Submitted by
Rod Ulrich
a Cross Country Rider
from San Luis Obispo, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: May 2, 2002
Strengths: Finish, strength, stiffness.
Weaknesses: Front derailleur clearance, high Q factor, spider locking mechanism.
Bottom Line:
Am I the only one having front derailleur clearance problems with these cranks? The drive side arm comes within 3 mm of the derailleur cage, necessitating constant fine tuning of the front derailleur. The Q factor is quite high (the pedals are farther apart than most cranks, even with the correct BB and chainline). Also, the screw that holds the spider in place on its threads looks like it might not hold up to abuse. Other than these probs, I like the cranks, and I can't find a better deal anywhere.
Favorite Trail: Jesusita (Inspiration Point, Santa Barbara, CA)
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$69.00
Purchased At: Cambria Bikes
Similar Products Used: Sugino Impel, Shimano XT, Curve Cranks.
Bike Setup: Kona AA, Manitou FS, XT/XTR.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
derek
a Cross Country Rider
from los gatos, ca
Date Reviewed: June 3, 2001
Strengths: cheap, snazzy looking
Weaknesses: flawed at the bottom bracket
Bottom Line:
ive now been through 2 sets of these in a year of sometimes hard, sometimes more casual riding, and ive managed to completely wear down the chainrings so that they slip on any kindof heavy pedalling, and have snapped the non-drive side arm (on two pairs) right at the spindle. These are non-splined bb spindles, so i cannot give an opinion on the strength of a splined version, if it exists, but i can only asume that having broken 2 sets in the course of a year, a(and i only weigh 140), that these are severely underbuilt at the spindle. i would also like to complain about the longevity of the large and middle chainrings (middle specifically since i spend most time there) both sets showed extreme wear after just 4 or 5 months. I generally expect to get at least a year or 2 out of chainrings, especially ones that cost so much to replace. I was neither excited nor displeased with its shifting when new, but when comparing this to a shimano crank built as much as 10 years ago, it was sub-par. My advice if youre looking for a cheap but decent crank is to go for an LX or even a sugino over this underbuilt and flawed product. The cool aftermarket look isnt worth it when youre stuck without a crank while waiting for them to warranty this junk. If you dont mind blowing a wad and not feeding your family for a few weeks, go for a race face.
Similar Products Used: many many aftermarket cranks
Bike Setup: xc
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
GLEN BRADLEY
a Cross Country Rider
from CANADA
Date Reviewed: May 30, 2000
Strengths: look good and that's it
Weaknesses: weak
Bottom Line:
I used these things for just three months and broke both cranks at the bottom bracket mount(busted my right nut too!) The rings are ramped but they shift terribly. I was in touch with caramba and they did send me a replacement set quickly but three of the teeth were broken off the new set (they did replace the ring set again). bought a set of race face and never looked back.Anyways,I put the replacement crankset on my schwinn u.r.t. and found that the shift even worse.Stay away from these things !!
Submitted by
Dave
a Cross Country Rider
from Boulder
Date Reviewed: May 9, 2000
Strengths: Inexpensive, strong crank arms.
Weaknesses: Integrated chain ring is poorly made and can be costly to replace.
Bottom Line:
This is an update to last year's review when I thought these were the best deal on cranks around. The cranks are fine, but the integrated chain ring has caused me a number of problems. Bad chain suck caused the middle ring to lose teeth, the large ring has a lost tooth, and shifting isn't smooth. The bottom line is that I will have to replace the entire integrated ring system, which isn't made of the best quality materials. Don't be fooled by a low price tag on this one.
Weaknesses: One piece ring set could be costly when having to purchase a new ring set; however, Caramba does offer a 5 arm spider that is attachable so you can purchase the rings of your choice and not have to replace all when one is worn.
Bottom Line:
In the last 4 1/2 years I have replaced parts on my bike and I've found that the ONLY original component on my bike is my Caramba Sidewinder crank AND rings. They have performed flawlessly and I am just now feeling the effects of wear on the pin risers. The crank arms are cold forged with somewhat of an I-Beam construction so they are very rigid which is great for sprints and open trails, more power transfer. The one piece ring set has held up better than I had anticipated and I couldn't be anymore pleased with the longevity of the rings. A very underrated crank that I would without reservation purchase again.
Similar Products Used: shimano LX. STX-RC. Truvativ Stylo 2, Stylo Teams
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
lefty
a Cross-Country Rider
from fairfax, va
Date Reviewed: November 24, 1999
Strengths: beefy crank arms, looks spiify
Weaknesses: integrated chain rings, gets creaky
Bottom Line:
bought it for the good price and peoples previous reviews..it looks cool with the integrated outer and middle rings, cept i had to chainwhip the hell outa it to get it to sit right on the right crankarm...been using for six months roughly 3 times a weeek..works pretty well but now is starting to creak..
Bike Setup: old elevated chainstay redline frame, zochi shock,titec and xt all around
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dave Rahhany
a Weekend Warrior
from Boulder CO
Date Reviewed: May 2, 1999
Strengths: Very clean and simple design. Stiff. Light. Creakless, integrated chainring Inexpensive!
Bottom Line:
For less than $100, these cranks with integrated chainrings (though you can get a removable spider for these as well) is the best deal on cranks I've seen.
Just playing around with the gopro hd camera. Figured why not post them up here?
Nothing special, just me and my dog. Yes, I know, she should be running behind me............ Read More »
This is my first real mt bike and i have to say thats its worked great for me so far! I got it at sporty authority and its a good beginner, full suspension, disc brake bike for th Read More »
Here are a few shots of my 82 Schwinn Sidewinder. Just finished the clean up and detailing process.
I ended up swapping out the original crank and double chainring with a Suntou Read More »
