Submitted by
Cyco-Dude
a Cross Country Rider
from Dayton, OH, USA Date Reviewed: September 5, 2009
Favorite Trail:
John Bryan State Park
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$160.00
Purchased At:
CBO
Strengths:
shifts fine
neat looking chainrings
crank has never given me any problems
Weaknesses:
heavy
expensive
scuffs easily
Similar Products Used:
specialized strongarm 7075
Bike Setup:
custom '03 specialized epic
Bottom Line:
overall, these are decent cranks, but i probably would've gotten something else if i had to do it over. the cranks i got weighed in at 980 grams, which makes them heavier than shimano lx. together with the high price tag (almost as much as shimano xt), you could do better.
also, you need to periodically check the crank arm, as it has a tendency to come loose over time.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
cteis
a Racer
from Monterrey, Mexico Date Reviewed: January 21, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Santiago Extreme
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$120.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
light (not the lightest). reliable, strong.
Weaknesses:
Cosmetically they get scratched easily (I have the pullished one) You can solve it putting cranckskins while they are new
Similar Products Used:
RaceFace Deuss, Shimano LX, Shimano XT
Bike Setup:
Kona Leroi. XTR front and rear
Bottom Line:
Great product, very strong and looks great.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
lesoudeur
a Cross Country Rider
from UK Date Reviewed: September 26, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Any if not raining
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$185.00
Purchased At:
chainreaction
Strengths:
Ease of installation (though frame bb shell had been machined), stiffness, smooth bearings, now have decent allen key chainring bolts (instead of torx), value at price paid
Weaknesses:
A little heavier than some competitors and 100 gms more than taper set up (FSA Ultimax titanium) but really none so far, but the overall design of external bearings makes chainline adjustment very restricted
Hope Pro 11, Mavic D521s, Rohloff, Avid BB7 and Ti v rear, SMICA stem and seatpost, FSA carbon flat bar, Reba Team 100mm, Fizik Nizene HP
Bottom Line:
Strong, smooth and easy to install. If bearings last then I will be happy with this set up. Nearly did not buy FSA as previous Ultimax Ti BB bearing failed prematurely and they are NOT user replaceable.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
zgr
a Downhiller
from Turkey Date Reviewed: April 3, 2007
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$120.00
Strengths:
Looks cool, Fairly Light, Strong, Durable, Precise, could be used for some FRing
Weaknesses:
Color wears off quickly.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano Alivio
Bottom Line:
I bought this crankset as an upgrade to Shimano Alivio. What can I say? The difference between the two is like day and night. FSA Afterburner Megaexo does what its meant to do, without a question. Cranks stay tight, bearings dont make any sound. I'm doing 4 feet to flat with these, they look strong so far. I'm 170 lbs and I'll be using them for some freeriding this summer.
Aside from those, color on crankarms wears off quickly. Because it looked kinda bad, I removed all the color with a color remover :) Now they look super sexy (the outer chainring desing and color adds to this sexyness).
Great product.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
LegendaryMrDude
a
from London, UK Date Reviewed: March 13, 2007
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$200.00
Strengths:
Very smooth shifting, not too heavy, not much flex, splined so not as prone to creaking as tapered. Looks OK too.
Giant XTC 850, Reba Team fork, Giant MPH discs, Easton EC70 CNT bars, Sumo titanium post.
Bottom Line:
Fitted after the supplied square taper BB and Shimano M440 cranks finally gave up, the Afterburner made a huge difference in performance. Shifting is much more immediate and far smoother. They are also noticeably stiffer than then old Shimano cranks (but then they are 4 times the price).
The black finish on the crank arms quickly wore off where my shoes rub so it looks a bit scruffy but the chainrings themselves remain neat and still have all their teeth despite some close encounters with logs etc. They aren't showing any significant signs of wear yet either and shifting performance remains good.
The supplied Mega-Exo bottom bracket was easy enough to install but be careful not to over-tighten or the spacers could easily buckle.
Use of a pressure washer has been careful for fear of forcing muck through the seals but they've been through a dusty summer and muddy winter, totalling 700 - 800 miles, and survived without problem (so far).
For the price, I am more than happy with them, and they're even cheaper now than when I bought them making them better value.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Richard
a Cross Country Rider
from Canada Date Reviewed: July 22, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Duhram Forest
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$150.00
Strengths:
Very strong, durable. By moving the bearing to the outside of the frame it has taken the flex out of bottom bracket. They shift extremly smooth. The come with aluminum chainring bolts to reduce weight. but why are they torx?
This is an exellent crankset for the money. When you install these make sure you leave a very small gap between the left crank arm and the bearing spacer. If you try to make it snug you will place too much preasure on the bearings and they will make a snaping sound. By backing off the left arm they run perfectly quiet and will perform great. They also include washers that go between the crank arm and the pedals. This will stop the pedals from cutting into the aluminum crank arms. This crankset is intended for XC riding and not freeride or downhill.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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