Weaknesses: At 460 miles it started creaking, to the point people could hear me coming from a couple hundred yards. Had the bike into the shop 3 times. New bearings were installed twice, tried new grease and cleaned all parts. Creaking has diminished, is noticable within 20 yards now. What's the answer, a new crank set? XT is not going to make it.
Bottom Line:
Help, I need some advice on the solution to get rid of the creaking and the bike shop doesn't seem to know what to do.
Similar Products Used: Deore and Suntour 9 speed PFF
Bike Setup: BIXS Rigid Trekking, Old XT Group, 24 spokes GTS wheelset, MOB 26 x 1.50 tires.
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Submitted by
Graham
a Weekend Warrior
from Perth,WA,Australia
Date Reviewed: September 2, 2002
Bottom Line:
This crankset came as O.E. on my '99 Mount Vision. I have no complaints whatsoever. It is stiff, has never creaked and the quality finish has remained-dings & dents excepted! When I come to replace it, I shall buy another XT but preferably the Hollowtech one.
ive used these cranks for more than 2 years and have not had any problems with them. have never had a problem with creaking or chain suck. you guys who have problems with creaking should take it to a shop and have them O'haul your cranks and Bottem Bracket before u start complaining. 95% of the time its just from poor maintance or installation. grease and lube do dry up u know and need to be pulled apart and greased again.
Submitted by
Todd
a Cross Country Rider
from Lewisville, Texas
Date Reviewed: July 14, 2002
Strengths: Excellent aesthetics, Shimano crank works with XTR drivetrain nicely (duh)
Weaknesses: CREAKY
Bottom Line:
I got this crankset as an upgrade to my old STX-RC, which actually worked fine. The XT was lighter and tended to shift better, but it's finally beginning to have the telltale creak that the 4-arm XT crankset is known by. Quite annoying!!
Good thing I checked here, because I kept tightening the ring bolts, thinking that would fix it. It didn't, of course, because the creaking is most likely coming from where the arm meets the spider, as previous reviewers have found.
I've considered going to XTR or Raceface, but this crank works extremely well. I'll just have to break it down and get the crud buildup out of it.
Similar Products Used: older STX-RC five-arm cranks
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Submitted by
Wade
a Cross Country Rider
from MID TN
Date Reviewed: May 1, 2002
Strengths: matches the rest of the outfit
Weaknesses: chain sucking rings
Bottom Line:
These rings sucked chain brand new. It never went away. It was just bad tolerances on production day. I'm sure the later production stuff is better, but anytime I can move away from the MEGA-Companies to smaller ones, I jump.
I swapped the 98 XT rings onto the same cranks (after I read a treatise on chainsuck) and the suck was cured.
Strengths: -light and strong -very good shifts -excellent power transfer -better value than Race Face or XTR
Weaknesses: -not a DH or bighit crankset -little difference from LX which is only a few grams heavier -not the prettiest piece of metal I've ever seen
Bottom Line:
I bought this crankset as a replacement for the Specialized Forearm II which came stock on my bike. The XTs are a breath of fresh air compared to those, let me tell you.
I don't think you can underestimate the importance of a decent set of cranks. This is how you are going to power your bike, right? I was thinking of buying Race Face, but considering the price to performance ratio it just wasn't worth it. XTR also looked interesting, but I felt it was just too expensive.
Overall I'm very pleased with the performance of the XTs. I haven't had any problems with creaking so far and for a basic trailbike, I find the cranks to be more than stiff enough. Shifting hasn't ever presented a problem and the overall quality and workmanship of the crank is excellent.
There are a couple of things, though. Shimano could have offered some different colours at this price. Not everyone likes black/burnished. Let's admit it: the "coolness" factor of a part is important to a certain degree. The XTs actually look uglier than Alivos. These are excellent trailbike cranks but they are not really intended for bighit or downhill rigs. They will probably hold up for a while, but I think they are really too light for those uses. Finally, If you can get a pair of LX cranks then I would say go for those because they are much less expensive than XTs and weigh only slightly more. (I bought the XTs because my LBS didn't have LXs and I really had to get rid of that junk that was hanging on my bottom bracket).
Anyway, for its intended purpose, the XT crankset has a lot to recommend it. It's light, it's strong and is more than stiff enough for advanced trail riding.
Similar Products Used: Old XT (five arm version) Deore, Alivio, Acera X, Suntour, Specialized Forearm II
Bike Setup: 2001 Specialized Enduro
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Submitted by
Neeek
a Weekend Warrior
from Sydney, NSW, Australia
Date Reviewed: April 26, 2001
Strengths: Lightweight Fine pedigree Superb chainrings/ramps 5-bolt spider version allows use of different rings
Weaknesses: Flexier than then should be They are creaking like hell!
Bottom Line:
They are creaking like hell! Like a previous poster, it appears to be the spider arm interface doing the noisy stuff - not happy. In addition, people here at MTBR have said that they don't flex. Oh yes they do! And I'm a 6'4" 190 pounder. I don't think I've ever seen a crank flex more than these ones. And no, it's not the wheels/tyres/frame that's flexing... I was very surprised, but I'd be lying if I said I could tell the difference for 95% of the time I ride them. On the plus side, the rings have lasted well and shift perfectly, they are pretty light and cheaper than XTR/aftermarket cranks. Solid and dependable, I guess. I've had 2 years out of them, and it's time to get rid of that creak, go splined and slap some Race Face LP's on there... :)
Similar Products Used: Lots of other Suginos (Fuse, Impel and Mighty), Shimanos (LX, DX, XT, XTR) - nothing fancy... yet!
Bike Setup: Cove Stiffee, Pace RC-37, XT/XTR, Hope discs, Race Face...
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Submitted by
Aaron Walton
a Racer
from Boulder, CO
Date Reviewed: March 26, 2001
Strengths: Durable, great shifting
Weaknesses: They have developed a horrible creak
Bottom Line:
Well they are tough as hell, but now that they creak so bad I'm going to have to get some new cranks. I am guessing its where the spider attaches to the arm. I think that a 1 piece crank like the raceface would do better.
Strengths: light, strong, fits every bottom bracket. looks cool too. Will last for a long time, teeth last a long time!
Weaknesses: Constant attention, a little creaking, confusing teeth pattern (looks already chipped on every tooth!), scuffs easy, careful when you scrape yourself (its almost like a serrated blade)
Bottom Line:
This crankset is very good for serious bikers, it won't hold up as well on drops like other cranks, but not everybody is into that. If you like to go fast XC, then you should definately look into these cranks. You may have more than one tweaking session, but if you want a same weight alternative to XTR, then buy these!
Similar Products Used: LX, Specialized, a few others
Bike Setup: Santa Cruz Heckler, XT outfit, Mavic, Rock Shox Judy 100, Thomson, Answer Pro Taper
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Submitted by
Billy Woodward
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego
Date Reviewed: June 21, 2000
Strengths: light, strong, cheap
Weaknesses: doesn't make dinner
Bottom Line:
Light, strong, no flex, this crank is great for me. I don't know how the hollowtech will hold up with heavier riders, but weighing in at 150, it is perfect for me. Could have paid twice the cash and gotten Race Face or XTR, but why pay more for a heavier crank that isn't gonna be any more stiff. In opposition to the Specialized, this crank greatly increased my efficiency.
I liked the crank, no creaking and I got it dirt cheap. I really didn't want to shell out twice as much for a raceface or XTR. No flex (I'm 6'3 200lbs) A great value for the money. -.5 chillie b/c it could be lighter but it still rounds up to 5.
Bike Setup: Cdale XT rder, fder, cass, shift/levers crosslink
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Submitted by
Chuckboard
a Cross-Country Rider
from Lafayette, CA
Date Reviewed: August 3, 1999
Strengths: No flex!!! Conmpatible with any BB. (unlike XTR).
Weaknesses: Need to use a narrower 9 speed chain to shift properly.
Bottom Line:
NO FLEX...... typical Shimano, they do it better at a lower price point than the competition. Goes well when matched up with Mega Drive through out. Black Chain ring give a different look. 4 stinky fish
