevine | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$165.00 | | Strengths: | Looks great. Stiff. Smooth | | Weaknesses: | None so far. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano LX (1999 model) | | Bike Setup: | Raleigh M40, LX Hydraulix Brakes, Mavic 317 with XT Hubs | | Bottom Line: | This crank is really nice. I dont ride very hard, mostly around town, but this crank is awesome. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Richard Pike
a Cross Country Rider
from River Edge, New Jersey
Date Reviewed: February 4, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Local Rides | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$190.00 | | Purchased At: | Local Bike Shop | | Strengths: | Light, Stiff, good looking, smooth shifting. | | Weaknesses: | Will post a follow up review following rear-hub replacement. | | Similar Products Used: | FSA [Dont Know] Stock with bike | | Bike Setup: | Standard apart from XT Crankset. | | Bottom Line: | I believe its fait to post a follow up review, my initial assesment of the XT crank causing the skipping was incorrect.
I found that there were 2 issues with the Prophet I was riding
that have caused the chain to skip.
- Gromets on rear suspension had worn
- Cannondale rear hub was failing.
Richard | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Richard Pike
a Cross Country Rider
from River Edge
Date Reviewed: December 17, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Local rides | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$190.00 | | Purchased At: | Local Bike Shop | | Strengths: | Light, Stiff, good looking, smooth shifting. | | Weaknesses: | Middle ring throws chain under stress. I changed the rear casette and chain and it's now worse, having read the reviews I need to replace the middle ring. | | Similar Products Used: | FSA Something (whatever came with the bike) | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale Prophet 800 (2005) | | Bottom Line: | I'm very dissapointed.
I replaced the crankset and front derailluer when the original FSA bottom bracket wore out. I am new to riding (9 months) and don't weight very much (165 @ 6ft). I felt running all XT would resolve the shifting issues I had with the FSA and LX front derailleur. As soon as I used it the chain jumped off the middle ring under stress and sudden jolts, now the chain just falls off and I have several bruises from skips when climbing steep inclines and one precarious moment when crossing at a light to get to a trail, the crank skipped so badly I almost lost the bike with a truck loominng.
Not really recomended for riding under streess or as a hard wearing component, odd as I was told this was the bees knees. For all the quirks of the FSA (cheap BB) it never skipped under stress. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Zoltan
a Cross Country Rider
from Hungary
Date Reviewed: November 20, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Local bike shop | | Strengths: | Stiff, smooth, perfect function (2006 Hollowtech II) | | Weaknesses: | Chain skips in the drive in period, afterwards it is perfect. | | Similar Products Used: | Deore | | Bike Setup: | Secialized Stumpjumper HT, Hayes Discs, Mavic 717,
RS Reba Team, XT drive train | | Bottom Line: | During the first 100 miles on my new bike I had several problems with my drive train, the chain came off the middle chain ring and skipped under heavy driving.
I brought the bike to the shop for first inspection and adjustment after that the cranck - the whole drive train - works very well. No skips just smooth function. The parts need some drive in period and adjustment.
I am 210lbs and I don't do DHs, but it is perfect for cross country.
Don't ge dissapointed by the few negative reviews, think of the large majority of riders, who dont write here... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff
a Weekend Warrior
from Hong Kong
Date Reviewed: November 7, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Stiff | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | CODA | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale hardtail, all XT level parts. | | Bottom Line: | These are great- stiff, responsive cranks. I've ridden them for 5 years - mountain biking, touring and commuting, with no problems. Highly recommended. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Travis Allen
a Downhiller
from Lewiston
Date Reviewed: October 9, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Tamarack | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | fullcycles.com | | Strengths: | Looks great, light, easy to set up, EXTREMELY STIFF, functions perfect and smooth. | | Weaknesses: | None! | | Similar Products Used: | rf turbines, rf n shores, hozfellers, hussefelts, atlas. | | Bike Setup: | ALOT! | | Bottom Line: | I here different opinions from different people about what is the best and I laugh alot at the comments. I have run the big DH set ups and the lighter stiff items as well. I gave these a shot (fc-m760) and whoa! they are a heck of alot stiffer and way smoother throught the peddling motion than alot of the other stuff I have tried.
These are great cranks with a beefy BB that attach easily and can be ridden worry free.
I weigh 210lbs and they are great, I huck Urban, DH and ride alot of big drops to transition as well as flat and I DO NOT CONCERN MYSELF WITH MECHANICAL FAILURE OF THE XT CRANKS. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Zach
a
from Colchester, Vermont
Date Reviewed: August 18, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Kokopelli's | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$235.00 | | Purchased At: | blueskycyling.com | | Strengths: | lightweight. | | Weaknesses: | middle chainring skips. | | Bike Setup: | enduro pro, juicy 7's, marzocchi, sram. shimano. | | Bottom Line: | the middle chainring has skipped since i got it. my lbs called shimano about the situation and they sent me an lx middle chainring, works a little better but still skips. i am going to purchase a raceface middle chainring. SHIMANO SUCKS!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Neal
a Cross Country Rider
from TX
Date Reviewed: August 4, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Northshore | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Big Teeth on this guy | | Weaknesses: | I dont think that the teeth were made very strong, about 3 of mine have already chipped and ive only had the bike for about three months | | Similar Products Used: | Deore Crankset | | Bike Setup: | Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Expert Disc: Easton monkeylite bars, lizarskin grips, Shimano XTR Cassette, All fox racing shocks, avid seven hydraulic disc brakes, 50/50 pedals. | | Bottom Line: | This is a very nice crankset, it gets the job done. Only thing is that they should have made it a little bit stronger....I would recomend this product to anyone who wants a good crankset for not that much money. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris
a Racer
from Belgium
Date Reviewed: July 25, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$180.00 | | Purchased At: | Intersport | | Strengths: | Very stiff, smooth action, light, tough, etc | | Weaknesses: | None | | Bike Setup: | Topbike with lx all around, suntour axon e-rl xc fork | | Bottom Line: | For the wear issues on the middle and sometimes the outer chain ring, the problem that i found was that certain chains perform perfectly, no wear, no suck nothing, and if you get these cranks, then up grade the bb cup which will save you all the creaking, and wear. The best bb cup is the race face x type. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rodney Scholes
a Weekend Warrior
from NSW, Australia
Date Reviewed: July 12, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | local State Forest | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Purchased At: | bikeshop where I work | | Strengths: | See my review below - 6 months ago. | | Weaknesses: | as above | | Similar Products Used: | as above | | Bike Setup: | Kona Dawg - see my review below - 6 months ago. The only thing I've changed is the fork. Have sold Talas RLC (never used travel adjust) and fitted new 07 Fox Vanilla 140 RLC. 5 chilis to Fox for an awesome coil/oil fork. | | Bottom Line: | Have had no problems with the cranks. Outboard bearings are one of the best innovations in the last few years. Ok the rings wear maybe faster than some others , but I'll put up with it - they're still the best shifting cranks I've found.
To those who are concerned with using a plastic fixing bolt in the left crank I'd recommend you purchase an alloy XTR bolt part no. Y1E511000 and intall it with the right installation tool part no. TL - FC16 (hand tight, then back off 1/4 turn). Also make sure you use a torque wrench to tighten the pinch bolts up to 15 newton metres and check bolt tightness regularly. Proper installation is important for every component.
Bottom line - the best quality (strength/low weight/great shifting)for money cranks on the market. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from Mannheim, Germany
Date Reviewed: June 22, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Black Forest Singeltrails | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$155.00 | | Strengths: | Good Performance for the price. Universal availability. Reliable. Relatively Lightweight. | | Weaknesses: | Caps should be supplied to cover up the hole in the bb spindle to prevent mud from entering...but thats mainly a matter of style I guess. | | Similar Products Used: | Cook Bros F Crank, Simano XT non-hollowtech | | Bike Setup: | Intense Tracer, Complete XT Gruppo, Fox 100 RLT, Thomson Stem and Seatpost (...) | | Bottom Line: | First off, the drivetrain is one of those areas on a bike, where, depending on the level and frequency of riding, an enormous amount of mechanical stress is applied to the components involved. Just ask youself, how many hundreds of times you shift during a powerful ride in the hills! This means, that even slight errors in proper adjustment will develop over time which can have a pronounced effect on drivetrain performance (such as shifting accuracy, chain friction, squeaking noises, etc.) and a tendency to get worse (and more annoying) if not treated correctly.
I had my XT Hollowtech II crankset installed by a very competent German mechanic and have never had better shifting performance on this bike since then. I must say, however, that I installed new XT shift pods as well. For compatibility reasons, I try to stay with XT for drivetrain gruppo.
I think that these cranks do a great job, weigh relatively little, and are very stiff. To me, the risk of poor performance appears to be no higher than with most other cranksets on the market - even some much higher priced ones with more bling-factor. None are perfect or failsafe. So considering what else is out there, these are definitely a good buy considering that they offer tons of reliable performance for that price.
So, 5 Chilis for value and, since there's always room for improvement, 4 for overall.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rob Kuchta
a Cross Country Rider
from Boulder, CO, USA
Date Reviewed: May 24, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Rollins Pass | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | Came with bike | | Strengths: | The cranks are very stiff, light, and readily servicable. This last issue is extremely important given my experience with the weaknesses of the crank/bottom bracket. | | Weaknesses: | A minor issue is the greater resisance of the crank/bottom bracket setup compared to the older square taper system - probably the seals. More seriously, I have had non-trivial dependability issues with the crank/bottom bracket setup (M760). Within a year (8000 mi, about half on- and half off-road, no jumps over 8 inches), two bottom brackets decomposed, and according to Shimano, this is "normal" wear. Additionally, the spindle developed a series of hairline cracks! On this latter issue Shimano was more forthcoming in that they replaced it under warranty. Hopefully, but given my general experience with so-call Shimano quality I am not too sure, the new crankset will last a bit longer. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano LX | | Bike Setup: | Dean Colonel 29er, XT components, White Bros. Fork, extra set of road wheels by Dave Harris (SpeedDream) | | Bottom Line: | The XT bottom bracket/crankset looks nice, and would be a reasonable value if it was better built. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
nevin rallis
a Cross Country Rider
from Windham, Maine, USA
Date Reviewed: May 22, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Bradbury Mountain | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | perofrmance bike | | Strengths: | Light strong and fast. looks pretty cool too. | | Weaknesses: | in the good old maine mud, the chain sumtimes sticks to loser placed teeth | | Similar Products Used: | truvativ 5D | | Bike Setup: | Leader 626S with Cane creek AD-12 and Manitou minute 3, and an XT rear deraiuleur. | | Bottom Line: | The crank is awesome most of the time. Its just i heavey mud where chain wraps itself around the chainring. I have had no creaking problems or sckipping problems.
I do have one worry though. Ever since I bought this crank, I bought my new frame too, I have been breaking chains frequently. If anybody has any insight into this please let me know. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Darin M
a Cross Country Rider
from Greenbelt, Austin, TX
Date Reviewed: May 16, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Greenbelt | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | speced on new bike | | Strengths: | They have teeth | | Weaknesses: | they have BIG Teeth | | Similar Products Used: | 2004 XT, Race Face | | Bike Setup: | 2006 Stumpjumper FSR expert | | Bottom Line: | After riding a Giant NRS Air for approx 4 years, I was needless to say excited about my first ride on the StumpJumper FSR . On the first ride of 15 miles on the Greenbelt here in Austin, I was incredibly impressed with the overall experience on the new ride. The bike is set up for tackling everything in the neighborhood here in Austin! The only problem was that Because of the "Popping" issue of the 2006 XT crank set which happen 17 times in 15 miles, where the chain either came off of the middle ring or "Popped" under torque load. To clear up any thoughts that the bike was put together wrong or misaligned, the bike was built by my mechanic who is one of the best in Austin, TX. Another note is that there are three others that I know who have purchased a 2006 Stumpjumper FSR expert that are having the same issues. My main colmplaint is that one of my shoes is filled with dried blood from the 3.5 inch gash that I was given to my leg that was deep enough to consider stitches after the chain came off of the middle ring while climbing a short incline. DO NOT BUY THIS SHIMANO PRODUCT. I am spending another $250 to $350 to replace the XT crankset with Race Face crankset and bottom bracket. Race Face products Lasted me for over four years on the last bike and never cost me as much blood as I spilled on the one ride. This product does not deserve a single rating and is not worth the price. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
phil
a Cross Country Rider
from Malibu, Ca, USA
Date Reviewed: May 1, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Sycamore Canyon | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | stock | | Strengths: | Light, good resale because everybody loves them. | | Weaknesses: | Teeth shear off. Expensive | | Similar Products Used: | RACEFACE Prodigy XC,RACEFACE turbine LP | | Bike Setup: | Jamis Dakar Pro Full Suspension, Manitou Marathon XC, Components: XTR, except for XT cranks (now RACEFACE). | | Bottom Line: | I had to replace the crank rings about twice a year because teeth were always shearing off. I got tired of this and went with RACEFACE, which have been much better so far. XT is overrated. Raceface is a comparable product for much cheaper. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Adam S
a Cross Country Rider
from Bellevue
Date Reviewed: April 22, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$175.00 | | Purchased At: | www.isellbikeparts.com | | Strengths: | Stiff. Easy installation. Inexpensive. Great shifting. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Old school XT and XTR, RaceFace. | | Bike Setup: | It's a bike.... | | Bottom Line: | Nothing flashy, but it gets the job done and relatively inexpensive. I'm the last of the SS converts among friends, and this XT 760 setup is keeping me on the geared bikes for a few more season. Not much else to say except installation is worlds easier than my old 752. I keep my chain clean and lubed, and got at least 3 years out of the last setup so I don't see why this should be any different, and I bought them dirt cheap.
If I had to have any "complaints" I'd say maybe a 172.5mm version?? | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jason
a Racer
from Los Gatos, CA
Date Reviewed: April 8, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Steam Donkey, ECDM | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Purchased At: | Trailhead Cyclery | | Strengths: | Look great, wear great, work great. | | Weaknesses: | None. Emphasis on the period. | | Similar Products Used: | Bontrager and truvativ and XTR cranks. | | Bike Setup: | Carbon Fuel 100, Fox suspension, XT/XTR drive train and transmission XTR wheels and Formula disc brakes. | | Bottom Line: | After 3 years of hard riding from Downieville to Moab, Mr. Toad's and beyond, through races at Sea Otter, Mammoth and Napa, these cranks have never let me down. They Shift great in all conditions, wear excellent (I have never replaced a ring, and only just replaced the BB last fall) and still look great after thousands of miles of serious abuse. I'm just under 200 lbs (okay, sometimes I'm just over)so finding lightweight gear that can take the weight is important, and these cranks do the job. Keep them clean and use the right lube (T-9 baby!) and you'll have no cause for complaint.
Spend the extra money on the XTR cranks if you really have to have 40 grams less weight and a finish that rubs off in the first 50 miles, or stick with XT if you want high performance with a price that won't give your accountant (or wife) a coronary. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
garret
a Cross Country Rider
from tres rivers, ma, usa
Date Reviewed: April 6, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | sterage rock | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | COMPETITIVE EDGE ELM. THEY ROCK!! | | Strengths: | super stiff, rigid, light -except for you super weight weinies- STRONG
| | Weaknesses: | none so far | | Similar Products Used: | FSA | | Bike Setup: | 06' stumpy expert stock; stans upgrade | | Bottom Line: | first off my weight is 242 lbs, so i'm a self proclaimed hoss, i will say i think people should add their weight to their reviews more often, when guys like me are reading these things, we need to know if they work for.. well guys like me, 240+ lbs puts a lot of stress on components.. anyway that being said.. these things are amazing so far, stiff, take whatever i bring at them.. the stumpy has a tendency to get low when in plush mode, even sometimes in pro-pedal.. so i bash my cranks at least 3 times a ride, and these things don't even hiccup.. don't buy xtr save yourself the $$ unless you're a super weight weinie, these are the cranks for you. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Pink Robe
a Cross Country Rider
from Cowtown
Date Reviewed: March 12, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Rocky Mtns. | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | Calgary Cycle | | Strengths: | Stiff, quiet, smooth | | Weaknesses: | None so far | | Similar Products Used: | Race Face, Bontrager, older Shimano XT/LX, Specialized, Sakae, Campagnolo | | Bike Setup: | Trek 8500 with XT pedals/crank/shift/brake/ders, Thomson stem/post, stock wheels | | Bottom Line: | Oh my yes! These came on my '04 8500 instead of the Bontrager cranks that were originally spec'd. Dodged a bullet there. How good are these cranks? After two years of riding through mud, sand, rocks, roots, snow, salt and rain, I have had to do nothing to these cranks. Zero, nada, zip. I haven't cleaned, lubed, removed, polished, buffed or anything. I am extremely unkind to my bikes. The cranks shift as well today as they did when I first got the bike. It's like they're not even there - they just work. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kelly Holland
a Cross Country Rider
from Raleigh,NC USA
Date Reviewed: March 10, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Pisgah,Tsali | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | spec'ed on bike | | Strengths: | They haven't strangled me in my sleep | | Weaknesses: | That's what the reveiw is for | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano octalink,Specialized S-works | | Bike Setup: | $2400.00 bike spec stuff | | Bottom Line: | These cranks made me a believer in karma...Oh Devine Spirit,I woefully regret the multitude of horirible things I've obviously done,hence the arrival of these,..these heinous abominations of technology in my life..Oh Devine Spirit,The clicking,the creaking,the squeaking, the screeching..incessantly..please make it stop,please..my LBS replaced the bearings.They've been unable to break this horrible spell.Whatever I've done, I'm sorry! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
DJ
a Cross Country Rider
from PHILLIPS RANCH, CA
Date Reviewed: February 3, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | LAGUNA BEACH - TOP OF THE WORLD | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | CAME WITH BIKE AT SUPERGO - SANTA MONICA | | Strengths: | STRONG/STIFF, SMOOTH RELIABLE SHIFTING. DURABLE RINGS. GOOD VALUE IF YOU DONT WANT TO SPEND EXTRA $$$ FOR THE HIGHEST END CRANKS. | | Weaknesses: | NO MECHANICAL ISSUES SO FAR. DOESN'T LOOK AS GOOD OR WEIGH AS LIGHT AS HIGHER END XTR, RACE FACE DEUS, FSA CARBON, TRUVATIV, BUT IT'S PERFORMANCE THAT COUNTS - MAYBE A SMIDGEN LESS THAN THE ABOVE CRANKS. | | Similar Products Used: | PERFORMANCE IS COMPRABLE TO HIGHER END CRANKS BY XTR, FSA, TRUVATIV, RACE FACE (AS i HAVE EXPERIENCED ALL). IF AT ALL THE ABOVE CRANKS ARE MAYBE 5 TO 10% BETTER - PERFORMANCE WISE. | | Bike Setup: | 2004 GT ID XC 1.0, FULL XT DRIVE TRAIN AND XT DISC BRAKES, RACE FACE CARBON HANDLE BAR, THOMSON SEAT POST, XTR WHEELSET, MAXXIS RANCHO TIRES, FSA 140 STEM WITH CARBON FACE PLATE, TIME ATAC CARBON PEDALS, FOX R100 FORK. WEIGHT: 25 POUNDS WITH ZERO % FAT. | | Bottom Line: | HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH THESE CRANKS AT ALL. IN COMPARISON TO MY 20 POUND CARBON HARDTAIL BIKE EQUIPPED WITH HIGH END FSA CARBON CRANKSET WITH THE HIGH END SRAM X.0 SHIFTERS AND SRAM FRONT DERAILLEUR , I HAVE TO SAY THAT THE XT CRANKSET PERFORMS JUST AS WELL BESIDES THE SLIGHTLY NOTICABLE WEIGHT DIFFERENCE.
THE LOW DOWN AND BOTTOM LINE: IF THESE CRANKS ARE: 1) PROPERLY INSTALLED 2) PROPERLY MAINTAINED 3)USED WITH THE "PROPER OR BEST SHIFTING AND GEAR COMBINATIONS THAT MAINTAIN A GOOD,CLEAN CHAINLINE" (WHICH VARIES BASED ON THE RIDING CONDITIONS, TERRAIN, RIDING STYLE, AND PEDALING EFFORT 4) USED WITH OTHER GOOD QUALITY COMPONENTS - THE CHAIN (WHICH YOU SHOULD REGULARLY CLEAN, GREASE, AND REPLACE AFTER SO MANY RIDES) AND PROPERLY TUNED FRONT DERAILLUER AND SHIFTERS - THESE CRANKS SHOULD PERFORM WELL WITHOUT MAJOR PROBLEMS. OTHERWISE, THE PROBLEM MAYBE WITH A MANUFACTURE DEFECT OR THESE CRANKS ARE NOT BEST SUITED FOR YOUR RIDING STYLE OR CONDITIONS.
I HOPE THIS REVIEW WILL HELP BETTER INFORM CURRENT USERS AND POTENTIAL USERS OF THESE CRANKS. GOOD LUCK AND RIDE ON! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jesse VOZA
a Racer
from St-Martin, Caribbean
Date Reviewed: January 3, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | St-Kitts Island | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | TRISPORT St-Maarten | | Strengths: | + Bottom Bracket
+ Easy to install and service
+ Look
+ Light | | Weaknesses: | - Rain and muddy chain | | Similar Products Used: | old XT, race face, XTR | | Bike Setup: | F2000SL, Cake DLX, Klein | | Bottom Line: | This crank is one step above the old kind of setup. The idea of the outside bearing is the best that could happen to MTB. No more creaks or squeaks, no more shot bearings, less maintenance. Get any of these kind of cranksets.
Now for the XT, when the weather is bad, the middle and small chainring will take you into chainsuckland after each revolution. Is it the chain ? Is it the crank ? It happens everytime I ride in the rain and on all 3 bikes. The chainstay of the 3 bikes has no more paint around the BB.
Be carefull. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ryan Fishel
a Cross Country Rider
from Tallahassee, Fl
Date Reviewed: December 19, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Tom Brown/Red Bug | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | Higher Ground | | Strengths: | Stiff, light. Feels like you're running but without ever hitting the ground. The new design makes it feel more like you're directly connected to the bike. Quite nice. | | Weaknesses: | Price. A bit expensive. You prolly won't feel the difference if you're using the previous XT's. Big difference if you're using an LX and below tho. Not sure about maintainence yet. | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized Strongarm II | | Bike Setup: | Specialized Stumpjumper M4. Crankset upgraded. | | Bottom Line: | A great buy if you're going from an LX and below. If you have the XT's directly previous to the '05 model, you might not want to bother to change. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael
a Cross Country Rider
from North Augusta, SC
Date Reviewed: December 18, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Horn Creek/Lick Fork | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$150.00 | | Strengths: | Stiff cranks, crazy-simple installation. | | Weaknesses: | Middle chainring pretty soft. | | Similar Products Used: | Various RaceFace ISIS setups. | | Bike Setup: | Specialized SJ FSR Expert | | Bottom Line: | These cranks do exactly what you expect them to do. The newer HollowTech II stuff (with outboard bearings) is brilliant and works. Makes it so easy to pull the cranks off for cleaning. The outboard bearings have needed zero maintenance and still spin like new. These things do not flex (at least none that this 6'4" 240 lb. guy can detect).
I did find the middle chainring wore a bit quickly at 3-4 months. I was watching carefully for the wear and promptly replaced them with a titanium ring from Cycle-Dynamics. With that issue behind me, these cranks rock. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris Field
a Cross Country Rider
from Sydney, Australia
Date Reviewed: December 17, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Manly Dam | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$179.00 | | Purchased At: | online | | Strengths: | Light and stiff | | Weaknesses: | Chainrings. Chain dropped off middle chainring from day one, even with entirely new drivetrain, new rear XTR derailleur, new XT front derailleur. My lbs was kind enough to try to replace each part of the drivetrain one by one to find the problem. Even after putting on another brand new XT chainring, the chain still dropped under pressure. Then they put on an Evolve XC chainring and the problem was solved! Does this mean there is a faulty batch of XT chainrings? | | Similar Products Used: | Evolve XC, Hollowtech II LX, Sugino, Truvativ Holzfeller, White Industries USA | | Bike Setup: | RM ETSX-50, Fox Talas R, Shimano XT/XTR drivetrain, Hope Mini Brakes, Mavic 819 tubeless wheels | | Bottom Line: | Crank itself is great, but the middle chainring skipped from day one, replaced with a Race Face. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rodney Scholes
a Weekend Warrior
from NSW, Australia
Date Reviewed: December 12, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | local State Forest | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$200.00 | | Purchased At: | Bikeshop where I work | | Strengths: | THIS REVIEW IS FOR XT HOLLOWTECH 11 CRANKSET WITH INTEGRATED OUTBOARD BEARINGS (IT'S ABOUT TIME THIS SITE UPDATED!)
Crankset is stiff - light - has better shifting than any other brand.
| | Weaknesses: | None. I've read some negative press about bearing seals, but have yet to see any evidence of this on my bike or any other I service with these cranks up to 2 years old. | | Similar Products Used: | Truvativ & Race Face | | Bike Setup: | KONA DAWG - Fox Float R shock & Talas RLC fork (there is no better suspension than Fox) - complete XT drivetrain (high normal deraillieur - yes it's still available) - XT rapidfire shifters (no dual control thanks) - Easton EA70 MonkeyBars 2.5" rise x 31.8 clamp area + Vice 65mm stem + EA50 seatpost - XT hubs/Mavic 321D rims/Sapim Race double butted spokes - Kenda Nevegal StickE foldable 2.35 tyres - Hayes HFX9 brakes - Easton Flatboy pedals. Take all this as my favourite brands/parts - 5 Flamin' Chilis to all. | | Bottom Line: | I'm a bike meachanic and the more I work on bikes with the other brands of new breed cranksets with outboard bearings, the more I like Shimano. I've experienced some installation problems & warranty issues with others and never with Shimano XT.
Installation of XT is a cinch: thread the bearing units in both sides & tighten, slide the drive side crank/spindle right through the bearings & out the other side, slip the left crank onto the spindle spline & finger tighten up to the bearing with small tool provided, then tighten the 2 pinch bolts on left crank. Simple as.. and no chance of over tightening cranks up against bearings.
Bottom line: XT Hollowtech 11 cranks are stiff, light, have best gear shifting and easy installation.
5 Flamin' Chilis. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Keith Dunne
a Cross Country Rider
from St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
Date Reviewed: November 21, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | Weight, look, strength | | Weaknesses: | none so far | | Similar Products Used: | shimano stx rc | | Bike Setup: | Kona Kula Primo '06 | | Bottom Line: | No creaking whatso ever (fingers crossed), stiff, smooth as butter (with the integrated bottom bracket). Great crankset. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark
a Weekend Warrior
from Essex
Date Reviewed: September 20, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | Came w/ used bike | | Strengths: | Stiff, light, look kinda cool | | Weaknesses: | Creeeeeeeaaaaaaakkkkk, creeeeeeeaaaaak, creak, creak, Absolutley maddening. | | Similar Products Used: | Earlier model XT cranks | | Bike Setup: | 2004 Heckler, DUC, DHX | | Bottom Line: | The creaking is driving me nuts. Swore it was the bottom bracket or sprocket bolts. Had the shop regrease the b.b. threads and face the shell, tightened everything in the drivetrain to spec. Ironically, my shop tech said there was plumbers tape on the b.b. threads when he removed it. Whoever owned this bike before me must have had the same creaking issue and tried to silence it with the tape (as is suggested in an earlier review). Not sure what to do. Hopefully Shimano has fixed either the b.b. or the crank and I can just replace one and not both components (aarrrgh!). Then again, maybe I'll try some fresh plumbers tape. It must have been working for a while because I've been riding the bike for 6 months and the problem just showed up a few weeks ago. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jay
a Cross Country Rider
from Port Hueneme
Date Reviewed: September 14, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Sycamore Canyon | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$320.00 | | Purchased At: | Trek Bicycles Ventura, Ca | | Strengths: | Very light and very strong. I am very impressed with the way they respond when accelaerating quickly. The hollowtech II design rocks!!! These have really balanced out my bike a lot. Uphill pedaling efficiency has increased tremendously. | | Weaknesses: | The price. Even though some would say that 300 is a value for these. | | Similar Products Used: | Bottom line shimano crap | | Bike Setup: | Built up Trek 6000. Mavic Crossmax wheelset. XT/XTR drivetrain. Marzocchi Marathon S forx. | | Bottom Line: | My friends thought i was crazy when i bought these. (They don't understand mtb'n) I have nothing bad to say about the performance. I have quite a bit of miles on these already and I have'nt experienced any creaking after the LBS installed em. They are so frickin light and strong it's unbelieveable. The feeling you get when you climb or accelerate is awesome. They are so buttery smooth it makes pedaling 100 time easier. If you have the means, purchasing these is a must. Ride On!!!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alex
a Cross Country Rider
from Niagara Falls, NY, USA
Date Reviewed: August 27, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Hunter's Creek-all of it! | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$125.00 | | Purchased At: | CBO closeout | | Strengths: | Light, stiff, & chicks dig XT guys ;-) | | Weaknesses: | No real ones- only install-related when done by clueless techs! | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized Strongarm II square-tapers | | Bike Setup: | Spec.FSRxc '03, '04 Marz.Marathon S, hayes HFX-9's, Mavic223's, XT everything else, Trailbears | | Bottom Line: | Creaked like crazy after LBS installed using grease on both sides of BB. Got ticked off, bought crank pullers and BB tools from Park dealer and THOROUGHLY cleaned and reinstalled using moderate amount of Loctite Blue (not Red!) be very careful to hand-start bearing cups- you crossthread the BB shell you're screwed! That was the hardest part, staying patient until getting the threads started. NO CREAKS in MONTHS! I'm 200 lbs and crank on hard tech. hills,the damn FSR frame flexes but not the cranks nor the Marathon S. Shame on all the LBS's that use all grease!!! Loctite Blue is NOT permanent but does hold tight- grease allows everything to back out! The UN-70 BB bearings are still perfect and smooth, were only like 25.00!! Want anything done right? do it yourself and learn something in the process! Cranks are lots lighter than older square-taper ones, 'Hollowtech' is stiff & light as claimed. Pays to wait for closeouts sometimes too! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Robert Mladek
a Cross Country Rider
from Prague
Date Reviewed: August 22, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$150.00 | | Strengths: | Stiff, easy to install and service, relatively light | | Weaknesses: | The creak. | | Similar Products Used: | None so far. | | Bike Setup: | Turner 5 spot, XT front shifter, SRAM back end used for aggressive trail riding (nasty rocks, roots, steep descents but no big air). | | Bottom Line: | This is a setup tip in addition to a review. A previous reviewer said “they are good (and cheap) except for the horrible creaking noise they have developed” and I hate creaking (especially in the deep woods where it all nice and quite except for that awful noise). I also tried lubing like crazy and still it came back. Finally I installed them without the plastic joining piece and poured motor oil into my down tube (it settles inside the bottom bracket chess and lubes the cranks from the inside out).
Creaking stopped.
The only problem is that the oil leaked out and dripped down the cranks and got into the spider (blick). I tried just grease and that was too thick and so the creaking came back. After some experimentation I found that a 1:1 mixture of grease and motor oil is just about right. Fixes the problem and doesn’t run down the crank arms (it does ooze a little but a little ragging every other ride or so is sufficient to keep things relatively clean and crud free).
Without the fix, I'd give it one chili (I'd have replaced them a long time ago). With it, I'll give them a 4 (they'd have gotten a 5 of they didn't need any fixing). | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
statts
a Weekend Warrior
from UK
Date Reviewed: August 17, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$190.00 | | Purchased At: | CRC | | Strengths: | Easy to fit, easy to service, looks good. | | Weaknesses: | None so far | | Bike Setup: | Cannondall F500, XT splined discs front & back with dual control. | | Bottom Line: | The crankset it very easy to fit even for a novice. I had creaking on my crankset, stripped it down 2 or 3 times and greased everything but the creaking continued. It only happened when I pedaled. Turns out it was grit in the seatpost. I've done 2500 miles on it and the chain rings are fine, I clean my chain regularly which helps. The bottom line is the XT crankset is a good setup. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ted Welsh
a Cross Country Rider
from Westland, MI
Date Reviewed: July 22, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | None | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$173.00 | | Purchased At: | LocaL Bike Shop | | Strengths: | Smooth shifting. I've slowly upgraded all parts over the years but none made as much impact as this did for solid shifting reliability. | | Weaknesses: | Soft Chain Rings. I've had to replace middle ring after one year. | | Similar Products Used: | Stock Specialized. | | Bike Setup: | Specialized Rocker Hopper. XC. | | Bottom Line: | While Shimano excels in shifting ability, there is no excuse for having such a soft ring that it needs replacing every year. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jason
a
from modesto, CA
Date Reviewed: July 19, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Bottom Line: | these are the "older" cranks shown in the picture above and this is a follow-up review. i've ridden these cranks (different sets) for at least 3 years in various conditions. they are good (and cheap) except for the horrible creaking noise they have developed. i take good care of my stuff, cleaning and lubing way more than i need to (neighbors make fun of me for how often i detail and lube my bike). they are just flat out noisy. i haven't noticed any negative performance, just too noisy and it starts to drive you nuts. the noise is constant and increases when i torque on them during climbs. i'll probably give the new hollowtech IIs a shot. if noise drives you nuts don't buy these. if you're on a budget, you can't beat these. it all comes down to personal preference. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
JOHN
a
from MADISON
Date Reviewed: July 18, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Bottom Line: | THE REVIEW FOR THE XT CRANKS IS HORRIBLY OUT OF DATE. MTBR NEEDS TO POST A NEW SECTION FOR THE XT HOLLOWTECH II CRANKS THAT CAME TO THE MARKET IN 2004. THE NEW XT CRANKS ARE FAR BETTER. I WILL POST A REVIEW ONCE I USED THE PRODUCT LONGER AND MAYBE WHEN MTBR HAS A SECTION FOR IT. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Magnus
a Weekend Warrior
from Lund, Skåne
Date Reviewed: July 13, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Sandsjöbacka | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$160.00 | | Purchased At: | Actionsports.de | | Strengths: | Stiff, easy to assemble and light. | | Weaknesses: | Soft chainrings | | Similar Products Used: | White Ind crankset with RF BB. | | Bike Setup: | 5-spot with Minute 1:00, XT drive train, hubs and handbuilt wheels with XM321 rims. | | Bottom Line: | Incredibly stiff cranks, being a Clyde I'm used to haveing things bend under me, but this is a very good crankset!
The only downside is that the chainrings are just too soft. I had to replace my middle ring after less than 500km.
They are quite expensive at retail price, but I managed to snag them cheap from a German online store. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ivan
a
from C-springs
Date Reviewed: June 11, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | Colorado Cyclist | | Strengths: | Durability of arms; though I've replaced the rings a few times. | | Weaknesses: | None, for me. | | Similar Products Used: | Sakae, LX, RF. | | Bike Setup: | Black bomber | | Bottom Line: | This review is for the first year of hollow tech / es 71 system (Believe it was 2002). 3 years later of xc riding and the cranks are still going strong. Bottom third of teh cranks are scratched to hell. no dents.
No creaking. The left arm came off a few times due to some nimrod not using locktite. Since then, no issues. no creaking in the BB or the crank.
I got these on sale, but probably couldn't afford them now. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Seong Park
a Weekend Warrior
from Seattle
Date Reviewed: June 10, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Any Trail | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | Light...that's only thing I can think of | | Weaknesses: | Ticking Noise when pressure is put on the crankarm. | | Bike Setup: | Heckler, Avid mech brakes, sherman firfly, swing 4 way coil rear, Sram x-9 front and rear, xt crankset. | | Bottom Line: | It is a time bomb. I have done some research and it seems like when used to certain level, it will start making clicking noise. I have took out ES71 BB 3 times and reintalled it with grease bath and it still made ticking noise. next was chain rings been retightened with a possible pressure. Still ticks...and when I was reinstalling the pedal I found it was coming from the BB. The thing is a time bomb to wearout in a certain time. I will buy another ES71 to replace this one and when it starts ticking or the crank wears out I'm done with xt crankset. will try out truvativ cranksets...I heard good thing about them. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
skyboy
a Weekend Warrior
from bury,england
Date Reviewed: May 23, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | stiff,light,strong | | Weaknesses: | seem to have had same problem with the bearings as other people,4 months winter riding took its toll but rather than pay £36 for a new set simply took them apart cleaned the bearings with gt85 and packed as much copper grease in as i could.Did this a month ago and is still as smooth as ever no creaking! | | Bike Setup: | orange 5 hope pro | | Bottom Line: | disreguard what shimano says and service the bearings,just becareful when removing seals.all in all the bearing should be better sealed old xt lasted 3 times as long. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tomas
a Cross Country Rider
from Gothenburg, Sweden
Date Reviewed: May 15, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Sandsjöbacka, Vättlefjäll | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Strengths: | Smooth bearings, reasonably stiff, weight, price, no creaking | | Weaknesses: | Chainrings seem to be made out of rather soft material, wear is noticable | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano LX, Truvativ Stylo Team, Bontrager Race | | Bike Setup: | Trek Fuel 98 -02 | | Bottom Line: | This is a review for the 2004 FC760 integrated BB/crank.
After about one year of cross-country use in various weather conditions including mud and rain it has held up very well. I haven't experienced any creaking or strange noices.
The only negative thing that could be said is that the middle chainring has visible wear and will probably need to be replaced within 6 months or so.
Conclusion after tried the sad ISIS story is that this unit is good value for money. At least in Europe it seems better priced than in the USA, basically the same price as for a "high end" ISIS bottom bracket. The choice is easy: go with the Shimano XT!
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Khalil
a Weekend Warrior
from montreal,quebec,canada
Date Reviewed: April 24, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | nowhere | | Strengths: | VERY light, strong, nice looking too! | | Weaknesses: | none yet | | Similar Products Used: | raceface prodigy DH, LX(junk) | | Bike Setup: | argh too long | | Bottom Line: | very good cranks, GO FOR IT. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
tom
a Cross Country Rider
from Tucson, AZ
Date Reviewed: April 6, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Fantasy Island | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$90.00 | | Purchased At: | E-bay | | Strengths: | Light weight
Stiff
Smooth shifting | | Weaknesses: | Expensive
OOOOHHHHH THE CRREEEEAAAKINGGGG!!! | | Similar Products Used: | Bontrager | | Bike Setup: | Iguana, XTR/XT/Thomsom Elite, Sun Ringles, blah, blah, blah | | Bottom Line: | I love the design & Hollowtech cranks but WHAT THE F*@K is up with the DAMNED creaking!! I had the bike shop install it with a new BB for me, & of course they used plumbers tape & torque wrench. But after a couple of months (about 400 miles) they started creaking. First it was intermittent, then almost constant. Reinstallation did nothing, now I'm gonna try a new BB. I'd still recommend because of weight & perfomance qualities but would NOT pay anymore then $90 for new set. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Victoria
Date Reviewed: March 24, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | LLBS | | Strengths: | This is for the XT760 Hollowtech II crankset with integrated BB. The reviews for XT cranks here seem to be a mix of old and new. I sure wish MTBreview would provide adequate listings or a way to add a product for review.
These cranks are stiff and run very smoothly. The design is very effective and reliable. Light weight for the quality and strength. | | Weaknesses: | None apparent at present | | Similar Products Used: | Truvativ, Bontrager etc... | | Bike Setup: | Kona Kula deluxe with full XT, Ritchey bits and pieces and Fox F100 RLT fork. | | Bottom Line: | These are a very nice, very smooth running crank. They get the power to the drivetrain very effectively and are far more rigid than the Truvativ units I had on my previous Brodie.
I would recommend these as strong and reliable. I ride aggressive cross country and in long distance adventure races. Very nice... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ryan
a Cross Country Rider
from Raleigh, NC
Date Reviewed: January 22, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | beaverdam advanced, BEOTCH! | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | speedgoat | | Strengths: | Light, durable, cheap to replace. easy to service on the treail. | | Weaknesses: | creaks develop quickly | | Similar Products Used: | '02 xtr | | Bike Setup: | 04 fuel 100 oclv. | | Bottom Line: | My bike was originally a fuel 90 with the Bontrager cranks that were crap. Installed the xtr's and they were fine but I wanted 175's instead of the 170's. So after breaking the 90 frame and stays I upgraded (throught the FANTASTIC Trek frame warranty) to the oclv 100. These cranks were great but I had a pedaling creak. The shop traced it to a less than spec lower pivot bearing torque. But later I would get creaks that were not affected by retorquing the frame pivots. I then disassembled the cranks and cleaned them thoroughly. I applied automotive bearing grease lightly to all metal to metal surfaces when rebuilding them, and torqued the chainring bolts as tightly as I dared. I also greased the Octalink splines on the bb as well as the mating splines on the cranks. Torque the crank to bb bolts to 350 inch pounds and you're done. They'll go quite a while without a peep. What sucks is that when you are fat like me you put a lot of torque on the second ring. The replacement rings cost me almost 50 bucks at an lbs- but you can buy the crankset for 100 bucks all day long. Go figure.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mark b.
a Weekend Warrior
from midwest
Date Reviewed: January 11, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | secondhand | | Strengths: | STIFF STIFF STIFF!!! | | Weaknesses: | rings (but still not too bad) | | Similar Products Used: | Deore, Truvativ | | Bike Setup: | no-name hardtail, Black fork, RF stem, carbon bar, Hayes MX | | Bottom Line: | After a year of steady riding in all weather (95 deg. in summer to 10 deg. in winter, rain or shine), this crank still rocks! What creaking, guys? It worries me to think that because guys have some skills on the bike and some product knowledge, that they also think parts installation is a no-brain operation. I build bikes for a living (present count: over 10,000 built), and my hard-won experience tells me that a LOT of people need to put their tools down! The only noise I get from my cranks is the occasional "snap" from the worn rings I have yet to replace, and a squeak from my rubber shoe cover rubbing the crankarm in the rain. Sorry, guys -- install your sh## right, or have someone who knows how do it for you. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Llloyd
a Weekend Warrior
from Cebu, The Philippines
Date Reviewed: January 2, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Bottom Line: | Just a tip... if you hear noises/squeaks during pedalling try to remove the pedals and put grease on it... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ryan Warner
a Racer
from niagriafalls ontario Canada
Date Reviewed: December 10, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | short hills | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$350.00 | | Purchased At: | thortans | | Strengths: | Light weight looks amazing and rides like a dream | | Weaknesses: | none at all its all good like you would belive | | Similar Products Used: | lx hollow and race face evove xc | | Bike Setup: | racing cross country | | Bottom Line: | its so good and light weight like you would beleve how easy it is to climb even the hardest hills its the best thing for your money go for it | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris Greene
a Weekend Warrior
from Linwood, NC USA
Date Reviewed: November 30, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Supertree | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$70.00 | | Purchased At: | Ebay | | Strengths: | Lightweight, responsive, utilitarian appearance | | Weaknesses: | Squeaks evident at first, but attributable to another component of the bike. The verdict may still be out until I put more miles on it. This is the "older" Octalink, which has been redesigned, which conjure self evident potential design defects. | | Similar Products Used: | Basic Bontrager stock crank | | Bike Setup: | Gary Fisher 2000 Sugar 3 w/a few upgrades | | Bottom Line: | Just wanted to add a comment to others who have voiced annoyances at the creaking/squeaking noises with pedal action. It was driving me crazy too; thought about discarding this newly installed unit after putting about 250 miles on it. My Gary Fisher is a dual suspension, with four bushings/contact points with the frame. It didn't occur to me that the allen head bolts could affect this phenonmenon,and after a bike mechanic (and I) had exhausted BB/crank adjustments, he then tightened the allen head bolts on the bushings, and has seemed to work! The torque settings, incidentally, for these bolts is 50-70 inch pounds, according to specs from Gary Fisher. I haven't had the chance to apply a rigorous field test, but am reporting here that adjustments beyond the obvious msy be necessary. The "good" rating is conservative; may easily become an "outstanding" as I have an opportunity to put it to the test. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dimitri
a Cross Country Rider
from Athens, Greece
Date Reviewed: October 19, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | All Greece | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Frederik | | Strengths: | Light weight, durable, best name and very beautiful | | Weaknesses: | Nothing yet! | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano Alivio | | Bike Setup: | Ideal Traxer '04, Marzocchi MX Comp ETA 2005, Full New XT disc, full Ritchey Pro | | Bottom Line: | The best product i' ve ever surelly tried. The chain goes so smooth from one disc to another, and is only one click away from XTR. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jason
a
from Modesto, CA
Date Reviewed: September 15, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | price point | | Similar Products Used: | older splined XT and LX (circa 2000)...race face prodigy DH | | Bike Setup: | SC bullit set up as a trail rider | | Bottom Line: | firt thing i need to say...i'm 235 lbs. geared up so i put a lot of "special" abuse on my stuff. i like to ride like a hammerhead...put it in the big chain ring and put a lot of torque on the cranks/BB. that is probably not really fair to any cranks/BB. these cranks are light, affordable, and fairly stiff...i don't really feel them flex. the only thing that has bothered me is occassional creaking, popping, and pinging noise...to be fair to these cranks/BB this only happens when i'm putting a lot of torque on them during climbs. the noise seems to be coming from the chain rings. overall (and under the curcumstances) i think they are doing a good job. they are relatively cheap (BB also) so you can buy with confidence that if something does break you can replace it without breaking the bank. i can live with some noise (not too bad) and get the feeling they will hold up over the long haul. i would think they would be great for lighter riders that don't torque on them too bad. honestly, i'd like a crank/BB that was 100% silent, but that may not be possible with my weight and riding style...everything considered i think i made a good choice. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
adam
a Weekend Warrior
from killeen, tx
Date Reviewed: August 30, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | all | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | sun country | | Strengths: | stiff and smooth | | Weaknesses: | same noise every one else is writing about | | Similar Products Used: | lx, truvativ 5d, and other cheap crap | | Bike Setup: | 04 stump jumper fsr with avid mechs, xt/sun single track wheels, xt shifters and cassette | | Bottom Line: | this review is not really for the xt hollow tech it's the hollow tech crank that came on my bike the specialized web site lists it as xt but it is an oem that came out before they made a seperate xt and lx model i was reading these reviews becuase i was thinking about upgrading to an xt but couldn't help but notice my crank is doing the same exact thing the damn creaking i hope one of these suggestions works if so i will upgrade to the xt it is a really stiff crank that turns smooth | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jacques
a Cross Country Rider
from London, UK
Date Reviewed: August 22, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$150.00 | | Purchased At: | Chainreaction | | Strengths: | Great stiffness - you can feel it the monent you get onto the bike. Very easy to fit. | | Weaknesses: | Creaking from the word go drove me nuts. This middle chainring is useless - already looking the worse for wear and not a month old. | | Similar Products Used: | 2002/3 splined XT cranks | | Bike Setup: | Trek 8000 | | Bottom Line: | After being delighted by the ease of fitting my shiny new cranks, I was extremely disappointed by the annoying creak on the least amount of torque being applied. After taking the BB out twice, cleaning the thread properly and re-greasing it with no success I started going nuts. I did an internet search and discovered this site where someone suggested using a bit of plumbers tape on the crank side thread of the BB. It worked like a charm! No more creaking. I also cut back a bit on tightening the BB cups - just firm, not too much torque - there is obviously a problem between the BB and the frame when you overdo it. A big thank you to the guy who came up with the plumbers tape solution. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
O.Z Chi
a
from San Mateo, CA
Date Reviewed: August 10, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | Reed's Cyclery, San Jose | | Strengths: | Stiffness, lightweight, EASE OF MAINTENANCE! | | Weaknesses: | Wide Q-factor, not a real problem for mountain-only types, but if you ride these 24/7/everywhere like I do, you'll notice the distance between your feet has increased from your last set of cranks. | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized Strongarm II + Shimano LP BB combo. | | Bike Setup: | Trek 7000 mtb full XT 8-speed. More than 500 miles on bike, about 4500 miles total mileage since I have owned it. | | Bottom Line: | I have to admit, I haven't really tried that many other cranksets. I switched to these because the old LP BB was having bearing problems (the bearings were brinneled and were hard to turn).
Tom @ Reed's cyclery in San Jose convinced me of how lightweight the new cranks were, and that Shimano had worked many bugs out of the Hollowtech II design after its first year release of their XTR line. I had heard many bad things about the Octalink and ISIS interfaces and initially wanted to stay with the old square-taper design.
I'm glad I decided otherwise. After reading many reviews about the XTR crankset and its bearing problems, I figured it was because people failed to face the BB shell prior to installation, thus running the bearings at an angle and ruining them. So I had Tom face the shell and retap the threads.
After the bike was put back together, I instantly noticed the increased stiffness from this new system. I also noticed that the bike was 1-2 lbs lighter than before (my scale isn't very precise, but it went from 26 to 24 after the swap). A bad chainline problem was also corrected after installation.
After 500 miles of usage the cranks still work like new. I have only cleaned the BB once (took it off the frame and wiped the cups clean), and the cranks twice. I love to work on my own equipment, so ease of maintenance is very important to me: these cranks can be taken apart using very simple procedures. If the contact surfaces are kept greased during installation, it will ensure ease of disassembly later.
Pricey, but I don't regret every penny I spent on this crankset. I heartily recommend them. Just make sure initial installation is done correctly. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dino
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver, CO, USA
Date Reviewed: August 8, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$79.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance Bike Shop | | Strengths: | Cost, Looks | | Weaknesses: | Noise, Design, Need to use Shimano sealed Bottom bracket, Precision | | Similar Products Used: | Race Face, An LX Crankset for three years -which sucked. | | Bottom Line: | I am so mad at myself not not reading MTB Reviews before purshasing my Deore XT Crankset (and ES 71 bottom bracket). I typically run throught a Bottom bracket every 5 months or so -they develop play and the bearings are completely sticky. Granted their cost is low but in my opinion Shimano should be ashamed for putting such a POS product on the market. The Crankset is stiff and light with decent chanring but it has one achilles heal. As others here have said, the interface between the crankset and the bottombracket just sucks. The two components hold together but the interface is very sloppy. It creaks, clicks, clanks and the like. It also can come loose. I do have to commend Shimano for redesigning the Crankset and bottom bracket for 2004. Albit for a much greater cost !!! I'm just bummed out because I was dumb enough to buy a 2003 XT Crankset and Bottom Bracket because they were cheap. Should have gone with RaceFace !!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tom
a Cross Country Rider
from Crete, IL USA
Date Reviewed: August 2, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | all | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$200.00 | | Purchased At: | Speedgoat | | Strengths: | Looks nice; light. | | Weaknesses: | Works for a few months, thens starts making annoying "clicking", and even more annoying "creaking" noises. | | Similar Products Used: | LX crank | | Bike Setup: | SC Blur with the good stuff | | Bottom Line: | I'm writing this mostly in response to the previous reviews about the noises. I had a "clicking" noise that developed in the cranks not too long after I got the bike (about 500 miles on it). The noise was annoying me too. After riding for about 1000 more miles with the noise- trying to isolate it periodically and having no success, I decided I would try replacing the bottom bracket. Guess what? Bottom bracket replaced- clicking noise gone!! I'm wondering if the "clicking" may be a bearing in the bottom bracket gone bad. At any rate, depending on how much the "clicking" is bothering you; you may want to try replacing the bottom bracket. It worked for me.
As for the "creaking" noise. Man, was that annoying (and I thought the "clicking" was bad)! This was solved with an application of grease to the teeth of the crank (where the crank is attached to the bottom bracket). The Shimano bottom bracket is plastic where it attaches to the crank, so if you have no lubricating properties there, and you are applying pressure to the pedals, there is going to be a lot of stress put on that plastic, and if that plastic is dry, you got a big time "creaking" going on. You want a good amount of grease at the point of connection between the crank and the bottom bracket. You have to remember that when you ride in dirt, that dirt gets in the grease, and over a period of time, renders it useless; the only option is to clean the crank teeth and bottom bracket end, and re-apply grease. This method worked for me too. Thanks to Chris at Speedgoat for the tech support! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tony
a Weekend Warrior
from Earth
Date Reviewed: July 11, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$99.00 | | Strengths: | Stiff | | Weaknesses: | Clicking noise | | Similar Products Used: | RaceFace | | Bike Setup: | Yeti ARC, the best hardtail ever made! | | Bottom Line: | I'm having the same friggin' problem as most everybody here: the clicking sound. Now does this actually affect the performance of the crank? No. But man is it annoying hearing that every revolution. I've greased the spindles, tigtened the bottom bracket, etc. and nothing works. This is the reason why this crank gets a lower review than it deserves. Most everyone here are hardcore cyclists and I'm sure they know a thing or two on how to maintain their equipment. But alas, the clicking noise goes on and on and on... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ben
a Cross Country Rider
from Palo Alto
Date Reviewed: July 5, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$80.00 | | Strengths: | Stiffer and lighter than Deore crankset. Cheap when they're on sale. | | Weaknesses: | I've only been riding them for a week. None so far. | | Similar Products Used: | Deore and LX cranksets | | Bike Setup: | Gemini | | Bottom Line: | Replaced a deore crankset with the older style XT, octalink but with a seperate bb. These XT cranks are so much stiffer, and a little bit lighter. It makes a world of difference when I'm trying to pound through loose and rocky uphils, or when I'm just spinning up a fire road. My legs love them. But, I've only had them a little while. I'll have to see how they hold up over time. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
PDK
a Racer
from Ohio
Date Reviewed: June 23, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Vultures Knob | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$200.00 | | Purchased At: | friend's OEM crank from new bike | | Strengths: | Light weight, stiff. Easy to install and to work on. | | Weaknesses: | Price. Crankarm finish wears off very easily. Cups wear out quickly causing side-to-side play in the crankarms. Left cup developed a squeak that wouldn't go away. Cheap chain rings. | | Similar Products Used: | Bontrager Race. Old Sugino P.O.S. | | Bike Setup: | 2003 Gary Fisher Mt. Tam 29er. | | Bottom Line: | Buy this if you want to save weight or want a stiff crankset or don't feel like paying $400 for XTR. However, it's not cheap. Middle chain ring wore out on me in less than six months riding. The integrated bottom bracket cups wear out quickly and are expensive (around $30 per cup). And like the pricier XTR crank, the finish will wear off if you look at it funny. I hope quality improves in the future because this is a great design, it's just poorly implemented. Am interested to see how RaceFace's similarly designed Deus cranks perform. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Simon Lee
a Cross Country Rider
from Seoul Korea
Date Reviewed: May 25, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | everywhere | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$180.00 | | Purchased At: | Han's MTB | | Strengths: | Super smooth shifting and super stiff. Looks sweet and pretty light, too. | | Weaknesses: | None yet | | Similar Products Used: | 2002 Shimano XT | | Bike Setup: | it rides | | Bottom Line: | This is a review for 2004 XT II crank. This is an awsome crank. I could totally feel the difference from my old shimano XT crank. It's much smoother than the previous model. I don't what other guys are lamenting about their cranks squeeking. XTs are great cranks. I think they should have had their competent LBS install their crankset properly. I've had mine for quite a while and it served me right. Of course, I gave it a regular maintenance. As for 2004 cranks, right off the bat, it works great. I must say that it's money worth well spent. But whatever you do don't break the tooth off the second ring cuz that'll ruin it once and for all even if you swap the sencond ring. This is due to uneven wear and tear and the new ring will cause the chain to suck time to time. I don't exactly know why it does but it does. Apart from that this crank rules. Well almost.. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff
a Cross Country Rider
from London Ontario Canada
Date Reviewed: May 19, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$150.00 | | Purchased At: | To Wheels | | Strengths: | Cheap, light, stiff. | | Weaknesses: | none so far | | Similar Products Used: | LX, old XT, Bontrager Comp, RF Turbine | | Bike Setup: | Giant NRS 1, all XT, Monkeylite Riser, Mavic 233s, Hayes 9 discs, 04 Scareb comp SPV fork. | | Bottom Line: | This review is for the 2004 Hollowtech II XT crankset.
This is a great product. It was a breeze to install and everything is just as I installed it 3 months later. I did have to regrease a pedal but nothing else has moved.
New XTs are super stiff. I'm 190 lbs and could watch my chainring sway into my derailer with my RFs on my hardtail.
For the money there is no reason to go XTR and the externaly BB system is so good that RaceFace came out with their own version for this year AFTER Shimano
For setup, servicablility, price and performance - 5 chilis! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Simon
a Racer
from Sussex (UK)
Date Reviewed: May 19, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$200.00 | | Purchased At: | cycleworks | | Strengths: | Stiff, light, smooth shifting and responsive feel | | Weaknesses: | none at present | | Bike Setup: | specialized stumpjumper FSR Pro, hope mini's,hope hubs, mavic 517 & 519 rims, monkeylite riser bars, SRAM casset, XTR rear mech and derailer, fox float vanila rear shock and SID front forks. | | Bottom Line: | I have just fitted this product to my bike and my inital view is that thi is a excellent product. There was no apparent issues with inital set up, and the shifting was super smooth from the outset. I have not experienced the noise issue that alot of people have mentioned, so far everthing seems fine. I will up date this once some more miles have been put on this component but for now very happy. For the price this is a very good piece of kit. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
t r
a Racer
from Aliso Viejo, CA
Date Reviewed: May 14, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | Stiff, relatively cheap. | | Weaknesses: | CREAKING! AGAIN! | | Similar Products Used: | Race Face, XTR, Specialized, Trek Icon | | Bike Setup: | Hard Tail, | | Bottom Line: | CREAKING. I know everyone whines about this but I had creaking on my yr. 2000 XT also. The way to get rid of it is to take off the right arm (rings attached), turn it over and fill the little ring around the spline (tiny teeth connection) with WD40 for 24 hours. This will cure it for about 2 to 3 weeks. Then you'll have to do it again. I was told the new ones (the ones i have now) wouldn't creak. Same thing. You would think they would pull their heads out of their asses on this one. Nobody likes a creaky crank. Anyway, the creaking comes from tiny gaps that form between the teeth and the connection. Problem is, this gap grows over time and eventually (after a year or so) you'll have to get a new crankset. Regreasing the bolts, arms, whatever won't cure a thing. I've been through this for a year and tried literally dozens of things. Problem is, the last model XT had a small circular reservoir around the spline teeth, where the oil/WD 40 could settle and eventually infiltrate between the teeth. The new ones don't have this. You'll have to jimmy something to hold the WD40 so the teeth can soak. Something like puddy that you can form around the outside of the teeth, then fill it with WD40.
Talk about a great marketing scheme. Why build a great crank when they can stiff you once a year. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike Ruzich
a Racer
from Hillside, IL
Date Reviewed: May 4, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Palos | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | Price Point | | Strengths: | They work well. Good buy for the bucks. | | Weaknesses: | Creaking | | Similar Products Used: | Bontrager Race | | Bike Setup: | Trek 8000. Old XTR, ..... and many more upgrades | | Bottom Line: | Late last year the creaking became absolutley unbearable.
When riding season was over, I took the bike apart and it was wild how much dirt and grit was in bottom bracket. Cleaned it out, put bike back together and guess what? No more creak. Perhaps just a bit more maintenance for these cranks. Can't beat the price for what the cranks give in performance. Any one out there have anything to say about the new XT's? | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
simon Lee
a Cross Country Rider
from South Korea
Date Reviewed: May 2, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | anywhere I can ride to | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$160.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | It's light, stiff enough, and affordable. | | Weaknesses: | The chain rings warp and the second ring is definitely a problem. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano LX, Truvativ stylo SL, 5-D(crap)!!! | | Bike Setup: | XT drivetrain, and Avid mech, Sunsingle with Panaracer XC fire..... | | Bottom Line: | The XT crank in alright but they have to do something about the second ring teeth that keep on breaking. I know that second ring is most stressed among the three due to up shift and down shift from top to the bottom but I believe it should have held up just as well as other cranks. Sure they're light but when the tooth break in middle of the climb,it's just unacceptable. This is my second time the tooth broke off my second ring. Perhaps it my riding but regardless it should have held up. Otherwise a good crank. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott
a Weekend Warrior
from Hungry Horse, Mt
Date Reviewed: April 20, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Strengths: | Cheap | | Weaknesses: | Spider is not forged into the crank arm. | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized Strong Arm | | Bike Setup: | Bullit w/6" fork for all mtn riding | | Bottom Line: | Do not buy these cranks if you don't want to deal with strange noises that turn into loose spiders(you can actually wiggle the spider with your hand). I sent my first set in after about 1500 miles. They were on a hardtail Stumpjumper. I got the new set and put them on a bullit and they only lasted 1000 miles. Not only did the spider come loose again I also bent the drive side arm. I sent them back in hoping for a possible upgrade to saint. If you weigh 200lbs or more these are not for you. Also, don't buy cranks were the spider isn't forged into the arm. I decided to get the Diabolous cranks. World of difference. Any of the new raceface x-type cranks should be good and they have a lifetime warranty.
Good value for light weight riders.
overall rating is ok but look at the reviews-
how many people have strange noises?-loose spider | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tim Tucker
a Racer
from Lakeview, Ca.
Date Reviewed: April 9, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Mountain goat | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$90.00 | | Purchased At: | price Point | | Strengths: | Stiff, Lite, Cheep. I have not through them across it shop like other shimano products i have owned. | | Weaknesses: | It is a sh*tmano (shimano) product | | Similar Products Used: | RF | | Bike Setup: | Hard tail,4inch travel bike, 8inch travel bike. | | Bottom Line: | I have 3 sets of XTs. no problems yet. First set made nose but then I put it in right, it shut up. My other two sets perfect. The chain rings, 3 seasons and counting. keep your drivetrain clean and time your shifts smooth. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Reven
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver, CO, USA
Date Reviewed: March 31, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$180.00 | | Strengths: | They work nicely - for about a month! | | Weaknesses: | Short-lived performance, the rings easily distort, and break teeth. | | Similar Products Used: | Raceface | | Bike Setup: | Ti, hardtail. | | Bottom Line: | What's up with the Shimano chainrings?
I have to keep replacing the damn rings CONSTANTLY!! I am a light-weight rider, not afraid to be agressive, but Shimano has really slacked off on their quality. I chose to go with the XT crankset with the chainrings because if you're not a racer, then who cares about a few grams. The only difference between the XT and XTR is the anodized coating and a major price difference to replace busted parts.
But c'mon, it's ridiculous that within a month, I bent the small chain ring. The middle replaced within 6 months, and the replacement is already missing so many teeth it's dumping the chain.
I think Shimano certainly went skimmpy. They need to buck-up and improve the quality of these rings. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andrew
a Cross Country Rider
from UK
Date Reviewed: March 29, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$120.00 | | Purchased At: | chainreactioncycles | | Strengths: | Stiff and lightweight | | Weaknesses: | I am afraid i am going to harp on about the creaking! i bought mine and found (like many others) that i had to tighten the left arm many times for the first 6 rides (every 5-10 minutes on every ride). Suddenly the cranks remained tight and then the creaking started. I read the reviews before i bought these cranks and thought " i can put up with a bit of creaking" you cant! it drives you insane! I am going to try what others have recommended regreasing etc but my advice to everyone is dont buy these cranks if you intend to ride in wet/muddy conditions as they cannot handle it. | | Bike Setup: | GT Zaskar Pro 2003 mainly XT HopeXC hubs on mavic rims | | Bottom Line: | Shimano should provide earplugs | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Choochoo Karoochoo
a Cross Country Rider
from Austin, TX, USA
Date Reviewed: March 21, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | City Park | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | 89 | | Strengths: | Relatively light... relatively stiff... nice fit/finish... good price. | | Weaknesses: | None so far. | | Similar Products Used: | RF Turbine, RF Prodigy, 2002 XT, Sugino | | Bike Setup: | Zip bang dada | | Bottom Line: | I've been running these cranks for about a year now and have had zero problems with them. I'm not that heavy (155#) but I like riding down the local rocky loose stuff fast. I've clipped the pedals numerous times, dumped the bike onto the cranks numerous times, and worn the XT logos off both sides, but they haven't complained. Just need to make sure they're tight, and it's good. A little anti-seize on the BB threads prevents creaking.
Not much more to say. XT is usually very well priced compared to more 'boutique' components, and as far as I'm concerned functions as well. They were lighter than the Prodigy cranks they replaced, so that's a plus. Only thing that's failed is the little caps that thread into the cranks. Didn't need em anyhow.
Good stuffs. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Erich
a Cross Country Rider
from Pompton Plains, NJ
Date Reviewed: March 9, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Anything Dirt | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | Cycle Craft | | Strengths: | Light Weight and Stiff! | | Weaknesses: | Haven't found one yet other than the label falling off | | Bike Setup: | Trek Fuel 90, XT/XTR drive, pretty stock bike | | Bottom Line: | I upgraded at purchase from Bontrager to XT/XTR components. I demo'd a bike that had the Bontrager setup and one that was all XTR. I liked the XTR better, and the shop where I got the bike was able to set me up with the XT/XTR combo without any change in price. I'm satisfied with the whole package! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mark b.
a Weekend Warrior
from midwest
Date Reviewed: February 28, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | this one! | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$70.00 | | Purchased At: | secondhand | | Strengths: | light weight, easy to install, STIFF!! | | Weaknesses: | rings go south a little too soon | | Similar Products Used: | Deore, Truvativ | | Bike Setup: | Motobecane X4B, Black fork, RF SYStem, carbon riser bar, Hayes mechs, 8-SPEED! | | Bottom Line: | after watching the truvativ crankarms torque sideways with just the weight of my leg on them, I knew I needed something else. While shopping for LX (splined), my bud offered his XT's at half-price after two months of light use. Right now, after 6 months of hard cranking, and seeing my weight go UP, not down, I still can't flex these babies!! My frame flexes before these do! Rock on -- I'll only lose Shimano cranks for a smokin' deal on RF's! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Baja Biker
a Cross Country Rider
from Ensenada, Mexico
Date Reviewed: February 24, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Cuatro Milpas | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$95.00 | | Purchased At: | Jenson | | Strengths: | Great crank. Very, very stiff, and I'm a big masher (210 lbs). I find them stiffer than RaceFace Turbine LP Isis (sorry, RF!). Bottom bracket lasts a reasonable time, and is cheap.
| | Weaknesses: | Now, none at all. But see comments below.
| | Similar Products Used: | Raceface Turbine LP, Shimano LX, Suntour
| | Bike Setup: | Litespeed Owl Hollow, heavily dusted | | Bottom Line: | I've used both the XT M751 and M752; my comments apply to both. I've had problems as others mention. What I've fixed are:
-Creaks: Mine came from the finely-toothed interface between the ring spider and the arm (not the BB interface). I degreased it, dried it overnight, and dabbled Locktite into the teeth without disassembly. Next day I put it back together and the creak has been gone for 1 year. (Even if your cranks don't creak, do this and you should never have problems.)
-Loose arms: It's easier to mash splines than with Isis, so be careful to line up BB splines on reassembly. Torque to specs, put Allen wrench in pocket, and check 4 or 5 times on first ride. Check occasionally for a couple more rides. After that, no loosening for me. (Riding around with slightly loose cranks is hard on the splines!)
-Rings/shifting: The middle ring is cheap pressed cheese and does not last. Get rid of it at the first sign of problems. Other 2 rings are ok. Still, I changed them all for 2 BlackSpire outer rings and a Truvative steel granny, and it's doing well.
These are great cranks, and the stiffness and price are both unbeatable. Shimano messed up some of the details, but it can be fixed. I'm not going back to Isis, and am in no hurry to shell out the $$$ for the Next-Big-Thing: the new outboard-bearing cranks. I'm staying with these XT's for a long while, I hope. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ace Niño Gica
a Cross Country Rider
from Philippines Cebu City
Date Reviewed: January 5, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$127.00 | | Purchased At: | Welson Enterprises | | Strengths: | very strong as strong as the most strongest cranks in the world and the lightest that i ever known | | Weaknesses: | nothing so far for 1 year i am using
| | Similar Products Used: | Shimano Sg Shimano xtr fsa i drive truvativ | | Bike Setup: | giant xtc team bomber maxcomp03air 317 rims ac-hubs xt sprokets deore shifter | | Bottom Line: | the xt cranks are the lightest the best that i have ever used best than xtr which is light to but very heavy in the pocket and the xtr sucks the color bad and the taste of there design is very cheap but the xt is just the best thanks to the shimano thanks for your production im your no.1 fan | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike S
a Cross Country Rider
from Spokane
Date Reviewed: November 17, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | hard to say | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$120.00 | | Purchased At: | Jeff's Bike Shop, WV | | Strengths: | Stiff, light,and relatively cheap. Setup and maintanance is easy. The self extraction feature along with the Octalink design makes removal easy, (much easier than square taper) | | Weaknesses: | The evil Shimano Brand, if that bothers you. | | Similar Products Used: | Generic Bontrager, Trek, Specialized and other square taper setups. | | Bike Setup: | Gary Fisher Paragon. | | Bottom Line: | As with many Shimano products, these are great for the price. Not the lightest, not the stiffest, but for the price not bad at all. After a year of use, I haven't had any of the problems with creaking that others have mentioned. The only issue I've had is the bottom bracket, which had to be replaced after 6 months of use. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
taso
a Cross Country Rider
from san diego
Date Reviewed: October 11, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | all | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$89.00 | | Purchased At: | perfomance | | Strengths: | stiff arms like arnold...also light compared to others | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | cyclone | | Bike Setup: | xt drive train, fox fork, xtr shifter/levers | | Bottom Line: | these cranks have been crankning up hills, down hills quietly and efficiently, with n0 problems at all. and believe me they have some hard and high milage on them. i bought them on a recomendation from a mechanic which proved to be an excellent choice. bought the xt's after the stock "cyclone" crank gave it up out after just 2 weeks of riding. very happy with the purchase. they are still perfoming like a champ. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mik
a Cross Country Rider
from Northville, MI, USA
Date Reviewed: September 15, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$80.00 | | Strengths: | stiffness, lightness | | Weaknesses: | creaking, no instructions included with the product | | Similar Products Used: | stock Specialized cranks | | Bike Setup: | 2002 Spec. Enduro | | Bottom Line: | These cranks are very stiff and more importantly, very light. The stock cranks on my Enduro were of the tapered square spindle type and I could take the left side crank, put my hand around it and the frame and flex the spindle at least 3mm. That was not very reassuring. Plus, they were really heavy.
So I bought the XTs and have been pleased. I think I'll need to use a torque wrench to really dial them in. And I do think that my spindle length is too narrow, but that works. I don't really shift out of the middle much anyway. It did take a lot of dialing in to get good clearance. Having lighter cranks has helped my spinning, it's made a real big difference.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Todd
a Racer
from Kokomo IN
Date Reviewed: August 25, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Town Run | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | Pricepoint.com | | Strengths: | I bought a new XT 752 crank to replace my LX that \ame loose and stripped. This new crank has a two piece retaining system that fixes their previous problems of having the LH crank arm coming loose. | | Weaknesses: | None, great crank for the $$$$ | | Similar Products Used: | LX, stock junk | | Bike Setup: | Trek 8000 all XT components | | Bottom Line: | I was really disapointed with their old design having to snug up the crank bolts. However after several rides on the new crank it seems they have heard our complaints and came up with a new better system! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan
a Cross Country Rider
from atlanta
Date Reviewed: August 23, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Amicalola | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$80.00 | | Purchased At: | on-line | | Strengths: | Extracts with only a 10mm wrench...a good feature to have when you realize you'll have to take these off and on so many times because of problems. | | Weaknesses: | where do I start? see below | | Similar Products Used: | Stock Specialized Strong Arm, older Xt's, and Lx's | | Bike Setup: | 2002 FSR | | Bottom Line: | I trusted that all of my chainsuck and shifting problems were coming from some other source than the oh so trusted Shimano name. I replaced rear derailleur pulleys, chains, cogsets, bottom brackets, etc...it wasnt until recently when I realized (with the help of a mechanic)that the problem was the new XT crankset that I had put on the bike.
I've had the crankset about 600 miles now and am having all of the problems described in the other postings...terrible chain suck, terrible creaking noises, and I have to tighten the bolt so often that I just keep a 10 mm wrench in my camelback now.
I have been very dissapointed in these cranks and have not gotten near my money's worth out of them. I'm now shopping for a new crankset, 6 months after I bought these. Bummer.
I would think seriously about what everyone is saying about this crankset. Some people have enjoyed them, but quite a few people are saying the same things, so I am going to look towards another brand. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
GOD
a Racer
from MTB heaven
Date Reviewed: August 18, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$79.00 | | Purchased At: | QBP | | Strengths: | Light, inexpensive, strong, and great shifting. | | Weaknesses: | BB is heavy, making XTR more appealing. | | Similar Products Used: | Race Face, Bontrager, '03 XTR, LX. | | Bike Setup: | Yeti ARC race machine. | | Bottom Line: | You can read my bad review on the new xtr cranks, I replaced those with the XT and now I am happier. For having only 1 bb size the price of new xtr is criminal. XT is the way to go because you get shimano's superior shifting chainrings, light weight, good price, and proven durability. They are 3 times stiffer that tru-vativ stylo. The Race Face turbine is the stiffest crank I have ever come across, but they are expensive and lack great shifting. If the bb was lighter and crankarms stiffer I would give the xt 5 hot turds. Still the best for $100. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
pimpbot
a Cross Country Rider
from Oakland, CA
Date Reviewed: August 16, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$125.00 | | Purchased At: | performance | | Strengths: | Stiff, strong, light, not too pricey | | Weaknesses: | bolts come loose if you're not careful, rings pretty soft and wear quickly, only one BB fits this crank (but it's decent) | | Similar Products Used: | stock mystery brand stuff | | Bike Setup: | K2 Razorback, XT drivetrain, PC69 chain | | Bottom Line: | This is my first 'real' set of cranks. Before these, I have only had stock mystery branded cranks. They are light, not expensive, strong easy to remove and reinstall.
I had issues with the crank bolts backing out, as others have, but since I started using red loctite on the crank bolts, this has not reoccurred. I just install them and forget them. I have not has issues with creaking as others have. I wonder if the creaking was caused by BB/frame interface. I installed mine with plumber's teflon tape and lots of torque.
The other issue I had was that I wore out the stock alu granny gear in one bad weather ride. There was lots of sandy mud and it just ground nasty burrs and hooks into the teeth in one 18 mile ride. This caused the worst chainsuck that would not go away. I ended up replacing it with a stainless steel TrueVativ 22t granny (nobody had the LX steel in stock, and it was the night before a big ride) and the problem went away. 600 miles later, it shows no signs of wear, and I have done a couple of bad weather rides. I know you'r enot supposed to mix brands of chainrings, but it still shifts well. It's heavier, but I don't worry about trashing it. I was impressed that I bashed the big ring into logs a bunch of times, and still remained straight, knock on wood.
I wish there was an option for a Ti BB with this guy to shed a few more grams and gain a small step of stiffness. The matching BB (the only one that works) is decent, and has given me no issues, even when I ride in the muck. Hey, it's quite good, especially concidering it can be had on sale for $25.
I would recommend these cranks, and will probably buy them again when I build my next bike.
Once flaming turd off for the crank bolts coming loose with out my red loctite. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ryan R
a Cross Country Rider
from Long Island N.Y.
Date Reviewed: August 13, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Ones with dirt on them. | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$90.00 | | Purchased At: | Pricepoint.com | | Strengths: | Lightweight very comparable in grams to XTR with the XTR being lighter of course. Strong for a hollowtech crankset I have yet to bend or snap the arms. Chainrings can take a beating I have smacked the a couple of times off of logs but have yet to try or want to try rocks yet. Very stiff and a nice upgrade for more effecient pedeling. Nice to look at I really wanted black arms but the alloy look is nice and best of all it dosen't scratch the paint off. | | Weaknesses: | OCTALINK I have come to a conclusion that if you have octalink it will creak there is no way to stop it. The only fix I have found and it is very temporary is to regrease the arms and spline every month or every time you ride in water or mud. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano, Sun and Specialized | | Bike Setup: | Specialized Stumpjumper FSR With plenty of goodies on her. | | Bottom Line: | This is a nice crankset when you look at the price of the XTR I held both sets and the weight is not bad on the XT the XTR is lighter but close to five bills for a few scraps of titanium and a net hollow bottom bracket is not worth it. It is nice that the XTR is sold as a set with both the cranks and bottom bracket but it needs to come down a litle in price. As for the XT it is a definate upgrade to the Strong Arm 2 and the Strong Arm pro I have used both and these are lighter, Stiffer, and Stronger in both the arms and the rings I mangled both sets of Strong arms. The XT has taken the same beating and are still straight. The only thing that sucks about this crankset is the Octalink technolgy that is used as the drive for them. They make allot of noise, the noise will not hurt the crankset this I know I went a month with it and nothing and I had it checked by my LBS who clued me in on the problem. The problem is that the grease on the spline and arms dosen't last and yes I use white lithum marine style grease 100% waterproof I got from my dad's marine supplier for his boat. The stuff washes out and wears out I have used to date marine grease standard grease and product from Finishline, WTB, Triflow, Pedro's and Prolink. The only fix to shut them up and will only last about a month or until your next wet ride is this: Using a crankarm puller remove both the arm and spider clean with ecotech or some form of a degreaser, Regrease arms spline and spider reinstall crankset that should do it. Is this a pain in the ass or what? Shimano should try another type of interface for their MT. Bike cranksets because this on sucks. For a roadie this would be fine the're bikes are pretty and cute but this mt biking dammit and getting dirty is what it is all about. For performance I love them for matinence I hate them. If your looking for a no hassle crankset look somewhere else this is not for you. If your willing to regrease the cranks every month and performance witha good price is what you seek this is a good crankset for you. I think next time I'll go with either Raceface or Truvati and try out the ISIS beacuse shimano bottom brakcets suck good thing the're cheap or i'd be really pissed and this review score would not be what it is PEACE. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Lazar Kacarevic
a Cross Country Rider
from Belgrade, Yugoslavia
Date Reviewed: August 4, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$99.00 | | Strengths: | I havent been riding it enought to see a difference between this and some other cranksets i have owned or ridden | | Weaknesses: | 1)Loosens up
2)It seems its not compatible with pre'03 derailleurs | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano Alivio 42/32/22 | | Bike Setup: | Scott Summit with Mars Super,LX / XTR-RR derailleurs,XT shifter/brake | | Bottom Line: | Well lets see..we'r not rocket scientists and we need a reliable simple to install and use product for our money..or jst plug n' play if u will.And to be honest about it 2003 XT is simply..not.
Why, well because of 2 things
1)What kind of crankset gets loose afther awhile?I rode it for like..i dunno 100 km alltogether and my left crank went loose.I havent even noticed it, until my mechanic said he wanted to check up on it,because it happened to other ppl as well..I mean c'mon..It is supposed to be screwed on and forgotten..not checked and re-checked afther 2-3 rides..It's simply dangerous in long terms.And there is no such stuff as...precise torque and all that other crap i read..what does it mean..if u dont screw it in enough it gets loose..and if u screw it in with all the power u have ..it still comes loose?Well how exactly will it hold in a middle ground if it cant hold when u practicly force it ..
2)It seems that the new BB design offsets the cranks a lil bit wich is noticable when compared to the old crankset.Basicly when u put on a new crankset u dont have to adjust u'r front dera. a lot..But when u put new XT cranks,u cant adjust it all..becauase it seems that the axle or how ever u call it is a bit too long and isnt compatible with the old LX front derailleurs.Thats why a lot of u (me 2) have chain suck problems,and having their chains shifted over the largest cog and that's why we cant adjust our front derailleurs so its allways touching the chain in one gear or another..Tommorow am going to try on a 2003 XTR ...if that solves the problem it is simply a proof of Shimano's lack of compatibility notice..meaning..2003 parts work almost only with 2003 and mixing older and new parts is not advisable... :-(
P.S Sorry about my spelling and grammer,English is not my native tongue.. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
mike
a
from marlton, nj
Date Reviewed: July 9, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$80.00 | | Purchased At: | peformance | | Strengths: | light, nice looking stiff, easy peddaling | | Weaknesses: | none yet, and since this is the m752 2003 model no creaks, | | Similar Products Used: | truvativ firex and deore too heavy | | Bike Setup: | 2003 diamback apex , xt all over, m324 pedals, rockshock susp post | | Bottom Line: | much lighter then the shimano deore, even lighter then truvativ firex (oem). so far no noise, easy riding, great upgrade | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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