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Submitted by
Art
a Weekend Warrior
from Pottstown, PA
Date Reviewed: June 8, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | Factory | | Strengths: | Strong | | Weaknesses: | Chain-line adjustment, overall stance width | | Bike Setup: | MRC BUFF, XT 8 speed cogs, Race Face, Avitar, Black Spyre rings, XT bottom bracket. | | Bottom Line: | Got these free included in the negotiations when purchasing the MRC frame from the factory. Did not want to go with the MRC Bottom Bracket 119 spindle which was "told" would change all these problems (unlikely).
Currently using an XT bottom bracket 73x122.5, about 3 mm adjusted to the right. It is the only way that chain will clear the chainstay in the granny ring. I can only use the granny ring up to the 3rd biggest cog, and the 44 ring down to the 4th largest cog. I had popped 2 new chains before finding this out.
The actual crank arms are acceptable, but what good are they by themselves?
Go for an integrated ISIS system, instead. Good value if they are free. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kenny Gotcher
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver
Date Reviewed: September 25, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$190.00 | | Purchased At: | Pricepoint I think | | Strengths: | Strong and Stiff, very durable paint job. | | Weaknesses: | WIDE!!! Not very light. Alum tapers too soft. | | Similar Products Used: | XT and the like | | Bike Setup: | CF trek | | Bottom Line: | Performance wise I really like this crank. It is extreemely stiff and strong with a acceptable weight. Not super light however. These could probably be used as DH cranks with no prob's. The bad thing about these cranks is the work involved setting them up.
The biggest problem with this crank is the chainline adjustment. The CR spider is flat so you have to buy all the right sized spacers to space the CR correctly which is kind of a pain. Then you have to have a wide bottom bracket (120mm) because the CR hang quite a ways over the spindle socket. The cranks themselves are very wide due to the tubular shape, this along with the wide BB puts you kind of in a wide stance. Good for techical riding but bad for sitting and spinning. Now the thing I can't figure is why they used such a soft alum spindle socket on the crank arms. I already had to have this replaced once and they recently wore out again. They do not charge much to replace the socket but it does keep you off your bike at least a week. I think the new ISIS system may get rid of this problem.
In the end I would say this crank is good for big riders and DH but bad for XC and racers. Also either have a shop set up the chainline or be prepared to spend a little time on it yourself. Oh and don't remove and replace your cranks too much or you will wear down the spindle sockets. Value wise I would not get these over a pair of Race Face or even XT's unless you can find them for a great deal. Personally I am going back to XT (Hollowtech) after this experience just for the reliability of shimano. Value is 3 since dispite all the problems they were very durable crank arms. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joe Kreeger
a Cross Country Rider
from Atlanta, GA
Date Reviewed: June 15, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Looks, stiff | | Weaknesses: | After 3 rides (on my singlespeed) the spider bolts sheared off and the spider was bent on top of that. This is the second pair I have broken and I only weigh 155lbs! What the hell is up with that, McMahon?!! | | Similar Products Used: | XTR, Cook Bros., XT | | Bike Setup: | My SS came stock with these cranks. It is a VooDoo Nzumbi that weighs 20.5 pounds. | | Bottom Line: | These cranks are total cheese. Stick with forged aluminum cranks (Race Face, etc) and stay away from bolt-on sider cranks. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alacritas
a Weekend Warrior
from Alabama
Date Reviewed: October 26, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
super stiff | | Weaknesses: |
really wide q factor | | Similar Products Used: |
Shimano stc,lx,xt,xtr
Interloc Vortex | | Bike Setup: |
various hardtails, those steely danz are on an old Trek steel hardtail. | | Bottom Line: | I picked up these cranks for my commuter mtb when they were on sale for something in the ballpark of $100. Mine have the standard 110/74 spider. My commute is short (3 mi. one way) with lots of sprinting, and that bike also sees a little 'suburban assaulting.' Well, they've been really stiff, and they aren't worn out after 9-10 months of ownership, which is more than I can say for other cranks that I've owned. Using steel arms with an aluminum spindle hole, though, makes about as much sense as letting Bob Costas announce sports. If the Al-steel bond doesn't break first, then the Al spindle hole will be the next thing to go. If spindle-hole durability is your goal, then these probably aren't your ticket. The welds are decent--not as artful as IRCs, but certainly not bad. The spider is just a bit flexy. What I don't like about these cranks is the wide q factor (overall mounted width). They require a wide bottom bracket to get the chainline right. I have mine mounted on a 68x110.5/adjustable, and the chainline is off to the inside by about the width of 1 cog+spacer. I guess I should try a 68x113/adjustable chainline bb sometime. So I'd guess that if you have a 73 bb shell, then you'll need a 118 spindle. They're probably a good choice for single-speeds and applications such as mine where stiffness is important. I'm knocking down the chili rating for the q factor and the spider flex of the 110/74 spider. Later I'm sure that I'll be cursing the Aluminum insert, but I'll review again when it wears out. The bottom line is that they're better than XTs for about the same $$, assuming you don't have to pay a fortune for rings. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Thomas
a Weekend Warrior
from Stockholm, Sweden
Date Reviewed: April 16, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Waxholm | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
Extremely strong and completely non-bendable. Good looking. | | Weaknesses: |
A little bit on the heavy side with about 460g | | Similar Products Used: |
Shimano XT and Ritchey Logic. | | Bike Setup: |
Specialized M2XX with weight below 9kg | | Bottom Line: | This is by far the strongest crankarms I have ever riden. Completely bombproof. The nickel plating is difficult to keep clean. Too heavy to get 5 stars. | Overall Rating: |
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