Description:In its second full year of production, the Prodigy XC delivers a performance cross country specific crank to the budget minded XC rider. The XC is precision forged and CNC machined form 6061 aluminum and has been re-styled to offer increased stiffness while shaving grams off. ISIS drive with patented S.H.I.F.T. technology. Available with 4-bolt pattern. Lengths: 170, 175mm. Chainrings: 22/32/44T. Black, Silver, White, Red. 850g
Submitted by
Chad
a Cross Country Rider
from Acworth, GA Date Reviewed: January 14, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Blankets Creek
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Purchased At:
Been so long, I don't remember
Strengths:
Stiff, durable. Good price, when I bought them.
Weaknesses:
Stock rings wear out kinda quick. ISIS interface wears out after more than 3 years. Actually, that's not too bad. Better than tapered.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano LX
Bike Setup:
'04 Jamis Dakar XC Pro, LX drivetrain, Hayes HFX Discs, Fox F100 RL
Bottom Line:
These cranks have been a main-stay on my bikes for years. They are stiff for the type of riding I do. The only thing I can find fault with is the stock rings. The middle (where I'm at most of the time anyways) wore out after about 1 year, and never really shifted too great. Replaced with an LX ring, and has been great ever since. Shifting is better than ever. After years of riding them, the ISIS interface is finally starting to round out. I can completely take the crank off of the bottom bracket without a tool! They were great while they lasted, but it's time to move on.
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Submitted by
Aaron
a Weekend Warrior
from Rainier, OR Date Reviewed: June 20, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Stella
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$80.00
Purchased At:
E-bay
Strengths:
Simple strong and light design. Stiff crankarms. Durable after two years of all mountain pounding.
Weaknesses:
Stock rings a little soft
Similar Products Used:
2002 Shimano XT, 2004 Truvativ Hussfelts
Bike Setup:
2005 Jamis XLT with mods including a 22/36/Bashguard on these cranks)
Bottom Line:
These cranks are exactly what they are advertised to be...a budget XC crank with reasonable performance. Not expecting top of the line performance...just solid performance and that is what they have given me for two years. The stock rings shifted good but wore out a little quick (though no as quick as my XT rigs did!). Yes its true that Shimano rings will not fit (they will and do after a little Dremel tool action...I'm running a Shimano middle ring right now)...but Shimano rings also don't fit many non-Shimano cranksets including other RF and Truvativ cranks. Typical Shimano!
Bottom line...they are a budget crankset that work at the level that would be expected at their price range.
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Submitted by
RZ
a Weekend Warrior
from Jakarta, Indonesia Date Reviewed: May 20, 2007
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$90.00
Purchased At:
Pedro Pitshop
Strengths:
looks good, strong, fairly light
Weaknesses:
None so far
Similar Products Used:
Deore,xtr
Bike Setup:
xtc team,Race Face Prodigy XC Crankset,xtr,bb7,thomson,easton flatbar, rs recon,etc..
Bottom Line:
This product is really strong for XC purpose. I've used it for more than 2 years with more than 2000 offroad miles on it and it still as good when it was new. Just give a nice lubricant on your chain and the chainring will last forever.
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Submitted by
RobeQ
a Cross Country Rider
from Croatia Date Reviewed: April 4, 2007
Favorite Trail:
All around
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
looking good....
Weaknesses:
lot of noise after 2 months of use and the left crank wear out if you force it in jumps......
Similar Products Used:
some.... shimano lx,shimano xt
Bike Setup:
kona blast, dirt jumper, sun rims, xt, deore
Bottom Line:
If you go on dust and dry off roads expect the noise very quickly.... 2 times my left crank fell of ... I had to screw it that almost smash it... It's not for hard driving and all conditions.... but anyway, cleaning it and some grease add fix the problem and checking the cranks by screwing from time to time .... also the price is good..
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Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Cherry Hill, NJ Date Reviewed: October 18, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Anywhere there's single track
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Purchased At:
Came on Santa Cruz Frameset
Strengths:
Shifting has been fine with 4 yrs. use. Am now changing rings for 3rd set. They wear out just like anything else, especially when you don't keep a fresh chain on the bike like I didn't. The crank arms are stiff and have taken some really hard shots on rocks, tree roots, etc. with no adverse effects. Removing them is easy, but don't forget to take the washer out before using the crank removing tool. They are aluminum and will strip out if you forget to remove the washer inside first.
Weaknesses:
My only complaint is that the crank arms are only compatible with Race Face rings. I tried to install XT rings and they don't fit the crank arms. Uniformity would be nice.
Similar Products Used:
LX, XT
Bike Setup:
'02 Santa Cruz Superlight - Marzzochi XFly100 fork, Fox Float rear shock, FSA bars & stem, Avid Mech. disc brakes, Mavic 223 disc rims with XT hubs.
Bottom Line:
Nice product, but have yet to find an LBS that I can walk into and by rings for off the shelf. I have to take away a couple of chilis for that
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Submitted by
ken
a Cross Country Rider
from NC Date Reviewed: June 23, 2006
Favorite Trail:
any single track that's not flat
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Purchased At:
came w/bike
Strengths:
$, shift well
Weaknesses:
quick wear,noise!!!
Similar Products Used:
LX,XT
Bike Setup:
mostly stock Giant NRS
Bottom Line:
I've had 3 BB's and 2 sets of rings in 4 years. Thats more trouble than they are worth. I weigh 230 and ride some big hills so they do get mashed alot so they did some moderate use. The final straw came when I tried to pull the crank arm and the only thing that pulled was all of the threads. Plus they squawk constantly. Hope yours work better than mine did. Buy it if money is the main issue but plan on replacement.
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Submitted by
Scott Simpson
a Cross Country Rider
from Sanford, Florida, USA Date Reviewed: June 18, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Ocala's threesome
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$120.00
Purchased At:
online somewhere
Strengths:
Customer service from factory, these guys are really on the ball. I cannot believe the comments below. If you have a problem contact these guys, and they will do anything possible to help you out.
Weaknesses:
Not one single thing. I had to contact the factory because I screwed the crank arm up on install. I offered to pay to have it remachined and they hooked it up for FREE! You will never get this kind of personal service from Shimano.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano hollowtech, XT cranksets. I have these on my spare "guest bikes" and have to retourque them every time we ride. No good.
Bike Setup:
Iron Horse HT, Rockshok, Chris King, Mavic, Avid, Full XT with RACE FACE KICK A#$% CRANKS!
Bottom Line:
Shimano has the componentry dialed in excecpt for cranks. Here is where Race Face fills the gap. I chose one of there cheaper lines for my bike. I bet the better ones are just that. YOU NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO INSTALL DIRECTIONS. If this is done properly these babys are bullet proof. These tanks below me probably just threw things together and then blamed the product for their mistakes. There is only one choice for cranksets: RACE FACE.
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Submitted by
Damian
a
from Notts Date Reviewed: May 29, 2006
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Looks Good Feels Solid
Weaknesses:
Weak if you buy a Square Taper,
Similar Products Used:
LX,XT,
Bottom Line:
Good if you get an isis probaly wont snap like my Taper version did,The taper stared to come lose tightened it so it was tight again did a 4ft drop and snap,
If you want to do xc get a Shimano LX Hollowtech there much stronger and far better
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Submitted by
zanq
a Cross Country Rider
from Michigan Date Reviewed: May 22, 2006
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$110.00
Purchased At:
CambriaBike.com
Strengths:
Looks nice, decent price
Weaknesses:
Weak spider, short warranty (?)
Similar Products Used:
Shimano, Middleburn RS7
Bike Setup:
Cove Handjob XC, hand selected components
Bottom Line:
After ~1.5 years of mild to moderate riding, the 4-arm spider warped just enough to create a der. adjustability problem. I'm 6'1" and 165 lb. riding in flat MI so I'm not a huge masher with big climbs tearing up my equipment. I'm attempting to see if a warranty claim can be made but the LBS has refused to even TRY to call Raceface. The OE Shimano crankset on my 1990 Schwinn has lasted 16 yrs. with a ton-o-miles and this warped only a little over a year? Buy it if you just want to say you have Raceface cranks, buy something else if you actually want them to work. I dropped some bigger cash for Middleburn cranks. The LBS issue is isolated from Raceface, but only 1 chilly for ~1 year of usable service.
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Submitted by
Phil
a Cross Country Rider
from Malibu, Ca, USA Date Reviewed: May 1, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Sycamore Canyon
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
stock
Strengths:
CHEAPER than XT. Seem to be durable so far.
Weaknesses:
NONE YET.
Similar Products Used:
XT, RACEFACE turbine LP
Bike Setup:
Jamis Dakar Pro Full suspension, Marzocchi marathon XC, XTR (except raceface cranks).
Bottom Line:
Cheaper then XT and comparable(or better) quality. For the money I will buy raceface over shimano any day. Who wants to pay $200 for a used set of XTR or XT cranks when you can get new ones for less. So far I have had no problem with losing chainring teeth (unlike on XT). Cranks are always a pain in the butt and get worn out, but for the $ these are what to buy.
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Submitted by
Andres
a Cross Country Rider
from Los Cabos Date Reviewed: November 23, 2004
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
came with the bike
Strengths:
smooth shifting
Weaknesses:
They are too weak, I have had them for less than a month and the inner ring bent on a very easy uphill and with out forcing it.
Similar Products Used:
Shimanos
Bike Setup:
Kona
Bottom Line:
Don´t buy this stuff if you pretend to ride a lot, or if you prefere long lasting rides than racing
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Submitted by
Chris Price
a Weekend Warrior
from Bridgewater, Nova Scotia Date Reviewed: November 15, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Indian Path
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
um, Canadian? But that may be too much of a strength for this crap ass company.
Weaknesses:
Too soft
Similar Products Used:
Shimano, Truvativ, Sugino, Campagnolo (Well on my road bike)
The Bottom line eh? Well lets see, I have had a pair for both of my bikes.
On my Klein I managed to strip the pedals out of both arms. All I do is ride xc style trails and race xc with this bike. Never done a drop with this bike, and I WAS using the metal pedals washers, and I only use one pair of pedals.
On my DMR Trailstar I Bent the left arm and rounded out the ISIS hole. This was caused by, well I don't know, I was riding home from a Shore style trail and felt itreally loose. I geuss it just happened over time.
As for the right arm on the DMR I did a hudge 2 and a half foot drop, resaulting in a cracked arm and a stripped pedal hole. Once again I WAS using the supplied pedal washers.
Race Face would not warrenty anything, they said the arms on my Klein were wrecked due to switching pedals alot, which is NOT true. And the Arms on my DMR were rejected since they were installed on a bike the is know for having the wheels leave the ground at one point or another. I weigh 170 pounds, land quite smoothly and have not done a drop larger then say 4 foot. I would say only buy these if you have a bike with hudge amounts of travel and you only do drops under 5 feet.
I also have a Race Face Real Seal Headset on my klein, which for $150 I don't think should bind up when you turn left. I did send it back, they replaced the top part of the top cup, but it only fixxed it a bit. I also had 2 RF BB's for my klein in 3 months. They had loosened up and the bearings came out like dust. I bought the RF Aquanot Jacket and the RF Free Ride vest, the zippers fell off of both in about 2 months. They said too bad.
Now you may be thinking this guy is just a masher and is probly one of thoes 13 year old kids who just don't know anything. But no, I have been riding for 8 years, rarly have problems with any parts, only wear and tear. I ride about 20 or more hours a week, have worked at several shops, and made the 2002 Bianchi National team. I know a quality part when I see one. And I havent seen one from RF yet. DON'T BUY FROM RACE FACE.
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Submitted by
Morten Edvars
a Cross Country Rider
from Kopenhagen, Denmark Date Reviewed: August 20, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Harburger Berge(Germany)
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$70.00
Purchased At:
Hibike
Strengths:
Look great, cheap, stiff, light.
Weaknesses:
I am the owner of both the ISIS and the older taper version off the crankset, chainrings on the taper version was not as strong as the newer ones, so I changed them.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano
Bike Setup:
Race Face, Mazocchi, Shimano
Bottom Line:
Great crankset for the money. Exept for the weak chainrings on the taper version, I have been quite satisfied with this product.
With my 96 Kilos, and and quite agressive stile off xc riding, these cranks have never let me down, and that's what counts at the end off the day.
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Submitted by
Rich
a Weekend Warrior
from Thunder Bay ON Canada Date Reviewed: August 9, 2004
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$65.00
Strengths:
Good shifting, Stiff and strong, no creaking at all, showing very little signs of wear
Weaknesses:
Seems to loosen up constantly need to tighten bolts frequently. Probably need to use loctite on the bolts
Similar Products Used:
Shimano Deore square taper
Bike Setup:
Jamis Dakar XC Pro with Sram 7.0 cassette and pc 99 chain,Lx shifters, Xt front and Lx Rear derailleur that won't die Xt Front and old faithful lx rear derailleur that won't die
Bottom Line:
No regrets buying this cranks. Seems to shift quite a bit smoother than my old Deore cranks. Very little flex. The bottom bracket after 6 month has held up ok but noticing it's not as smooth as it used to be. Excellent cranks and I would purchase again. Now it's the Evolve XC.
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Submitted by
Bobby
a Cross Country Rider
from Graniteville, Vermont Date Reviewed: July 20, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Catamount
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$112.00
Purchased At:
price point... naturally
Strengths:
stiff. sure-shifting.
Weaknesses:
nada
Similar Products Used:
shimano lx, xt, whatever came w/my Cannodale (coda?)
Bike Setup:
C-dale F700, magura julie, xt
Bottom Line:
the stock crankset on my c-dale had endless issues. bolts falling off, faulty shifting, the chain line was way outta wack, major chain suck, one ring even crumpled up like a bad test grade. the prodigy xc was a dream come true. now i click my pods and (da da daaa) it goes to the right gear. i even saved a little weight.
i would recommend these to anyone who cares about the quality of the ride. if you're equally interested in the schwanka schwank of your cranks, you might consider the evolve.... but if your main goal is solid, dependable shifting, this is your crankset.
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Submitted by
John Welford
a Weekend Warrior
from Sheffield Date Reviewed: June 1, 2004
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
good name! and they never snapped i guess?
Weaknesses:
slightly flexy, chainrings are made of poo
Similar Products Used:
shimano
Bike Setup:
alu hardtail
Bottom Line:
these came with way soft chainrings and flexed a little, but then i guess thats why they're not top of the range models!
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Submitted by
Steve
a Weekend Warrior
from Denver Date Reviewed: May 18, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Colorado Trail/Buffalo Creek
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$110.00
Purchased At:
some shop in Fruita
Strengths:
Just keeps cranking, it never complains or breaks. Priced well.
Weaknesses:
Can't think of any.
Similar Products Used:
XT and LX
Bike Setup:
SC BLUR
Bottom Line:
I had these cranks on my previous bike and transferred it over to the new rig. I read a lot of reviews about people breaking the crank. I weigh 195 lbs. and ride pretty hard; never have these cranks broken or bent. Either A) Some people need to lose some weight or B) Some people need to ride a little lighter. Ride like you're a cat not a walrus! These are XC, that means not for fat asses!
If you are looking for a great value on an XC crank than get the Raceface Prodigy. 3 yrs. and she's still cranking wonderfully.
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Submitted by
Brad
a Downhiller
from Laguna Hills, CA, USA Date Reviewed: May 9, 2004
Mountain Cycle San Andreas DHS; Boxxer Race; XTR F/R derailleurs, XT shifters; this miserable crankset; Hayes 8" hydraulics; Race Face seat post; Easton bars; Maxxis Minion DH tires; and the rest...
Bottom Line:
Don't waste your time, money, or energy. Sack up and get real cranks.
If you are an entry level or casual rider that does not want to fork out the dough for a "real" crankset, then these are adequate. If you plan on developing as a rider or are you are pretty aggressive already, then I suggest getting something like an XTR or Saint crankset (or anything on the higher end). You can either spend the money now and enjoy your rides or you can spend it through time trying to fix these and getting angry on the trail.
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Submitted by
Erik
a
from British Columbia Date Reviewed: May 4, 2004
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
ISIS drive. Decent crankarms. Washer for pedal mount.
Weaknesses:
Weak rings = bent teeth = many more problems.
Similar Products Used:
Various older Shimano cranksets, Truvativ Hussefelt
Bottom Line:
You get what you pay for. Package buys w/ a BB make this an attractive option for budget minded consumers. Must remember it is an XC crankset = weaker. 32 & 44 tooth rings are much too weak though, and the teeth bend easily. They are adequate though, but you may soon find that a few extra $$ for a better crankset might be better in the long run. I went with an upgrade to the Evolve FR BB and that's creaking all the time now. I'm starting to believe what I've heard before: RaceFace and components with bearings are not a good match.
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Submitted by
Herman
a Cross Country Rider
from Germany Date Reviewed: April 8, 2004
Would something else than Shimano, so I bought a complete Race Face Prodigy Crankset. The first bottom bracket broke within a month ! The second survived it for 6 weeks ! I'm a amateur cross country rider and I only weight 70 kg, but that seems to be too heavy for Race Face !!!
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Submitted by
Spongedog
a Cross Country Rider
from McLean, Virginia, USA Date Reviewed: February 20, 2004
Originally on a NRS 1, now on a VT 1. SRAM PC99 chain, XTR rear derailure and XTR rear cog
Bottom Line:
To date, I am on my second bottom bracket and second crankset. I have replaced the middle chainring 3 times in 2 years. Now my bottom bracket (supposedly there were really bad ones a couple of years ago, and I received a good one last year under warranty) had developed some grinding (not good) and I am sure it is done for. I can't believe how often I replace chainrings. They are difficult to acquire,and the middle one goes for 33 bucks. I bought a new crankset last year, but then Race Face sent me a new chainring.
The bottom line is that Race Face is good about warranty for their products, but the sad fact is that this is a lame crank. Either go for a higher end model from Race Face or get something else alltogether.
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Submitted by
Justin
a Cross Country Rider
from Ohio Date Reviewed: February 7, 2004
Favorite Trail:
alumn creek
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
Amazingly strong, high quality construction and beautiful finish
Weaknesses:
finish rubbed off after one season so i polished them (I know this is nitpicking)
Similar Products Used:
lots of shimano stuff
Bike Setup:
04 GF HooKooEKoo, sram X9 rear der and shifters, sram cassette and chain, deore front der, syncros seat tube, lx/mavic wheels, IRC mythos tires, coda seat, cane creek dc levers, onza bar ends, avid single digit ti brakes, 97 judy xc w/total air
Bottom Line:
I weigh 200 lbs and snapped the shimano stuff. these are great, strong cranks at an unbeatable price, 5 for quality, 5 for just being a great product!
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Submitted by
Brent Van Eps
a Cross Country Rider
from Rancho Cucamonga, Ca Date Reviewed: January 23, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Pauley creek downieville, ca
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$99.00
Purchased At:
Jax bicycle center Irvine
Strengths:
good price, stiff, light
Weaknesses:
none so far
Similar Products Used:
race face turbine, shimano xt octalink, shimano lx octalink
great cranks. they are as good as anything else i have tried. I like the bottom bracket, I have the signature xc. Get the good bottom bracket with the cheaper crank. This is a great deal. I don't see how some of the other reviewers strippes the threads out of the arms though, I have had mine on and off dozens of times to clean the rings off with no problems at all. Perhaps they cross threaded, left in a washer, or used the wrong tool. I don't feel this is a problem with these cranks. Also the whie powdercoat omn mine is holding up fine. Excellent product
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Submitted by
Samsun
a Cross Country Rider
from Wales, GB Date Reviewed: January 3, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Local
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$70.00
Purchased At:
Sunset
Strengths:
Cheap for the name and weight. Run smooth and seem to be strong so far.
Weaknesses:
Paint rubs off cranks after a while but that is to be expected.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano Octalink
Bike Setup:
Orange Sub-5, Raceface, Hope, Fox, XT.
Bottom Line:
Price paid is in £ so cheap. They are light yet strong. Although I have the XC I have done quite a few drops with these and there have been no problems. I have now started to run them with a bash guard and this just seems to enhance the change from granny to middle ring. I am running these only on a Raceface Evolve XC BB and they seem to make a very strong partnership.The rings also have nice pick up points to help the chain move up the rings which is a nice touch.
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Submitted by
Brian Draghicchio
a Cross Country Rider
from Milwaukee, WI USA Date Reviewed: December 3, 2003
Favorite Trail:
John Muir
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$110.00
Purchased At:
cambria bike
Strengths:
Good crankset for the price. Strong. Easy installation.
Weaknesses:
None so far.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano XTR M950, Kooka, Cook brothers.
Bike Setup:
Trek 8900, 2001 XTR, old rock shox sid. still an 8 speed!
Bottom Line:
These cranks are on my second bike that I use for Jumping and mudding. I have been pleased with them so far. For $110 including the bottom bracket, they are a great find. I have been jumping and hitting small 2 foot hucks with them and they have yet to start creaking or break. The installation was easy and did not alter my shifting at all, even though I have an 8-speed chain; No chain slip or suck either. These cranks are pretty young, we will see how well they break in. However, for the price I paid I would recommend these cranks. I have had good experiences with Race Face and stand behind their products. Be sure to check out their new 2004 crank set with integrated BB. Should give Shimano a run for their money.
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Submitted by
Mark Foster
a Downhiller
from Orlando, Fl (riding in Grenada, West Indies) Date Reviewed: November 15, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Lance Aux Epines DH
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$115.00
Purchased At:
Price Point
Strengths:
I actually have the Prodigy DH version of this crank with a bashguard! Ri
$ 115.00
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