Submitted by
juanro2
a Cross Country Rider
from Caracas, Venezuela Date Reviewed: December 30, 2008
Favorite Trail:
La siria
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$150.00
Purchased At:
jenson
Strengths:
Very durable, I had these for more than 1000 km and no problem
Weaknesses:
a little heavy
Similar Products Used:
Truvativ
Bike Setup:
Specialized Stumpjumper fsr, Mavic crossland wheels, sram x-9 RD, x-7 shifters, front and rear fox shocks
Bottom Line:
For the price is a very good option
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Will
a
from Denver Date Reviewed: March 22, 2008
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Strengths:
Pretty stiff, pretty light, strong.
Weaknesses:
Plating on aluminum spindle flakes off.
Similar Products Used:
Lots
Bottom Line:
I sent the right arm and spindle back to Shimano for warantee because it was getting difficult to remove due to the flaky plating on the spindle where it rests against the bearing. They said they never heard of that happening, and of course the replacement one is doing the same thing.
I recently hit a something solid on the side of the trail with my pedal while going something like 20mph. The right arm flexed at least 1", because it left a very impressive dent in my chainstay. However, it sprung back and the pedal even threaded back in straight, though my new bearings quickly wore out after that incident (go figure).
I really hate to say this, but Shimano makes the best external bearing cranksets at the moment. The LX, Hone, and XT are easy to work on, reliable, stiff and light. Due to the problems with the plated aluminum spindle, I'd say the XT, which has a steel spindle, is the better value in the long run.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Andy
a Weekend Warrior
from College Station, Texas Date Reviewed: September 16, 2007
This crankset has been great so far. Shifting is great, I have had no problems with skipping or chain suck. I have not used it enough to see if wear will be a problem, but for now it looks great. I couldn't be happier with this set.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
om
a Weekend Warrior
from Camarillo, CA Date Reviewed: June 25, 2007
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$150.00
Purchased At:
performance
Strengths:
Same basic design as my Hone version on the commuter. Easy to service and adjust if need. Chain doesn't skip as mentioned before, maybe the first gens did
Weaknesses:
None yet
Similar Products Used:
Hone hollowtech
Bottom Line:
Love it, I don't crank hard but I do shift quite often as I climbe and descend. No serious wear yet with 200 miles so far.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Eric
a Cross Country Rider
from Henderson NV. Date Reviewed: December 9, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Bootleg Canyon
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$165.00
Purchased At:
Jenson
Strengths:
Its rigid and light. Bearings in original bottom bracket have over 6000 miles of hard riding on them.
Weaknesses:
The aluminum middle ring wears to fast and suffered from chain suck. I solved the problem by putting on an older design M-570 steel LX ring ( a new one ordered from LBS ).
Bike Setup:
Mountain Cycle San Andreas.
Bottom Line:
Great crankset. The original middle ring got replaced with a XT ring that wore even faster, so on the advice of a friend, I ordered a older style steel M-570 ring and have had no problems since, with either chain suck or fast wear. The bottom bracket has been flawless on two bikes and over 2.5 years of service. I only gave the cranks 4 chilis overall because I have never had good luck with aluminum rings, regardless of the manufacturer.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
PaulM
a Weekend Warrior
from Fremont CA,USA Date Reviewed: June 17, 2006
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$120.00
Purchased At:
Performance Bike
Strengths:
stiff outboard bearing design, good looks, good shifting once chainline is dialed in, great performance for the price.
Weaknesses:
chainline was too extreme for my frame, required different (non-supplied) shims to adjust correctly.
Similar Products Used:
Raceface Turbine, Shimano LX octalink.
Bike Setup:
'99 Santa Cruz Heckler, Manitou Black Super, Fox Float, SRAM X9 rear, XT front derailleur.
Bottom Line:
Great crankset, strong and good looking, saves a hundred bucks over the slightly lighter XT crankset.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
LX302
a Cross Country Rider
from Bethlehem,PA,USA Date Reviewed: June 17, 2006
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$170.00
Purchased At:
Saucon Valley Bikes
Strengths:
Ease of installation, nice new Outboard Bearing Hollowtech 2 design.
From the beginning of my build, the middle crank ring would not hold the chain under any torque, resulting in skipping and or falling off. It shifted from one ring to the other flawless, but definetely a design flaw if you ask me. The bike shop worked with my as far as alignment of the crank and wear of the other parts, (chain and spacers on the crank)and in order to fix, besides replacing the crank, was to remove the middle chain ring and I installed a flat Salsa SS ring. It solved my problems, and shifting from one ring to another really isn't much different. So I can really recommend this crank unless you want to spend extra cash on a ring right away. From reading other reviews and comments on the forums, (after I purchased the crank) I'm not the only one with this problem.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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