Submitted by
mechfishy
a Cross Country Rider
from Vancouver, WA, USA
Date Reviewed: November 22, 2010
Strengths: 15 years of use, and still works nearly flawless. Extremely light, durable, and sweet looking.
Weaknesses: Out of production.
Bottom Line:
I am on my third bike with this group. It has performed flawlessly on all 3. I've only had to replace cables, brake pads, and the front derrailleur due to seat tube variations, plus a few rear spokes. When they changed to the 960 series they should have only changed the arm/spline interface to the V2 Octalink, because that is the only potential weakness. And I only say this because of those who want to jump, and apply extreme amounts of torque in opposing directions to the arms. If you ride these with the intention of making them last, they will, with proper maintenance. These cranks would be great with a 10 speed group, but since the tolerences have changed so much, it may or may not be possible. If I find out that they will work for this, them I will definitely do so, because I want to use them until they are unusable. I might just wear out before they do!
Buy it if you want the best. Don't if you don't care.
Bike Setup: Full XTR 950 series group bought as a kit in 1995.
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Submitted by
quickmik
a Weekend Warrior
from Miami, FL
Date Reviewed: May 16, 2010
Strengths: Built to last forever if properly maintained
Weaknesses: None if you keep them tight on BB
Bottom Line:
After years of trail use converted Zaskar to road hybrid, but still trail capable. Cranks are good as new, replace middle ring a while back they are a 9 out of 10 even now. The only issue keep them tight on the BB if they get loose the are done. But that's common sense for any crank even square taper!!
Bike Setup: GT Zaskar, Pace RC31, M952 cranks and BB, XTR brake levers, Ritchey carbon SP and HB, Ritchey stem, custom built 24H wheelset w/ Ritchey front hub and DT 340 rear, Control scandium skewers, M959 pedals, Wipperman 9 speed SS chain, SLR saddle Ti rails, Conti Grand Prix 26x1, Dura-Ace cassette.
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Submitted by
stoney98
a Racer
from San Francisco, CA
Date Reviewed: June 1, 2009
Strengths: Relatively light, very stiff.
Weaknesses: Integrated outer ring/spider, twisting under heavy load
Bottom Line:
These cranks, when setup properly, are borderline bomb-proof. I'm somewhere into my fifth or sixth set since they first came out (still have three sets, others sold with bikes), and have only managed to damage one crank arm. The damage to that one arm came from me learning how to do 360's out of a bowl at a skate park, and that was my fault for overly side-loading the crank.
Most of the complaints I have seen on this site are from people who did not properly setup the cranks. As they have a self-extracting bolt, you need to add a dab of BLUE loc-tite upon install. This will prevent the bolt from backing out. Also, install them slowly. If installed quickly, you can torque the cranks into alignment with the splines, damaging the interface surface. Only once you are positive that you have lined up the splines, tighten them to torque.
Like with any other crank, if the crank feels loose, stop riding. Most mechanically inclined riders will know this. This also goes with proper maintenance, check the crank bolts every few rides and you will not have any problems.
Especially because they are no longer produced, you can get a new set for cheap, and they will last for ever if maintained properly. If you are buying a used set, but be conscious that meat-head mechanics have been know to strip the splines, so that is a risk you take buying them used.
Similar Products Used: Just about everything on the market since 1999.
Bike Setup: Multiple:
F/S XC Racer, HT XC Racer, DH Race bike, DJ Hardtail, F/S 4x, 6" All-Mtn bike.
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Submitted by
Abe Star
a Weekend Warrior
from Melbourne, Australia
Date Reviewed: April 6, 2009
Strengths: Easy to ride with. Makes you feel that you can conquer any mountain.
Weaknesses: Almost impossible to find genuine spares. However, you can get after market from Blackspire.
Bottom Line:
There can be Only One! The best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be. It is a fantastic crank, so it makes it hard to move on as you don't want to be disappointed if others don't perform as well. If you can find one in mint condition...buy it. I specifically went to the U.S. to buy this crankset and that was before I knew how great they were. I was merely attracted to it's look. The Gun Metal Blue color gives it's originality and makes it special. It stand out above the rest unlike in the new range.
Submitted by
ate
a Cross Country Rider
from Incline Village, NV
Date Reviewed: July 19, 2008
Strengths: Light, smooth shifting
Weaknesses: Strips easily, prone to shoe rub
Bottom Line:
Can't recommend these. If they get just a little bit loose, they are destroyed forever. If you're going to go with old equipment, I'd choose square taper over Octalink any day.
Weaknesses: Cost (but not so bad compared to new 970 XTR cranks..), the fact that the big ring acts as the spider makes replacing the rings painfully expensive, and there are no alternative chainring options. Typical shimano non standardization.
Bottom Line:
I love these cranks very much. I've had them since 2002, raced them and rode them very hard but have taken good care of them maintenance wise. I've replaced the rings 2 or 3 times, and replaced the BB once. Though the arms are rather beat up from all the hard use, they still perform great. Lately, due to a worn big ring and other issues, I've had problems with the chain staying on the big ring over rough terrain: it keeps falling into the middle ring. I'll just have to save my pennies; I'll probably replace these cranks with the new XT.
Bike Setup: Ti Hardtail, SRAM chain & cassette, shimano XTR pedals.
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Submitted by
Alan Chan
a Cross Country Rider
from Toronto, Canada
Date Reviewed: May 27, 2007
Weaknesses: Short insertion amount can easily kill the crank, crank arm angle design makes it a pain when you have wide chainstay
Bottom Line:
I will never buy these again altho they are discontinued already. I have used LX and XT crank and didn't have such a big problem. The XTR BB seems to be better then the LX & XT ES71 but that is it. The crank design is trying to save weight and honestly, its not worth it for its price. XT is the way to go. I don't know what Shimano was thinking when they design this 7 years ago. The insertion teeth inside the crank is half the length of its other model (XT, LX, etc) which makes it easy to be damage. I was on trail a couple days ago and the crank came a little loose. I then spin for a couple more revs and I know something was really wrong. So I tighten the crank and went on. After the ride, I took the crank off and the teeth were complete strip! The drive side crank arm is completely damage and its now useless. This also gave me a pain when I switch these over from my Zaskar to Chameleon. Its stupid crank arm angle makes you change BB width to fit different bike. Yes this is part of a frame thing but I don't have to do that with any other crank. Even Santa Curz say is just for Shimano XTR and LX. XT, Raceface and all other cranks are fine. With a longer BB to avoid the crank arm hitting the chainstay, it makes the chain on an angle which makes shifting not as smooth, more chain stuck, less power, etc.
Similar Products Used: Shimano LX, XT; RaceFace Turbine, Bontrager Race
Bike Setup: Santa Cruz Chameleon, Fox Vanilla RL, Chris King Mavic Wheelset, XTR/XT setup, Thomson Stem + Seatpost, Easton CT2, Hope M4 & Avid Juicy 7
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Submitted by
Chris O
a Weekend Warrior
from Brookline
Date Reviewed: December 7, 2006
Strengths: stiff, durable, standard size rings
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
I absolutely loved these cranks, and I replaced them this year with 960’s when I bought a new component group. I wish I didn’t have to replace them, because they’re still going strong after eight seasons, but go figure that they’re not compatible with 9-speed components. I usually like Shimano products, but it kills me when they do this. Getting XTR products usually means paying a steep premium for marginal performance improvements, but these cranks were totally worth it. Back when I purchased these cranks, Shimano offered micro drive on everything up to XT. I’ve always preferred standard rings, so this was one instance in which there was a big difference between XT and XTR that was worth the extra money. Yes, Shimano’s replacement rings are expensive, but good luck getting shift ramps and extra machining on anything cheaper. I still have the original rings on this pair, and they still work great even with a broken tooth on the middle ring and multiple log hits on the outer ring.
Submitted by
Ákos Lengyel
a Cross Country Rider
from Budapest
Date Reviewed: October 4, 2006
Strengths: strong, light, fashionable, longlife
Weaknesses: the big wheel is the spider too, so if it wears, you have to get one original, or a spider(they had that seperately sold)
Bottom Line:
I couldn't get any spare spider, nor ring-spider, cause they don't make it anymore... It's a pity... Now i got a new xt for my mountainbike, and will make a singlespeed bike for city-riding with the old xtr. I will get the teeth of the big ring off, so it will be the chainring, and have a bigger ring(40t) in the middle, and another chainring in the place of the small ring. I think that will do the job, and i don1t have to get rid of this beauty!
Bike Setup: full xtr 1998, rocky mountain vertex t.o., girvin fork
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Submitted by
matt
a Cross Country Rider
from Illinois/Wisconsin
Date Reviewed: October 24, 2005
Strengths: lightweight, good shifting, easy to convert to singlspeed with spider.
Weaknesses: splines + age = complete crank failure!
Bottom Line:
ummm..well.. I liked them alot for the first... then they began to clunk... the right crankarm started moving 5-10 degrees out of alingment with the other arm. i took it all apart and found that the aluminum splines were compressing, causiing the entire crankarm to rotate in a shift around the bottom bracket splindle.. I rode it that way for awhile, carefully, but it gre to about 15 degrees and I couldnt take it anymore... i replaced the drive side with a newer xt... then a day later I noticed some clunking in the left arm.... garg... BOTTOM LINE IS: these cranks are just too old and the aluminum inside has fatigued too much... get a newer Truvatic Stylo instead.. cheaper and much stronger, a just a few grams more.
Worked a deal with 123BIKES to include these cranks/rings with the purchase of my ID (that's why I put 0 in the cost field). Frame arrived needing a minor alignment adjustment; once my mechanic made the fix, I have experienced NO crank/ring related problems --- NONE! They have performed flawlessly. They are stiff and smooth. Sure, the chi-chi factor is there, but of little concern for me. These are superior to ANY cranks/rings I've used.
Strengths: Strong, light, durable, & the ladies love 'em!
Weaknesses: Cause lust from non-owners
Bottom Line:
Good stuff. Period. People with complaints about these cranks are a) unable to be pleased B) not mechanically inclined c) anti-Shimano d) all of the above. With the correct BB adjustment and patient, competent spline alignment before sqeezin' 'em on the spindle, these cranks are at the top of the heap. No need for M960, but people do like shiney new things. Look for someone sellin' these so they can buy some shiney new M960's, and get yourself a great deal.
Submitted by
John DeVivo
a Cross Country Rider
from Andover, Maine, USA
Date Reviewed: February 23, 2004
Strengths: Super strong, super stiff, and the best chainrings ever made! This is the M950 (8sp) from '98, and it's still the bomb!
Weaknesses: Please... there aren't any!
Bottom Line:
This crankset has been through five seasons of racing and riding. Three top tens at Mount Snow, a top ten at the 24 Hours of Great Glen, and a top ten at the Vermont 50 spell it out - this crankset rules! Although my 8sp rings are worn enough to accommodate the narrower 9sp chains at this point, I've lost several teeth, so I'm switching out to the 9sp chainrings, and will (finally) buy a new XTR BB (also the best BB ever made). What else can you buy that goes FIVE years?! Any serious rider needs this crankset. Forget the new $450 disco version... stick with the M952 (or M950 for 8 speed). Thank you, Shimano!
Strengths: Stiff, awesome shifting, rings last forever, looks hot.
Weaknesses: They creak if not torqued/greased perfectly.
Bottom Line:
I rode a set of M950 XTRs hard for over 2 years, and just bought a new set of M952s. I could have gone with M960 stuff, but I'm so satisfied with the stiffness and durability of these I saw no reason to change. Did I mention that the shifting is superior to everything else? I love the 46/34/24 gearing, which Shimano decided we don't need anymore. If properly torqued and greased with a dab of Loctite on the threads, these things stay tight and don't creak. Yeah, you pay for them up front, but the overall performance is very satisfying and more than worth the cost.
