Description:From the forged in logos and post finish machining on the crank arms and chainrings to the high end features usually reserved for cranks twice the price, The Evolve XC finally brings some drool factor to the budget oriented, performance crankset market.
Submitted by
milkmanmarce
a Downhiller
from North Van Date Reviewed: November 7, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Ladies Only
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
Cove
Strengths:
Very strong. Great alternative to Shimano Hone/SLX
Weaknesses:
None
Similar Products Used:
Hone, LX
Bike Setup:
Cove Stiffee, Evolve XC,
Bottom Line:
This is a review for the new Evolve XC released last year. Gone are the "wobbly crank" issues of the older model. RaceFace is now using their "exi" interface on all XC cranks. This means the spline on the spindle is longer and deeper than the models reviewed here. These are dead easy to install with standard tools, and the new bb has been flawless in the year I've had it (I'm 6ft 175lbs). These cranks are crazy strong. I beat the crap out of them on the Shore and they never complain. Stiff, reasonably light and cheap too. If you're looking for an all mountain crankset and want an alternative to Shimano, this is it.
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Submitted by
armarac
a Weekend Warrior
from italy Date Reviewed: September 19, 2008
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
initially looked good... but!
Weaknesses:
after 6 months teeth have gone :(
...looking for a new shimano crankset
Similar Products Used:
race face prodigy
Bike Setup:
giant trance 1 2008
Bottom Line:
i'm really disappointed race face guys! i just ride on the weekends and after some months crankset teeth are really consumed... i'll check out for something that lasts at least 2 years (if it exists on these days!)
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Submitted by
blegs
a Cross Country Rider
from Bend, OR Date Reviewed: September 10, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Phil's
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$130.00
Purchased At:
Price Point
Strengths:
Solid, reliable component. Chainrings have lasted into their 4th season. (I clean drive train after every ride to avoid expensive probs.) It's installation and maintenance are simple. I like it's appearance, and it was inexpensive.
Weaknesses:
In its 4th season I'm having to replace chainrings for the first time and the bottom bracket is starting to show wear (very slight wobble).
Similar Products Used:
Various Shimano; Suntour Pro
Bike Setup:
Litespeed Obed, hardtail with XT, Avid, etc.
Bottom Line:
Four seasons is better than most I've used, and I'll continue using their cranksets.
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Submitted by
mycisco
a Weekend Warrior
from Novato, California, USA Date Reviewed: August 27, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Toads Wild Ride, Boggs, Annadel
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
craigslist.org
Strengths:
good looks, solid feel before it broke
Weaknesses:
Water gets into BB and locks up bearings
Similar Products Used:
shimano
Bike Setup:
Santa Cruz heckler
Bottom Line:
This crankset lasted less than 20 rides. The left bearing locked up tight, and after reading the reviews here, I chose to junk the thing rather than replace the bb and have it fail again. I'd stay away from this one.
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Submitted by
AndyMac_78
a Cross Country Rider
from Adelaide, South Australia, AUSTRALIA Date Reviewed: August 14, 2008
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
Strong and reliable initially.
Weaknesses:
Mud gets into BB and bearings.
Splines wear out (easily) after time and drive side develops play.
Similar Products Used:
None but going to XT.
Bike Setup:
Giant Trance 1 2007
Bottom Line:
Came stock on my Giant Trance 1 (2007). Similar issues to others in that the spline has worn out and then the drive side crank arm develops play. This started after 1 year, but kept persisting with crank bolt done up super tight and a little play. The last time I took apart to clean the crank had serious play. So its going in the bin. Quite disappointed with the life of these cranks - less than two years. I have had cheaper cranks last a lot longer.
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Submitted by
Luke Becker
a Weekend Warrior
from Portland, OR, USA Date Reviewed: July 16, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Buckskinner
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$98.00
Purchased At:
IMT
Strengths:
Looks good, easy to maintain. Strong platform for an all mountain riding big guy.
Weaknesses:
Nothing. Even when I forgot to tighten the driveside pedal after a rode trip, and stripped it off, still held that darn pedal for one whole season. Until, the day it failed...
Similar Products Used:
Shimano (okay), Truvativ (too weak, broke two arms in one summer).
Bike Setup:
Kona Dawg Primo, custom build.
Bottom Line:
Worked better than great. I'm a bigger guy (230#), and punished these little XC cranks to no end. Mostly trail riding, no huge drops, lots of ripping downhill, lots of trudging uphill. Even pulled half the threads out of one of the pedal sockets. Still held strong. Until the day they "failed". During a fast descent, I heard a snap, and the drive side arm separated, sending my groin unabashedly into my saddle. They worked flawlessly, until that fateful day. It was undeniably my own stupid fault, but these cranks held up to four superb seasons of trail riding. Just be sure to check for stress cracks occasionally. Your saddle will appreciate it.
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Submitted by
chris
a Weekend Warrior
from modesto, ca Date Reviewed: April 30, 2008
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
Greenfishsports.com
Strengths:
They look great and work great!
Weaknesses:
none
Similar Products Used:
XT cranks
Bike Setup:
06' SC heckler
Bottom Line:
For the price you can not beat them. I read other reviews where people have had bad experiences with these cranks, but I have not had a single issue with them yet. Bottom line, for the price you can get these you can save $100 and spend it on some other part on your bike. Or just buy a sweet bash guard like I did.
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Submitted by
monkies
a Weekend Warrior
from san francisco, CA Date Reviewed: April 24, 2008
Favorite Trail:
demo
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Strengths:
it's really strong, and there's no issues with flex or anything after 3 years of heavy abuse (5'7" 150 lbs).
Weaknesses:
none really. the nude silver color is dated.
Similar Products Used:
only set of cranks i've ever had.
Bike Setup:
ibis mojo
Bottom Line:
these came with my 2005 kona dawg dee-lux...i've used them for trail riding, light freeride with 5' drops to transitions and flat, jumps, and ski resort downhill. not 1 issue ever so i can't complain. don't know if they are weaker now, but these things are solid from 2005. no loosening ever, no bb issues (the bb finally seized up last month...got 3 years out of it, most of it east coast MD riding), and not a creak. i put them on my mojo last year and don't see any need to update unless the isis bb issue becomes a constant worry, or i just want to update for bling purposes. aside from a fashion statement, they've held up through tons of major abuse...and they're the evolve xc!
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Submitted by
Eric
a Cross Country Rider
from Ontario, Canada Date Reviewed: April 19, 2008
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Purchased At:
Brantford Cyclepath
Strengths:
Strong lightweight flex free crankset, good quality chainrings. RaceFace durability
Weaknesses:
RaceFace bb is so-so
Similar Products Used:
Truvativ GXP system
Bike Setup:
'03 GT Avalanche 1.0, custom polished frame and pimped out.
Bottom Line:
These were my first set of ISIS cranks, they are strong and remain flex-free under heavy power loads (and I'm a 230lbs clydesdale). Good quality chainrings make shifting a snap. The RaceFace bb is a bit of a disappointment for the price but did manage to hold up for a year before I made the switch to a Truvativ ISIS bb. These cranks have never let me down. Perfect for abusive XC riding, just be sure to use it with a better BB. I would give it 5 chili's but the RF bb holds it back.
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Submitted by
swisgar swiggle
a Cross Country Rider
from Mordhaus, netherlands Date Reviewed: March 26, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Karpotkins Revenge
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Dis race face things is the craps. After one year of ridin the thing gets all wobbly. I takes off my arms and a bearing is seizured. I dont understands how the great race faces could sell such garbage?
Weaknesses:
It should last a few seasons at least. I shall make race face bow down before me and honor my warranty. The design of the race face crankset is flawwed as it relies on a crush washer to not overtighten the bearings. Shimano allows for a much more precision adjustment of its balls and bearings. I guess thats what we get when a company specs this crankset as OEM instead of shimano.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano un-72 etc
Bike Setup:
Lots of spikes and angry fists.
Bottom Line:
Shimano is better and even LX looks nicer.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Andrew Bassingthwaighte
a Cross Country Rider
from Albury, NSW, Australia Date Reviewed: March 18, 2008
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$150.00
Strengths:
They are light, they look good.
Weaknesses:
The design
Similar Products Used:
Shimano XT
Bike Setup:
Giant Anthem 0 '07 Giant XTC2 '06
Bottom Line:
I have 2 bikes and both came with Raceface cranks. After about 12 months I found it hard to keep the cranks from coming loose. I tried loc-tite, I checked out the instructions on their website (which are great). The cranks just keep coming loose, this leads to the splines becoming "flogged out" making it even harder to get the cranks tight, so they just keep wabbling. Ive now purchased XT cranks and they are alot easier to maintain. Much better design. I have spoken to alot of Giant bike purchasers over the past 12 months and they're all having the same problem. The cranks make for a cheap bike but I'd ask you LBS to change them over. Poor design.
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Submitted by
Frank
a Weekend Warrior
from Brick NJ Date Reviewed: March 16, 2008
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$150.00
Purchased At:
lbs
Strengths:
look nice...light to a fault.
Weaknesses:
where do I begin
Similar Products Used:
truvativ, shimano, other race face cranks
Bike Setup:
03 Iron Horse
Bottom Line:
After a few months the BB brgs gave out. I thought it was a fluke so I bought another BB and a couple more months of good riding I detected a loose feeling. I thought it was the BB again but it was ok. I couldn't figure out what it was until I assembled the cranks OFF the bike. The drive side cranks splines were worn. This is why they only have a 1yr warr., they are crap. I have had luck with my old Turbine LP's and a set of Isis cranks, but it ends here.
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Submitted by
jakethehick
a Weekend Warrior
from Pawcatuck, CT, USA Date Reviewed: January 27, 2008
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
the cranks themselves are light and very stiff and strong
Weaknesses:
the cranks are too good for the BB! I bent both spindles on my BB wile the branks remained unharmed!
Bottom Line:
the cranks are great, just plan on replacing your BB after a few months (or in my case A few jumps!) While I know these arent for freeride, I've oftened wondered why Coilers come stock with these things!
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Submitted by
John Mills
a Racer
from Melboune; Australia Date Reviewed: December 4, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Lysterfield
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Purchased At:
Came on Trance Bike
Strengths:
Looks OK.
Weaknesses:
Similar to other reviews. No complaints initially. Some sticking in Bearings, Extractor bolt came loose and lost on the trail, Drive side started to become sloppy and could not be fixed by tightening.
Similar Products Used:
Race face with standard bottom bracket, Shimano, Truvativ.
Bike Setup:
2006 Trance 2
Bottom Line:
Thought the bearings in the bracket may have worn. Replaced these and still had play on the drive side. I suspect the splines are worn. This may be my fault as this was my first external BB set up and maybe I should have checked the tightness more regularly.
Will try a Shimano XT unit now.
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Submitted by
Pebble
a Weekend Warrior
from Australia Date Reviewed: December 1, 2007
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
OEM product on '06 Trance
Strengths:
Strong, good looking, durable chainrings. Very easy to remove & put back on! Can be serviced!
Weaknesses:
Not as smooth / drag free as others I've had
Similar Products Used:
Stock Specialized Cranks Shimano Octalink
Bike Setup:
The Evolve XC (ex type) were as stock on my '06 Trance 3.
Bottom Line:
Great system, the cranks were very easy to remove & put back on with just one 8mm allen key. No proprietary tool needed such as for the Shimano Octalink that came on my husbands HT. The bearings can also be greased and checked by removing the seal carefully, so they are somewhat serviceable, even though race face doesn't recommend this. I checked mine a couple of times in the 18 months I had them & they were clean as a whistle, I just added a bit more grease whilst I was at it. The place where I live is extremely dusty so the system seems good to me. Only issue is that they did have some drag, not as free spinning as the octalinks on hubby's bike, but I'd put that down to incorrect set up I guess. I would probably buy them again - well the Diabolus cranks will come on my next bike so I'll see if there is still a drag issue - but I must say I look forward to having Diabolus cranks instead of Saints!
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Submitted by
Dennis
a
from New Zealand Date Reviewed: August 17, 2007
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$170.00
Strengths:
looks cool
Weaknesses:
very soft metal, buckles easy
Similar Products Used:
cheap noname cranks
Bottom Line:
DONT BUY THESE, ive had mine for less than a month and the cranks are allready buckled, i havnt even had time to use these i have just been riding them to school (less than 1km a day)and i went around a mud track for about an hour, the cheap 18yr old cranks i had on my fsr were better (i got them free).
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Submitted by
Paul
a Racer
from New Zealand Date Reviewed: July 6, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Bottle lake forest
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
Came with the Giant Anthem 2
Strengths:
I have found the whole setup great until now. Nice cranks, stiff arms, solid rings and all lite weight.
Weaknesses:
Everything was great until the left side bearing wanted to seize. Took it all apart and found a sandpit in the bottom bracket housing. No sand, or sign of water in the bottom bracket. Racefaces inside seals work well. I believe it is the outside seals next to the crank arms that are letting mositure in.
Similar Products Used:
Durace and XT
Bike Setup:
2006 Giant Anthem 2, Standard race bike off the shop floor
Bottom Line:
The outside seals need to be improved, but we can't fix that, so take note RACEFACE. The inside bottom bracket sandpit we can fix. I suggest you use RTV sealant around the seatpost to frame joint and also in the frame split. That will at least mean we have done our part.
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Submitted by
Patrick
a Weekend Warrior
from FM Texas Date Reviewed: June 6, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Grapevine, NorthShore
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$130.00
Purchased At:
PricePoint.xom
Strengths:
I have ridden these cranks for over a year. I am 6'5" tall and weigh over 280. I am hard on parts as I am in pretty good shape and ride hard. The first set of these cranks I used failed due to a faulty install by my LBS. I ordered another set and a installed them with a buddy. Here is the deal, the instructions say to tighten the crank down until the bolt will no longer turn. It must bottom out the threads or it is not tight enough and the cranks will enventually loosen up and fail. You will think it is because of a faulty part but it is due to a poor install. Basically you are pressing the cranks onto the spline. It takes a lot of torque.
This crank will not fail if installed properly.
Weaknesses:
It is hard to install properly.
Bottom Line:
Buy the cranks. Install them right. For the money, you can't go wrong.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Dennis
a Weekend Warrior
from Fishers Island, NY Date Reviewed: May 12, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Tsali
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$130.00
Purchased At:
Greenefishsports
Strengths:
Good looks, thats a strength only if you like to look at your cranks all the time during riding.
Weaknesses:
Loud cracking noise, stiffing up after a few rides.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano XT
Bike Setup:
Kona Dawg, DT Swiss 240, Avid Juicy 7, XT rear.
Bottom Line:
Don't buy these cranks. I've had them for about 3 months, but used only a handful of times, no DH, nothing crasy. They have already developed loud cracking noise, stiffen up and God knows what's coming next. I'm taking very good care of my bike, always clean, lube, so all these listed above problems came not from bad user but from cheap manufacturer.
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Submitted by
Wes
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego Date Reviewed: May 10, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Nobel Canyon
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$129.00
Purchased At:
Beyond Bikes
Strengths:
Cheap, stiff, good looking I guess. The 06 has been flawless in the year I've had it.
Weaknesses:
I bought the 05 model and of course the splines fell apart, it was a seriously flawed product. Beyond Bikes sent it back to Race Face for warranty, and told me they would fix or replace it, but it would take a long time. I dropped the bike off as I was leaving for a 2-week vacation, and it still wasn't back 4 weeks after I returned. Beyond gave me a great price on an 06 Evolve XC, which they said was a much better design, and they're right. I finally got the 05 set back from Race Face, still sitting in the box. Maybe they'll go on the FS bike I'm building. Great support from Beyond Bikes.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano LX, XT, XTR, plus the giant overweight piece of junk that came on this bike.
The 06 seems to be a pretty good value. Can't attest to wet weather performance, we don't get much of that in San Diego. Can't say enough good things about Beyond Bikes service and support. Can't curse Race Face (non) support with enough fleas.
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Submitted by
Bogdan
a Weekend Warrior
from Canada Date Reviewed: April 18, 2007
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$210.00
Purchased At:
Toronto Bicycle Show
Strengths:
These cranks are stiff, light and look good.
Weaknesses:
Bad BB cup bearings ... Raceface Customer Support Is terrible!!!
Similar Products Used:
Shimano, Specialized, Ritchey
Bike Setup:
2005 Giant Trance
Bottom Line:
After 7 months of low-to-average use (approx 3 or 4 hours a week of aggressive, but rarely wet or muddy riding)the drive side BB cup bearing barely spins any more.
This would not necessarily be a bad thing on its own, but trying to get SUPPORT FROM RACEFACE IS IMPOSSIBLE! Raceface has NEVER answered, or replied to any of my various attempts to contact them.
Any products for which a company provides no customer support/service when problems arise cannot get a high rating. In my case, if support was available, this crank set would get a better rating, but if this is how Raceface chooses to treat their clients, the clients will eventually start looking elsewhere. Too bad Raceface!
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Submitted by
Manny
a
from Truro, Nova Scotia Date Reviewed: April 3, 2007
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
Used
Strengths:
Looks killer and feels so stiff.
Weaknesses:
none so far
Similar Products Used:
Shimano LX, Raceface Ride, FSA
Bike Setup:
Kona Dawg, Hope M4, SRAM X-9
Bottom Line:
These have not given me any trouble so far so I am keeping my finger crossed. Got them barely used for a decent price and they feel powerful when compared to my old XT's. Love em!
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Submitted by
Pete
a Weekend Warrior
from Ottawa Date Reviewed: April 2, 2007
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$250.00
Purchased At:
Bicyclettesdehull
Strengths:
Looks great! External BB, works well with SRAM
Weaknesses:
Haven't noticed anything yet.
Similar Products Used:
FSA MEgaExo, Truvative, Deore LX
Bike Setup:
Prophet 400
Bottom Line:
Not sure why so many people are having problems with this crank. My LBS put in on and it hasn't made any strange noises and works quite well with my SRAM setup.
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Submitted by
Jesse
a Weekend Warrior
from Melb, Aus Date Reviewed: March 9, 2007
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
look good...
Weaknesses:
i've had these for about a year and a half, came standard on my xtc2. about 6 months ago i started having trouble with my front chain jumping about. realised the crank arm was loose, took it into the LBS and they found that the spindle on the right crank was f*'d. tried to contact raceface and no help there either... i'd suggest looking at a different set of cranks.
Bottom Line:
they worked well when i first got them but broke quickly and haven't had any support from race face in relation to the issue. poor quality and cs.
$
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