|
|
|
| |
Submitted by
Andrew
a
from Sydney, Australia
Date Reviewed: June 24, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | came with bike | | Strengths: | They didnt break | | Weaknesses: | Too much creaking!!! | | Similar Products Used: | Raceface, Suntour XC Pro | | Bottom Line: | This review is for the Sugino IMPEL crankset....
These will be a constant source of noise on your bike, because they are only melt-forged and fairly cheap. The Sugino rings shifted well but didnt last long enough, the cranks are extremely flexy
Sugino Mighty are meant to really good and Sugino used to make high end Ritchey and Suntour cranks, but Impel are just terrible | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Owen Ronalds
a Cross Country Rider
from Yeppoon, Australia
Date Reviewed: October 19, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | somewhere green | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | Kenmore CycleSports | | Strengths: | Solid basic crank, not too heavy | | Weaknesses: | chainrings are soft like similar cheap shimano stuff made of Pepsi cans | | Similar Products Used: | shimano deore/alivio etc.. | | Bike Setup: | Ti hardtail with mostly retro gear , alot of old (pre'90) XT that still works perfectly. | | Bottom Line: | This crank is stiff and has worked harder than you are likely ever to and its still good. Creaks a little sometimes on BB spindle and definitley worth upgrading to better rings if you're getting it dirty (like something made of 7075) | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bart
a Weekend Warrior
from Greenwood, MO, USA
Date Reviewed: July 30, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Landahl Park | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | Stiff, looks great, low cost | | Weaknesses: | None really, if I was pinned down and had to give one I'd say that the rings are a low end, but overall they are great | | Similar Products Used: | SR Suntour (OEM), Truvativ Husselfelt w/ rock guard (on my new '03 GT Ruckus 1.0 OH YEAH!) | | Bike Setup: | The bike the Sugino Impel 700 is on is a '99 GT Karakoram w/ rebuilt Judy fork, Sun Rhino Lite rims w/ Shimano LX hubs, Avid V-brakes | | Bottom Line: | I see a lot of reviews on here bashing this crank. I'm a 225 pound rider and have been using it on my Karakoram ever since the crappy SR Suntour oem cranks bit the big one (non-replaceable rings), The Impel 700's look good, are strong, and have replaceable rings. What more do you want for $40? If you are wearing out the rings really fast then you need to get a clue and get a high end chain. Worn out rings are typically a result of a cheap, stretched out chain. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
garrett
a Cross Country Rider
from Brooklyn
Date Reviewed: June 19, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | all over Catskills | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | It does what it's supposed to: it cranks. It's also reasonably light, strong, and not ugly. | | Weaknesses: | The rings that came with. | | Similar Products Used: | Raceface, Cook Bros, Shimano, Caramba. | | Bike Setup: | 96 Jamis Dakota AL (initially) - now it's on a 01 Jamis Dakota XC steel HT. | | Bottom Line: | I crack up at all the negative reviews. It's an inexpensive crank, but it has lasted 5+ years, is NOT flexy, is light, and has a utilitarian beauty to it. Yeah sure, I've got Raceface Northshore XS and Cook Bros as well, and they are great, but I like the Sugino Impels just fine. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Saby R
a Weekend Warrior
from Halifax
Date Reviewed: April 24, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | Cam stock with my Rocky Mountain | | Strengths: | I guess you get what you pay for (Impel) | | Weaknesses: | Does not look good at all, very flexy (compared to my new Race Face Next LP) | | Similar Products Used: | Race Face Next LP | | Bike Setup: | Rocky Mountain Oxygen Race, Full XTR, Syncros (Stem, post and Headset) Mavic 517, Rock Shox Sid Race, Kore Skewers, 858 pedals | | Bottom Line: | Right from the start I did not like this crank, I found it to be quite ugly and overall very blend. It always made noise and was resposible for a quite a few chain suck. As soon as I replaced it with Race Face Next LP, my speed imporved dramatically. Ok both cranks are at opposite end of performance line so it is not very fair to compare one another. Overall,there is no good reason to buy this crank new or used, there are better alternatives. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
johnny
a Cross Country Rider
from quebec
Date Reviewed: March 27, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | the guy below > pierre | | Strengths: | the arms are great they look good and are strong , their not that heavy | | Weaknesses: | the chainrings suck , chain suck a grandeur....whatever that means | | Similar Products Used: | all the forged steel cranks that come on sub 200$ bikes and a new up ( or downgrade) to a 2003 alivio crank , its actually pretty good | | Bike Setup: | fisher frame decent to not so great componentry | | Bottom Line: | i think that brand new this crankset must have been great ,but after the chainrings start to wear its too expensive to replace on an aging crank 3 chilis = good | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Pierre L'Archevêque
a Cross Country Rider
from Laval, Québec, Canada
Date Reviewed: December 27, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | came with the bike | | Strengths: | I have a sugino Impel. It has a very attractive look and the crank arms are pretty strong
-It makes a very beautiful garage decoration or even a high quality gardening tool.
-it fits in almost every garbage can. | | Weaknesses: | It looks too good to be true. Chainrings are not durable, especially the two small ones. The big one is not bad but it gets bent easily.
-They are pretty hard to find.
-You should change to a shimano Deore or better
-The chain tends to stick to it sometimes and the rear derailler cage hits the frame. It's pretty surprising. It jams | | Similar Products Used: | shimano deore | | Bottom Line: | My bike is a 1998 Gary Fisher Tequila and it had this horrible crank on it.
Once, I was going down a hill at a pretty fast speed and somehow the chain got twisted all around the crank arms AND GEARS. The crank locked so abruptly.
-Do not get attracted by the look. It is really garbage. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve Brant
a Cross Country Rider
from Albany
Date Reviewed: August 31, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | my favorite | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | BB&B | | Strengths: | (Mighty 900's) strength, length (172.5), value. | | Weaknesses: | they get scratched when you use them? | | Similar Products Used: | XT's, Ritcheys, LX's, CODA(crap). | | Bike Setup: | kona explosif "95" (stock cranks) | | Bottom Line: | Tough, never had any problems at all. I put in close to 75 miles a week on training rides during race season and abuse them terribly and after 7 years they are still in great shape. MIGHTY 900'S are bombproof!!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
artee
a Downhiller
from manila
Date Reviewed: July 13, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | urban | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$12.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | it did hold up for 6 months of downhill and urban riding and hucking. | | Weaknesses: | it bent on the first 2 months then the drive side broke in half after doing a trackstand. i am SERIOUS. | | Similar Products Used: | bontrager (another crappy crank), truvativ, raceface prodigy dh | | Bike Setup: | GT Avalanche | | Bottom Line: | i bought this crank for the price. well, i got exactly what i paid for. I didnt expect it to last anyway. the day before it broke, i remember hitting my pedals in a 2' high curb. then the next day, while practicing a trackstand, the right crank broke in half, amusing all my friends. value for money, id give this crank a 5. maybe this crank was made for smaller riders who ride light downhill and XC and wont mind the weight, it is heavy (who cares). | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ronin
a Weekend Warrior
from South Bay Rules!
Date Reviewed: July 9, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | RollerCoaster (now a golf course :( ) | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Strong and stiff | | Weaknesses: | Weight and looks | | Bike Setup: | Nishiki Backroads Hardtail, Manitou X-Vert DC | | Bottom Line: | This crankset came stock on my Nishiki and I've yet to break them. This is a pretty good accomplishment considering that I weigh in excess of 200lbs. Though they're a bit on the heavy side, I'll trade this weight penalty for the strength. I've changed just about every component on my bike to build it for strength (remember I'm over 200lbs.) and stayed with the Sugino Impel cranks since I've yet to find any problems with them. I've done everything from trailriding and dirt jumping to downhilling at the local ski resort, yet these things have never failed me. All the skeptics can whine and mutter about something they probably have never used but I'll go with my own experience and stick with my Sugino's. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Danner
a Downhiller
from New Hampshire, USA
Date Reviewed: June 28, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | goose loop | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Strengths: | cheap price
held up well for me so far
| | Similar Products Used: | lasco cranks, bicycle euro | | Bike Setup: | BIKE?! i use these cranks on a UNICYCLE, downhill and mountain riding | | Bottom Line: | did i mention i use these CRANKS on a unicycle? this means direct drive, no spiders or rings or other stuff to worry about, so down to the basics, for a cheap set of cranks, these have held up to my 180lbs of jumping rather well(unicycle means that i have all my weight on these cranks, all of the time)
if you are complaining aobut a cheap pair o cranks not holding up as well as your $200 pair, be reasonable... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
William Syx-Spears
a Weekend Warrior
from Downey CA
Date Reviewed: February 27, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | anything free of automobiles | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | Russels Bike Shop Downey CA | | Strengths: | Simplicity compact chainring design, good looks | | Weaknesses: | Ehhh? | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano, Sun Tour, Campagnolo, SR, Mavic, Ofmega, Gippieme,
Stronglight, TA, and who knows what else | | Bike Setup: | Gary Fisher Paragon mostly stock | | Bottom Line: | They work, simple and straight forward design with hex bolt mounting chainrings and a hole for da pedals! I do not understand the vitreol meeted out here against the Sugino cranks they are no better and no worse than any other upscale or aftermarket crank I've ever used. once you move away from 99 cent store one piece cranks the choices are mostly cosmetic, unless quality control is gastly. It is possible to kill a chainring or two I've even done so on my MANY, MANY, road bikes. I've sheared off pedals and bent crank arms. All on road bikes! considering the abuse MTB often take I'd be surprised if an awfull lot of chainrings, and/or crankarms did not get banged up. The Sugino line is not one you hould be afraid of if it comes stock on you bike like it did on mine do not worry about it. If your looking for a "New" sexy state of the art high tech crank. The Sugino line is not going to be your cup of tea. Sugino cranksets are too basic and utilitarian to attract that kind of attention. Sugino's are basic dull workhorses. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
weather expert
a Weekend Warrior
from iowa
Date Reviewed: January 28, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | oem | | Strengths: | i'm reviewing the impel 750. reasonably stiff, shifts well, good rings. | | Weaknesses: | i don't have anything badto say. oh yeah you can say it's not as light as 1 gram and it's not as stiff as DH cranks. hey, we live in the real world. | | Similar Products Used: | turbine square, prodigy isis | | Bike Setup: | crank came on an xcaliber now on a trek 850 | | Bottom Line: | this crankset came stock on a 96 fisher xcaliber. i bought the bike used, then used it for 2 years. over 300 dirt miles and close to 3000 road miles. no problems. the rings are still good after all the usage. it didn't bend or anything. now it's dutifully serving on my beater.
(i can't imagine someone would be s****d enough to use an XC crnakset for DH and jumping. this is plain absurd. but this seems to be a lot of reviewers doing here) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
steve ross
a Cross Country Rider
from scotland
Date Reviewed: August 22, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Bottom Line: | I must admit that I am a bit confused with the reviewws here, either Sugino make the worst cranks ever seen, or they make good quality, excellent value for money cranks that perform well under most conditions. IMHO, I fall into the latter camp. I had a set of Sugino cranks for 2 1/2 years and they performed really well. Then I decided to "upgrade" to a set of LX cranks, and found that they creaked all the time (due to the 2-piece spider) and had relatively soft rings. Why do the Sugino cranks get either really good or really bad reviews. I think they are the best value for money out there. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jarlath
a Cross Country Rider
from london
Date Reviewed: June 15, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | coed y brenin | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$75.00 | | Purchased At: | cycle surgery | | Strengths: | (sugino mighty 900) strong enough, light, straight forward sensible kit. lots of people doing bargain prices on them.
made by the manufacturer behind many more expensive "branded" cranks | | Weaknesses: | none. unless you want them to look flash. | | Similar Products Used: | shimanos, oem suginos, middleburn | | Bike Setup: | front suspension bike with high quality, straight forward, sensible kit. no gimmicks. | | Bottom Line: | Firstly. what is everyone reviewing here? sugino make more chainset models than anyone else, inlcuding half of all oem and "own brand" cranks aswell as many branded cranks. People are dissagreeing with other reviews that are probably for different cranks.
In my experience working in the bike trade all suginos represent good value at their price point. they are straight forward no nonsense kit.
I use the mighty 900. the cranks are light, they don't flex for me and i haven't broken them in 5 years of riding (but i don't break that much kit anyway) and they are available at around £50 all over in the uk. the chainrings shift like the best but don't last too long. 5 chillies for top quality no-nonsense kit! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ken
a Cross Country Rider
from Salt Lake City, Utah
Date Reviewed: June 6, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Desolation Lake | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | They lasted while I used them. For the first two weeks I had them they shifted like XTR. Of course, that didn't last very long, but it's more than I can say for LX. | | Weaknesses: | Flexy, but not as much as LX, and chainrings last only twice as long as LX, but what the hell do you expect at this price? | | Similar Products Used: | LX, XTR. | | Bottom Line: | This is a mass-produced, mega-cheap crankset that was put on tons of bikes for a very good reason: there was unfortunately very little you could get that lasted as long for under $200 up until a few years ago. Think of all the chichi anodized machined cranks for six or ten times the price that would bust before these things. For those who complain about chainrings, get a clue. I don't think you'll find chainrings anywhere at any price that retain their shift quality more than a month, or are vaguely rideable after a season. It's the sad truth of aluminum rings. I'm a man, I put up with it. It functioned, and for the price, it was a better than Shimano. No matter how happy I am getting my NEXT LP's (in two days, YES!), I'm not going to berate these cranks simply because they're inexpensive and wear down the same way everything else does. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
isaac
a Weekend Warrior
from seattle/wa
Date Reviewed: April 22, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Weaknesses: | none so far | | Bike Setup: | klein pulse race / lotsa upgraded goodies EXCEPT for the crank | | Bottom Line: | just wanted to post a good review for this crank. It came stock on my '99 Klein Pulse Race. I've ridden the hek out of the thing for two years now, and have ZERO complaints with the Sugino. Was just a little miffed at reading all the wankers complaining about "flex" and being inadequate for "real" M'biking. whutever. I'm 185, have done my share of DH, and haven't had any issues. It's cheap, strong, and a pretty smooth design.
5 flaming chiles | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
greg
a Weekend Warrior
from anytown,usa
Date Reviewed: March 26, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | the one i'm on at the time | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | solid as a rock, durable | | Weaknesses: | weight? scratched where my foot hits it? i dunno | | Similar Products Used: | stx, lx, xt | | Bike Setup: | proflex 856, z-2 atom bomb, stratos helix expert, xt f and r ders, avid v-brakes, sugino impel 500 | | Bottom Line: | i've ridden these for 3 years, and honestly, i can't find anything wrong with them. they've always hooked up, never feel flexy, (check your bottom bracket if you think you feel flex..... made by shimano, huh?), i've had minimal chainsuck,less than 5 times in 3 years, and i don't always clean my chain. only reason i'm replacing them is i've found a good deal on truvativ stylo. lighter, stronger, and a splined BB to boot! but i'm still going to use the suginos on my girlfriend's specialized. **ick! not-so-strong arm cranks. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark
a Racer
from Willington, CT USA
Date Reviewed: January 25, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$90.00 | | Purchased At: | Alternative Spoke, Willington, CT | | Strengths: | XD-500: This is an excellent crank for the money. I like to use standard size cranks with the five bolt 74/ 110 mm bolt pattern and there is not a large selection from which to choose. XTR, the obvious choice, very expensive. The Sugino XD-500 is comparable to the 1995 non-splined Shimano XTR crank. It has similar stiffness, weight and the chainrings for the two cranks are interchangeable. | | Weaknesses: | Very few. The Sugino chainrings shift as almost as well as their Shimano SG-X counter parts. These rings can be replaced with Shimano ones once they wear out. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimnano XTR (non-splined) | | Bike Setup: | Shimano UN-91 bottom bracket (113 mm), 8 speed Dura-Ace
chain, Shimano XTR front bottom swing derailleur, and
Shimano 8 speed XTR cassette | | Bottom Line: | Excellent value! Excellent performance for very little money. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Iman Lam
a Weekend Warrior
from Tampa, FL
Date Reviewed: January 21, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Morris Bridge Trail | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$35.00 | | Purchased At: | mailorder Chucksbikes | | Strengths: | Smooth shiftings | | Weaknesses: | crank/spider strength near the axle | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano Deore LX | | Bike Setup: | hardtail | | Bottom Line: | This crankset (Impel 700) is simply a piece of junk. I only weight 175 lbs and know how to land. Didn't even do a downhiller type. Used it for about 400 miles and the chainring bent. Local lbs inspected and concluded that the whole crank/spider (on the drive side) was bent (no longer true). I give 3 chilis for the price but wish to give zero chili on quality. Sugino probably didn't use CAD in designing this crank. They probably used piles of poop to calculate its FEA. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan
a Cross Country Rider
from Cheyenne,WY
Date Reviewed: January 11, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Anywhere | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | Online | | Strengths: | Stiff. | | Weaknesses: | Found none yet, but I did not use the chainrings that came with it. | | Similar Products Used: | Alivio, LX | | Bike Setup: | Airborne SkyHag SS | | Bottom Line: | Bought these as temporary cranks until I could afford some race face. I'm going to stick with these until I break them. Lot stiffer than I thought they would be. I'm only 155, so it's not like I put a whole lot of stress on them anyways. I ride pretty hard though and love to climb. These cranks will do for now, and maybe even longer. I didn't use the stock chainrings though. Put a Spot 34t ss chainring with chainring guard on instead. The only problem I had was when I bought the cranks, one of the chainring tabs was bent. Nothing a hammer couldn't take care of though. One chili off for a bent chainring tab. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Doug Koch
a Weekend Warrior
from BC - Canada
Date Reviewed: December 28, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | TransCanada-Capitol Hill | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$35.00 | | Purchased At: | Cambria Bicycle Outfitters | | Strengths: | Impel 320 - Good quality spider and crank arms | | Weaknesses: | Impel 320 - So-so shifting with the heavy but strong outer
and middle Steel chain-rings | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano LX-M564 - The last 5-bolt, 58-94 BCD model | | Bike Setup: | A hybrid with mostly Shimano LX componentry - my beater bike | | Bottom Line: | The Impel crank spider and arm are a good value for casual recreational and touring riders. My experience with all compact bolt-circle cranksets I have used is that they need to be torqued down more frequently than the older standard bolt circle cranksets. As other reviewers have noted, the cheaper outer and middle rings are unremarkable. I recycled my LX aluminum alloy outer and middle rings and they work fine on these cranks. Most serious down-hill, cross-country and technical single-track Mountain Bikers will probably find them not well suited to the rigours of their type of riding. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Devin
a Cross Country Rider
from Tx.
Date Reviewed: December 1, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Cold Forging! Accurte shifting, Light weight, Stiff | | Weaknesses: | Cant find any! | | Similar Products Used: | ShimaNO! LX,DX Sugino 700, and Sugino Mighty | | Bike Setup: | KHS Team custom built, Breezer Jet Stream custom built | | Bottom Line: | The above reviews that bash Sugino is interesting. Most of the bashing is on average or below average OEM cranks. STX or alivio line stuff. The 700 and Mighty I ride on are far more superior to the ShimaNO products I have used. I loved the "I hit a rock and bent a ring" one. Sure they llok cheap with no big name but come on is MTB riding a popularity contest or is it fun? As long as it works I will ride it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jon Dobson
a Downhiller
from Leeds,United Kingdom
Date Reviewed: November 11, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | teapot land | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$45.00 | | Purchased At: | Chevin Cycles | | Strengths: | Itis bloody strong! These things never break! They are feather weight as well! | | Weaknesses: | none so far | | Similar Products Used: | ovation, stx RC, Deore | | Bike Setup: | identiti Mr Hyde deore setup | | Bottom Line: | Great cranks Very cheap Will do most people! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Anthony
a Racer
from Halifax,NS, Canada
Date Reviewed: October 13, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Wrandees | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | good and light (if U even care about weight but not me)
| | Weaknesses: | I was able to put a rock ring but I had to file down a little bit on the crank arm so it can work, and second the second ring is starting to bend | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano LX, Altus, STX RC , Deore,
Suntour | | Bike Setup: | Trek 6500
Rock shox Jett XC LT 99 ( two weeks time Marzocchi Z3 Flylight 100 tell U a bit of it over a month)
Red THE fender
LX rear and front der.
Tioga DH 2.1
Mavic 138X wheelset with Deore hubs
Seting this thing up for a jumper | | Bottom Line: | Sugino mighty X 500
This crank was OK for 2 mos now my second ring is kinda bent but I went down to my local bike Shop Cyclesmith and they put it back into place, so its ok now but if it goes wrong I will purchase a new crankset. Well that was my review so U might have better luck with yours
5 value flames for a good price
3 for overall cause couldn't fit a rock ring natually and second ring bent
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff Cutler
a Cross Country Rider
from Hingham, MA USA
Date Reviewed: October 4, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Wompatuck or Nam or Lynn | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$39.00 | | Purchased At: | Mail Order | | Strengths: | Price, crank arm strength, steel granny, did I say price? | | Weaknesses: | The rings do wear out a bit quickly - except for the granny - but that's it. Good strength and value. | | Similar Products Used: | STX, LX, XT | | Bike Setup: | Specialized Stumpjumper M2, SRAM 9.0, USE Shok Post, Dia Compe Brakes, Smoke and Dart tires, Mavic 221 wheels, XT cassette, King headset, Ritchey stem, Tomac bar. | | Bottom Line: | If you know how to ride and do your own work on your bike, buy these. And get them now because Supergo is out, Nashbar and Performance don't have any and Price Point only has a few left. Good, very good value for the price. Then buy cheap compact rings to mount on the cranks. Enjoy! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve Austin
a Cross Country Rider
from Costa Rica
Date Reviewed: October 3, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | ruta de la muerte | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | excesso Costa Rica | | Strengths: | Strong, 5 arm, good looks, cost. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | LX, Ovation | | Bike Setup: | Nail Trail, Marzocchi Bomber Z1, xt. | | Bottom Line: | Hey! You people are nuts! I wheigh 95 kilos, beat hell out of my bike (500 Km per month! ...and believe me, Costa Rica isn't flat!) and this Crank is great.
You all moan about the rings, are crazy or what. I have a Sugino Impel 700 with CSS Hard Sugino rings, and guess what! They are hard and I still have to see some where in them!
Go and ride your "if it ain't Shimano, I ain't riding it bikes" and waste time on other review sites. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David Flanighan
a Cross Country Rider
from Kent, UK
Date Reviewed: September 10, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | Bonthrone Bikes | | Strengths: | Strong, Lightweight and good lookers
The change upa and down the rings is super smooth and accurate | | Weaknesses: | None at the moment | | Similar Products Used: | XT, LX | | Bike Setup: | Had a set of CODAs, what a pile, horrendous cranks. Thet were old 502M's though | | Bottom Line: | Cheap and cheerful, lighter than XT! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
craig ruhland
a Cross Country Rider
from watkins,mn
Date Reviewed: August 25, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | murphy-hahnrehan | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | looks, strength, tough | | Weaknesses: | Ring bolts came loose frequently. | | Similar Products Used: | lx/xt | | Bike Setup: | Fisher big sur, michelin wildgrippers, topo hubs/517 rims, hellbent bar...and other little goddies to make me cruise | | Bottom Line: | used for a year and some damn bike thief ran off with my ride. rode the stock tires bald replaced with new tires and wore them hald off, went through three chains but never had much of a problem with the crankset. People complain about the rings strength but I never saw this as an issue. Seemed strong enough for my needs-I ride pretty aggressive and go 220 lbs. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ol' dog
a Cross Country Rider
from RM, NC
Date Reviewed: August 18, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$28.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance Outlet | | Strengths: | Cheap, work well enough | | Weaknesses: | soft alloy cranks
not light weight | | Similar Products Used: | shimano STX
Sakae Ringyo
Alero | | Bike Setup: | KHS, STX derailleurs | | Bottom Line: | Got these at the old Performance Outlet Store cheap, probably a return. Bought them with huge scuffs on the right crank. Did have a problem with right crank loosening up on bottom bracket once, probably due to the initial owner overtorquing and messing up the taper. After tightening it way beyond spec, it has stayed on o.k. Sprockets have outlasted three chains, a cassette on my good wheel and a freewheel on my backup wheel. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
El Sofrito Boriqua
a Cross Country Rider
from Chesapeake, VA, USA
Date Reviewed: August 6, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Shenendoah Valley | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Esthetically Appealing; great looks, no mis-shifts with my XT drive train; price is definitely right. Take a beating that no Shimano XT would survive. | | Weaknesses: | None noted....well, would like the granny to be better quality. | | Similar Products Used: | Richey, Shimano XT | | Bike Setup: | Mangoat frame, Richey LFuzzy Logic Pro headset, Shimano XT f/r derailleurs, XTR Shifters, XT Brakes, Salasa Pro Moto Bar, KORE 3D stem, Richey Titanium WCS Saddle, Richey Comp post, Bontranger tires on XT/Mavic 517 rims, et al. | | Bottom Line: | The bottom line is that most of these monkeys submitting disparaging "reports" haven't got a clue. These cranks are worth 3 times the $39.00 I paid for them. They work extremely well, take abuse that would make a Navy SEAL cry, and as an added bonus, look good. Oh, which Sugino you say? 700 Impel of course. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
michael
a Weekend Warrior
from frederick, md
Date Reviewed: August 6, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | frederick watershed | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Inexpensive to buy | | Weaknesses: | Weak chainring spider arms and soft chainrings | | Similar Products Used: | Altus A20 and Suntour on my previous bike,
Shimano XT | | Bike Setup: | Proflex 756, LX Components, Tooth Fairy chainring guard | | Bottom Line: | This crankset is definately the weakest I've ever used. The spider arms (chainring tabs) easily bend (at least you can bang them back into alignment). The chainrings do shift pretty well (CSS III models), unfortunately the rings are made of a soft material. I had to use a grinder to smooth the edges at the botttom of the teeth (after only 200+/- miles !!) because the teeth were warping. If you wanted something inexpensive for road, gravel or canal riding (for a cross-breed bike) then these are decent cranks. If you like to offroad and bash through the wood then buy a better crank (Shimano XT/XTR, Race Face, etc.) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Hoopie
a Weekend Warrior
from Clearfield, PA
Date Reviewed: August 4, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Rockton Mt. | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Durability | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano Stx | | Bike Setup: | Fisher Joshua X0, full suspension, all-purpose | | Bottom Line: | Over 7,500 miles on my stock original Sugino's. They are finally starting to wear. I use only White Lightning on them, and replace the chain about every 1,000 miles. I just ordrerd the Sugino Impel 700's for 39 dollars (US) to replace the original ones. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rod Munch
a Cross Country Rider
from Santa Rosa, California
Date Reviewed: July 29, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Angwin Maze | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | PRICE (Mighty 700 often $40 at outlets), quality, weight | | Weaknesses: | Long term durability compared to $200+ cranksets | | Similar Products Used: | LX, XT cranks | | Bike Setup: | 1993 M2 Stump, '96 Manitou EFC, '96 XT | | Bottom Line: | I saw some disparaging reviews here on the Sugino cranks. I have long thought they are among the ultimate buys in the MTB world. '93 LX cranks came stock on my M2. When I was a MTB-scrub, I folded 2 LX middle chainrings and kept taking my bike to the dealer to have them replace them with new LX tinfoil. Finally, as I became edumacated, I found that I could buy an entire Mighty 700 crankset from Supergo (or other outlet) for less than the cost of most middle chainrings. The 700 falls in between LX & XT quality, has forged arms, teflon-impregnated rings, and weighs within a whisker of the chi-chi-$$$-cranksets. I wore through the middle chainring in 2 years (didn't bend it, just wore it down), replaced it with a Race Face ring, and its still going stong. I commend Sugino for making a great product at a fantastic price. Next time you are about to pay $200 or so for a "Coda," "Ritchey," "White," "Specialized" or other crankset... do some research: you might be buying a $40 crankset with a $160 logo on it! I admit that these may not be the Ultimate Cranks. They aren't the most durable. But they rule the bang-for-the-buck roost. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
zaphodbebleebrox
a Racer
from Irving texas
Date Reviewed: July 26, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | CHEAP !!!!!!! | | Weaknesses: | I havent found any | | Similar Products Used: | acera | | Bike Setup: | Barracuda "Comp Cuda". XMO fork :) bike weight - 22 lbs | | Bottom Line: | I paid 29.99 for the impel 700, arms 2 aluminum crank rings,
inner steel ring.As they were being shipped to me, i read
the posted reviews and thought "WHAT piece of junk have I purchased" ? These r the BEST VALUE ITEM I have put on this bike. They get banged on SOLID rocks, take all the abuse I give 'em , and they have NEVER complained. Hey, believe me,
I would luv to have some carbon fiber raceface, but just cant afford it. Hey, for the price , these guys r a GREAT VALUE. I couldnt even buy 2 alum. rings for the price of the whole setup. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steven
a Weekend Warrior
from Oregon
Date Reviewed: July 3, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Held up to the conditions, somewhat. Strong, but only for the first ride. Got me through the winter. | | Weaknesses: | Bent out of shape in about a week. Teeth wore down before I could even realize it. Looks like $hit. | | Similar Products Used: | XT, LX, Specialized cranks... | | Bottom Line: | This crank was probably built with tinfoil. It bent the first week of riding! The shifting seemed like there were no rings on the crank at all! The chain kept coming off and I lost tons of speed goin up hill! Damn it! The teeth wore down so fast too. I'm glad I got rid of that hunk of crap. Never buy this crankset unless you ride on pavement all the time. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Cyemm
a Cross Country Rider
from Florida
Date Reviewed: January 30, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Cranks comparable in strength/weight to LX ( 700 model ) | | Weaknesses: | Chainrings (700 model) skipping after 2 hour ride. New drivetrain(cranks, cassette, rings, chain) and noticeable wear with skipping under power on the front ring. Absolute worst product I've bought for the bike. | | Similar Products Used: | LX, XT | | Bike Setup: | Steel HT with XT cass., PC-51 chain. | | Bottom Line: | Crankarms are ok, rings are total crap. I weigh 220 lbs and ride tech, the arms don't flex any more than LX arms. If you buy these, plan on changing the mid and outer rings,(inner is steel and seems O.K.) the ones that come standard are the worst. This almost cancels their price advantage over the big S. I won't be buying these again. (Sugino impel 700's)
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David
a Weekend Warrior
from Tallahassee, Florida
Date Reviewed: January 25, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Fern to Tom Brown/Cadillac | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | They looked decent on the bike in the showroom, once I got past that it went downhill in a hurry. | | Weaknesses: | Your not supposed to use profanity, so..... the Sugino 700 is horrible.(Not a strong enough adjective). | | Similar Products Used: | Race Face(replaced the 700 with the best!) | | Bike Setup: | 1998 Gary Fisher Mt. Tam | | Bottom Line: | The Sugino 700 is a terrible crank, you will end up replacing it. It slips for no reason and so on, and so on. I can't believe this was original equipment on my $1,700 Tam, what a piece of junk to put on a quality bike. Wish I could give it less than 1 chili. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott O
a Weekend Warrior
from Newport, RI
Date Reviewed: November 22, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Lynn Woods | | Duration Product Used: |
more than 3 years | | Strengths: |
beat the crap out of them for 3yrs or so and they still worked | | Weaknesses: |
n/a - have not used anything high end that I could compare them to | | Similar Products Used: |
Shimano LX | | Bike Setup: |
Kona Kilauaha w/Manitou 4 - Old school | | Bottom Line: | Compared to Shimano LX, these things were great. The took a massive beating and worked over the course of a few years. The LX, on the other hand, I shredded to pieces in only a few months. Gonna step up to Race Face next and keep my fingers crossed. Fight the power. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
margepa
a Cross-Country Rider
from Boston, MA
Date Reviewed: November 3, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Vietnam | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
could be had for cheap money
work reasonably well | | Weaknesses: |
blah asthetics
strange creaking noises
crappy chainrings | | Similar Products Used: |
Shimano XT | | Bike Setup: |
Fisher hardtail, XT and XTR, Judy XC | | Bottom Line: | For the money, they're not bad. They're reasonably stiff, reasonably light, and get you wherever you want to go. My cranks developed some creaking noise, which did not go away after retightening. The stock cahinrings on the other hand, are a different story. The stainless granny is nice, but the middle and big are JUNK. Mine self-destructed in just a few rides, loosing teeth and causing chainsuck like you raed about. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
the total package
a Racer
from toronto
Date Reviewed: October 11, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
rattlesnake pt. | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
mighty 700-strong light enough | | Weaknesses: |
middle chain ring lost tooth, replaced with shimano ring | | Similar Products Used: |
erased face, chumpmano. | | Bike Setup: |
gary feesher | | Bottom Line: | some trail wankers want to pump themselves up by talking about flex, hey, they are no schwartzeneggers. They just think they are, lets get real about flex the sugino is just fine. THis crank has led me to a few victories. It may have a few shifting quirks, but any real rider can compensate with a smoother approach. Furthermore, for the money, you can't go wrong until it wears out and maybe then it might be worthwile to upgrade to a I have an xtr ta ta crank. later.......the total package | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
James
a Cross-Country Rider
from Knoxville TN
Date Reviewed: October 8, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
cheap, included chainrings shift well. | | Weaknesses: |
Has developed a horribly obnoxious creak. | | Similar Products Used: |
Shimano XT and 105 cranks | | Bike Setup: |
2 bikes (both hardtail):
LX/XT bike with '96 Sugino 700 crank
STX bike with '98 Sugino
300 (or mabye 350) crank | | Bottom Line: | My older sugino crank performed well for about a year but has since developed a really bad creak. The metal doesn't seem to be noticably failing and I've ridden it reasonably often over the last six to nine months (post-creak) without any failures. Still, I'm going to spend the extra cash and get a higher quality crank (probably XT) in hopes that it will hold up better. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andy B
a Cross-Country Rider
from York UK
Date Reviewed: October 3, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Durable, Cheap, Reliable | | Weaknesses: |
None | | Bike Setup: |
Kona Hahanna 98
Manitou Spyder R | | Bottom Line: | I purchased a pair of impel 300's in a sale for a bargin price andI wishI had got them sooner. These cranks look expensive and are a quality product, with a good set of chian rings on. At the end of the day if you are after a good value replacement crankset get some Impel 300's. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dennis Barbeirc
a Cross-Country Rider
from Bedford, Ohio
Date Reviewed: September 25, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Vultures Knob/The Dump | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Bike Setup: |
Trek 7000
99 Manitou SX-R | | Bottom Line: | I purchase directly from Sampson what I thought were Sampson cranks. When I received them, they had no logo and Surgino was stamped in the back. Had I known that Sampson was charging me $130 for polished Surgino cranks with a crappy ring set I'd would have never bought them. What a cheep trick. I have been riding them for about 2 years because I figured why not use the money I invested in these cranks. Well over the past two years they functioned OK, but nothing to be proud of since they are just Surginos. I give three because they have basic functionality, but subtract one becuase Sampson was deceptive. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Seano
a Cross-Country Rider
from Watertown, MA
Date Reviewed: September 15, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Blue Hills, Canton, MA | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
relatively durable, cheap | | Weaknesses: |
rings | | Bike Setup: |
Fisher HKEK, XT/XTR, Rock Shox Indy | | Bottom Line: | After reading all of the reviews I ind that I agree with a lot of the standard gripes, but still have been generally plaesed with the Impels. These were standard equipment with my '97 bike and I have thought about upgrading them several times in the past year because I have noticed some flex somewhere in the crank area. I had thought that it was probably was the arms because the impel 250's are fairly light weight arms, but after reading the reviews below I'm not sure that the rings weren't the source. I bent the middle ring after a couple of thousand miles and finally after more than 3000 miles broke one of the arms. I looked up the replacement cost for these cranks and found that they can be had for about 20 bucks. What's wrong with that? They weren't great, but they took a pretty good beating and are practically free. I was happy enough with the low end Sugino products that I am ordering the Mighty700's today. My 3 stars are for the Impel line, not Sugino as a whole. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David
a Cross-Country Rider
from Vancouver B.C.
Date Reviewed: August 8, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
strong,cheap and look cool. | | Weaknesses: |
haven't found any yet | | Similar Products Used: |
various | | Bottom Line: | My shimano were recalled so while it took a month to get a replacement I bought these cranks. I don't know what model they are but they were used on the $1200 plus specialized so I figured I would use them till the shimano arrived. 2 years later I haven't installed the shimano nor have I bent a tooth. I have been very impressed.I have a chance to get an awesome deal on some raceface but the the bucks theres no way I could do any better.Have had no flex problems and would recommend them to anyone. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Xavior
a Weekend Warrior
from Toronto, ON, CANADA
Date Reviewed: July 29, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Hardwood Hills | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Cheap
Works
Pretty Stiff
Cheap Again | | Weaknesses: |
Looks Cheap
Heavy Crank Arms | | Similar Products Used: |
STX-RC | | Bike Setup: |
Gary Fisher Big Sur - Stock | | Bottom Line: | Hey, these cranks are VERY cheap aftermarket (~$20?). If you want something that have 2/3 performance and 3/2 the weight of Race Face/XTR at 1/10th the price. Go for it. It works. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Thumper
a Cross-Country Rider
from Dallas
Date Reviewed: July 28, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
Light weight, stiff | | Weaknesses: |
Poor chainrings | | Similar Products Used: |
XT, LX, Race Face | | Bike Setup: |
Klein Mantra
Klein Rascal | | Bottom Line: | Bottom line, the Impel cranks are top notch. Most of the complaints here are with the chainrings (get a clue, the rings are seperate from the cranks). 20 grams heavier than my Race Face cranks and a LOT less flexy. I mounted a bottom bracket spindle to vise. Then torqued a Race Face crankarm and started hanging weight from the spindle, measured the deflection. Then did the same with the Sugino and XT crank. The Sugino fell between the best (XT) and the worst (Race Face) It's amazing what the brain perceives as stiff. CNC'd cranks like Race Face just don't hold up to scientific (or semi-scientific) tests. Oh well, the Impel CRANKS (not chainrings) hold up very well. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave Macdonald
a Cross-Country Rider
from Wakefield, Quebec
Date Reviewed: July 28, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Gatineau Park | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
light weight
durable | | Weaknesses: |
chain rings | | Similar Products Used: |
sugino crank on my old Norco | | Bike Setup: |
Kona Caldera w/Judy XC | | Bottom Line: | The Sugino Impel 500 came stock on my bike. This is a light weight, durable product. The chain rings are maybe not so great. I just replaced the middle ring after only 600 kilometers of riding. I'm now using an LX ring. The shifting is good....it always has been even with the Sugino rings. I can't say I've noticed any serious flexing of the crank arms. I'd like to give this product a 4, but because of the rings I think 3 is more like it. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andrew
a Weekend Warrior
from Citrus Heights,CA
Date Reviewed: July 19, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
None | | Weaknesses: |
They are a REAL BAD product | | Similar Products Used: |
None | | Bike Setup: |
Klein Pulse | | Bottom Line: | My bike is in the shop for it's 30 day FREE tune up and the cranks are my only complaint. The shop can't seem to get them adjusted properly to the derailer. FLEX FLEX FLEX..... When i test rode the bike to take it home I bent one of the rings in the parking lot. GREAT!!!! I told them to keep the bike untill they could fix it right. Now I am waiting for a call from the Factory Rep. to see what they'll do. Can't blame the bike company for the BAD performance of Sugino Cranks. Maybe they will stop using them on their entry level bikes......................... I am hoping to get a free upgrade to XT cranks, we'll see.. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
nevilman
a Racer
from neviland
Date Reviewed: April 25, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
the rocky road to hell | | Duration Product Used: |
more than 3 years | | Strengths: |
cold forged; (look it up). | | Weaknesses: |
nope | | Similar Products Used: |
cranksets | | Bike Setup: |
bike | | Bottom Line: | let's not forget that sugino japan made the best cold forged cranks ever, ritchey logics, as well as a buttload of other great ones over the years, and, like every other product in the universe, cheap models blow. get over it. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jm
a Cross-Country Rider
from Ok
Date Reviewed: April 24, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
12MOH | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
Light, if you take em off your bike and weigh em you would see that they are actually LIGHTER than XT, it is because the design does not have a lot of material on it, like a Cook Bros E type crank. | | Weaknesses: |
Not THE stiffest ever. | | Similar Products Used: |
LX, XT, Race Face. | | Bike Setup: |
Sugino 700 cranks on Sugino Alu rings. All on a DBR Vlink 3.0. | | Bottom Line: | You can NOT beat these cranks for the price. They are strong, I have used em for 2+ years with no problems, they take repeated bashings, can stand a lot of stress. The other great thing is that they are REAL light, I weighed em and they come in at the same weight as XTR 5arm cranks(the 4arms are lighter by a bit). The exceptional lightness and strength is what makes them so great. Now, I don't pretend that they are the best shifting cranks ever, with Shimano RF shifters they seem to be pretty finicky, and can go out of ajustment over time, BUT with ESP there is no problem, they shift great now. The amazing thing is that they are 2+ years old now on my bike, maybe that would not be a big deal for Shimano XTs or Race Face cranks, but these have been at least up to par of Shimano stuff, and some high end cranksets. I can't believe all the negative reviews, I would bet a lot of people don't have as much experiance with them as they say they do. I was thinking at one time of upgrading to Race Face cranks, the problem is that they are heavier and would have made my bike even heavier, not that weight is the most important thing, but when you see that the only cranks that are lighter are ones costing 300 dollars and more you kinda think that the ones you got work pretty well. It is not like there are a bunch of reviews of snapped cranks, or anything. The cranks are tough, light, and WAY cheaper than Shimano.5 chillis for a product that is at least as good as the Shimano competition and way cheaper. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Oronde Armstrong
a Weekend Warrior
from Boston
Date Reviewed: April 23, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Lynn | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Cheap, hasn't broken yet | | Weaknesses: |
Hidden 5 bolt behind the cranks arm | | Similar Products Used: |
LX, XTR, Alivio | | Bike Setup: |
Klein Pulse race and cannondale m300 | | Bottom Line: | Great bang for the Buck. If your on a budget get a pair. Alot of people said that these cranks sucked, but I've been riding trials on them for over a year now and there still kicking. I think that people are biases against them becasue Sugino isn't a big name. I'm pretty sure that over 50% of the people that reviewed these cranks are idiots and don't know what there talkin about. How do you expect to compare a $50 against a $250 crank????. They supposidly flex more, oh my god a whole 1mm. Once again alot of idiots don't relise that BB flex, and guess who makes those. Any way if your short on cash get a pair. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Patman
a Racer
from Madison Wi
Date Reviewed: April 21, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Quary Park | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Low cost | | Weaknesses: |
Weak, ugly, cheep, poorly made, bad rings, heavy | | Similar Products Used: |
Race Face LP, STX, LX, XTR, Specialized strongarm | | Bike Setup: |
Fisher Paragon, JudySL, Race Face Headset, ESP 9.0, Magura Raceline | | Bottom Line: | These are by far the worst cranks and rings I have ever ridden. They are the weakest in the flex department. The rings loose teeth faster than a hick drinking soda and they are some of the uglyest things I have on my bike. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
DsC
a Cross-Country Rider
from NM
Date Reviewed: April 19, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
none | | Weaknesses: |
too many to list | | Similar Products Used: |
all shimano cranks. | | Bottom Line: | these cranks are inexpensive because they are total crap.The rings are the weakest rings known to man. i hit a rock with them and bent several. do the same with any shimano crank and and they will hardly bend at all. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jim Frost
a Cross-Country Rider
from Watertown, MA
Date Reviewed: April 5, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Bow Ridge @ Lynn Woods | | Duration Product Used: |
more than 3 years | | Strengths: |
Cheap. | | Weaknesses: |
Cheesy hidden spider arm. | | Similar Products Used: |
STX, Race Face, XT 5-arm. | | Bike Setup: |
GT Tequesta (more or less), Real chainrings, STX and XT BBs. | | Bottom Line: | I got these because I found out rather belatedly that the '94 STX cranks did not accept standard compact drive rings. These were the cheapest thing I could get on short notice.I never used their rings (though they seemed kinda cheesy to me). I already had a set of Real rings (see my review elsewhere) and recently started using an XT middle.The cranks have worked just fine for me, no noticable flex and they've taken a helluva beating on rocks and whatnot. I've used both STX and XT BBs. I wonder if those complaining about flex were really seeing flex in the rings? I tend to torque it up when I hammer, to the point where I can flex the frame, but I've never felt anything in the crank area.The one thing I don't like is that one of the spider arms is hidden behind the crank arm. That requires a special nut and is a royal pain in the ass to put back together.These would be a solid 4 chilis for cheap-and-reliable but for that irritating spider arm.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
KLAM
a Cross-Country Rider
from Toronto, ON
Date Reviewed: March 20, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Cheap, fairly handsome crankset. | | Weaknesses: |
Cheap, heavy, durability questionable. Large ring teeth, especially have worn, in less than a year of use. | | Similar Products Used: |
Various other cranksets. | | Bike Setup: |
LX/XT derailleurs. | | Bottom Line: | Economic crankset, especially when compared to a XT/XTR, RaceFace, White, Syncros, etc. Not the best performance, but acceptable. Not aftermarket, but if you get it OEM, don't go out and buy a new one until you wear this one down -- which should be quick! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
pissed off
a cross-country rider
from Singapore
Date Reviewed: March 7, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
I got a Sugino for my 97 Joshua X1 and they suck. i couldn't shift properly with them as they are always flexing under power. Then the middle chain ring bent after 2 mths and then the granny. At first I thought it was my front D, but my LBS couldn't fix the problem. Its the ffing cranks. I replaced the rings and the crank stiffened up immediately but I am not gonna risk my new rings. I am gonna change the crank arms too. The original ring material is definitely too soft. Sugino obviously designed them to take the punishment without taking into account that RINGS THAT SOFT BECOME THINNER WITH TIME.....what a waste of my money. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Adrienne
a cross-country rider
from Western Washington
Date Reviewed: March 1, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
I have to add my 2 cent's worth on Sugino cranks. My '94 Kona came stock w/ a set of Impel 500's, and after 4 years of moderate use I had to replace the middle ring. I never noticed any flexing, occasional ticking not enough to be really bothersome. Then I was building a 2nd bike & bought another set, identical, haven't had any problems w/ them after 6 mos. of more regular riding. HOWEVER I'm light (135#), and don't thrash my bike. I keep the rings very clean and my chain well-oiled (PHIL WOOD TENACIOUS OIL, NOT THAT DRY-LUBE CRAP!!) so I don't think I'll have problems with premature wear. Probably I have been lucky, it sounds as though Sugino uses a low-grade alloy and inadequate quality control, leading to breaking & bending teeth, etc. THE BOTTOM LINE: I think these cranks are OK for recreational riders, if you want to ride hard or race you'd be better off getting Race Face or XT's or XTR's. You get what you pay for. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ron Rogowski
a racer
from New York
Date Reviewed: February 22, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
My excuse : The cranks came with the bike. I figured I'd give them a shot. What a waste of my time. The cranks are soft and the chain rings shoddy at best. I cannot justify giving this product any stars (although the reveiw will not process withou them) because I'm still bitter at having to walk home when my pedal came off because the crank eye stripped from normal pedalling conditions. Don't waste your time with Sugino products! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Al
a cross-country rider
from College Station, Tx
Date Reviewed: February 22, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
Weeeell, they're better than Acera X cranks. Other than that, not much can be said for them. They flex, they creak, they are mediocre. One bright spot is the chainrings: they're pretty good. They still shift well and I haven't worn them out yet with about 2000 miles (and lots of mud) on them. I used to wear out Shimano rings every 4-5 months. 3 chilies, 2 of them for the chainrings--they're almost worth the price of the crank. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Lee Nelson
a cross-country rider
from Charlotte, NC
Date Reviewed: February 20, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
Sorry guys. These are rather poor cranks. They are soft, shift poorly, and are in no way anywhere close to as good as anything Shimano. Don't be fooled and buy one on closeout. (they are closing out lx and xt at supergo; a much better choice). | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
ian
a cross-country rider
from NH
Date Reviewed: February 20, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
they came with my trek y-3, they stink, peddle hard and they flex on the chain ring side, up to 3/4 inch of flex. Hard climbing up hills has locked my chain into hte crank several times because the flex causes shifting. nothing like sitting in a mosquito infested early summer swamp trying to pull a chain out of your chainring with a leatherman and swears. 1 star rateing because they do get me to were I want to be, until I replace them. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chuck
a cross-country rider
from Pittsburgh, PA
Date Reviewed: February 9, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
The chainsuck problems with the Sugino mighty 500 are severe. When shifting into the twenty tooth inner ring under any power the chain wedges between the outer and middle rings and presto instant chainsuck. This crankset is not simply bad, its dangerous. Don't buy them at any price!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David
a weekend warrior
from Austin, TX
Date Reviewed: January 16, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
Wow - the reviews here are pretty grim - personally, I've had a set of the Impel 700's for two years, with absolutely none of the gripes posted below! I weigh 220, and am not gentle - I have noticed no crank arm flex (I often wonder if people are feeling their bottom bracket flex, rather than the cranks), the chain rings have worked just fine (stainless inner, hard anodized/ptfe coated outer two rings), and I think they look pretty good! The only thing I have noticed is a little rust on the chain ring bolts - but i could replace those with aluminum ones if it really bugged me. For the price, you can do no better - heck, for two or three times the price, you'd still be having trouble finding a better crankset! (lighter, maybe, but stronger, I doubt it!)And remember - Sugino makes ALOT of the cranks sold under different names... | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jimmy M.
a cross-country rider
from Doylestown, PA
Date Reviewed: January 12, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
It really seems pointless to post this review, but I have to get my opinion out there. I just bought a beautiful Klein Mantra Comp with some pretty nice components. I had never heard of Sugino before, but I figured, how bad can they be if they are on a Klein? Well, the three-year-old Shimano STX crankset on my old bike is probably 10X better than the new Sugino's . You can feel them flex under normal pedaling conditions. Shifting onto the granny ring too fast is asking for automatic chainsuck. You can see the rings flexing if you grind. They are like riding with a Nerf crankset. Strange phenomenon. One roosty nutlog for being a good example of an engineering failure. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Anthony(ten Tonne) Proud
a weekend warrior
from Melbourne, Australia
Date Reviewed: January 5, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
I have had my Specialized FSR comp now for one year. I have had to deal with the bottom bracket breaking, my right crank arm breaking two time in 2 months, my chainrings becoming warpped, the bolts comming loose and just yesterday my left arm broke off about 10 second away for my house. They creak they flex, my Acera X crankset lasted 3 years without any prolems. I gave them one flaming chilli, becuase that was the lowest choice, but just pretend it isn't there ;o) | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Greg
a weekend warrior
from Winchester, VA
Date Reviewed: December 20, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Man these cranks suck the big one. The crank itself hasn't creaked yet, but the teeth and condition of my chainrings is pathetic. After six months of weekend riding the inner two chainrings are falling apart and the outer one is trashed up from wacking it one things:rocks, logs, cliffs. I'm going to buy me a good pair of Avitar chainrings which aren't even rated on this page their so good. Two chilies for one set of suckie chainrings. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Damon j. Williams
a weekend warrior
from Berkeley California
Date Reviewed: December 16, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
All I can say is they came with the bike. i realize that a lot of bike parts aren't made for the 200lbs. man but Sh#t! my first ride out the creaked. By the end of hte first month I had them replaced. The second set ended up in the trash too. The bolt holes round out, the arm loosens from the bb, and you eat sh*t. To put plainly don't spend the $19 you can mail order them for. Save tour twenty for a few six packs or something worth $20 | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Busta Trails
a cross-country rider
from vancouver, bc
Date Reviewed: December 6, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Whoa man, looks like everyone hates these cranks. Thank god i didn't buy them. The guy from the bike store kept recommending them to me but he probably wanted to get rid of them. Now, i'm looking for 99 deore lx ones.
i'll give it a 1 star because it looks crappy | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Russ Freeeman
a cross-country rider
from Fresno, CA
Date Reviewed: November 24, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
It seems like there has been alot of problems with some of the lower end suginos. Sorry to hear that. Especially since the 900's I have are bomb proof. I've hammered them for three years without one problem, even with the chain rings. I would recommend the mighty 900 crank set to anyone who asks. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David Hodgetts
a cross-country rider
from Liverpool, England
Date Reviewed: November 17, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I have had my current bike for six months now, and the Sugino cranks which came with it are showing excessive amounts of wear. There are teeth missing from the large chain ring, the teeth on the middle and small chain ring are badly worn, and there is a serious chain-suck problem on the small ring. I don't get any of the problems mentioned by previous reviewers (eg. flex or creaking noises), but the chain rings should last longer than this. If you ride occasionally these are OK cranks, but not if your into a lot of biking. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Road Rash
a cross-country rider
from Orange CA
Date Reviewed: November 5, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
When I first read some of the reviews for this crank that came OEM on my Gary Fisher, I thought wow those are some preaty harsh comments, there has got to be something good about them...well after about a month and 200 miles on my bike I have got three words. S--t S--t S--t These cranks are aweful. They chain suck real bad as well as the teeth are almost half way gone already. The platforms are all hashed up from the chain. From such a little abuse I am suprised of the amount of dammage this crapy crank and ring set has sustained. I guess I will be using their 1 year warranty about every month until I get some $$$ to buy some desent set of crank and rings.
I wouldnt take them if someone gave them to me for FREE.P.S. America does make some great steel, trying making them over here!!!
I would give NO flaming turds if that was an option, so I guess I'm left with giving it only 1 flaming turd. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
harry
a weekend warrior
from
Date Reviewed: November 2, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
THESE CRANKS DRIVE ME NUTS!!All they do is TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK*TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK
TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK
FIVE chillies for the TICK!hmmmm....no zero option..... | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Paul
a cross-country rider
from St. Paul, MN
Date Reviewed: October 19, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
My Klein Mantra came stock with Sugino Mighty 500X cranks and rings, and at first things were OK. I thought they were a little flexy, and the shifting could have been cleaner, but I don't race so why should I give a shit? Then I noticed how fast the rings were wearing down, and how some of the teeth were starting to bend slightly. I've only owned the bike for four months. Then today I was climbing a hill in the granny ring, when the thing just exploded. The whole small ring broke into four or five pieces, with only about a third of the ring staying attached to the crank. To me, that's just the sign of a piece of shit product. Years ago on my old $400 rigid Trek I had cheapo Shimano cranks, and I beat the hell out of them for years with no problems. As soon as I can I'm replacing these aluminum foil chainrings with XT. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
The Provster
a downhiller
from Aberdeen, UK
Date Reviewed: October 16, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I can relate to other riders. When I descovered my middle ring was missing 2 teeth and 4 were bent in all directions, I thought I was being to hard on the bike. I had only had it for 2 weeks, so after they replaced the middle ring, I decided to take it easy. Out of the shop and down the road, major chain suck. I bent 3 more teeth. What a god awful piece of crap. Do NOT buy theese chainrings ever, even if they are cheap. I have no idea what they are doing on a bike like mine (98 FSR) oh yes, I will be replacing them. God awful pieces of crap. Plastic chainrings would probably out-perform theese things. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
moe
a cross-country rider
from Alberta
Date Reviewed: September 28, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
This 3-tonne crankset sucks! It came stock on my 97 Rocky Oxygen, but has completely had the biscuit. Four chainring teeth are bent (not even on the outer ring either??) while the rest are all mush. The entire second ring is bent, as is my left crank-arm! I keep my drive train very clean and well-maintained, but it still turned out to be a piece of junk. Love the bike, hate the crankset. Likely going to XT ASAP!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Geg
a weekend warrior
from Victoria BC
Date Reviewed: September 17, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Sugino cranks with 5 bolt system (1 set of bolts, not two, the norm)
A lightweight concept and perhaps could work.
In this application total SHAT.
Rings are too flimsy and the metal too soft
They bend and burr and teeth end up in every direction.
Constant chain suck and after an hour or so of filing every burr and restraightening the rings -- two rides later, same problem.
You can not fix poor quality!
Cheap, pretty light and total crap!
Not even worth putting on a junk bike!
I'm making some kind of sculpture or a coat rack from these guys!
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scorpion
a cross-country rider
from earth
Date Reviewed: September 11, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
The cranks are fine by themselves. I think all these complaints about flex are a bunch of garbage. It isn't spectacular, but it doesn't cause problems, either. HOWEVER, I do agree about the rings. JUNK. The way they bolt in leaves a space big enough for a chain to get into, so when the chain slides off the cheapo rings, it gets caught and mashed to a pulp. CRUNCH! They are built of compressed tinfoil. I was pedaling up a small hill in a high gear, and- errrrrrrrr!! the freakin' inner ring bent with the strain!! 4 for the crank, 0 for the rings. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Aaron Gosselin
a cross-country rider
from Houghton, MI
Date Reviewed: September 11, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
This is the worst purchase I have made in a while. I got these Mighty 700 cranks from Super-Go and withing two weeks of riding, I lost the small chainring somewhere on the trail and I have bent the middle ring. These cranks suck, they are cheap, 49 dollars, and they perform that way, don't buy 'em. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John Bowersmith
a cross-country rider
from Albuquerque, N.M
Date Reviewed: September 7, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Sugino Flex Master Impel. Yuck! LX works SOOOOOO much better. Old school silver XTR is even better. If these things come OEM ride them until the flexing, popping, and spacing problems bugg you enough to get XT set for $100 or something. I use my old set for home defense and I'm not even sure they will scare attackers away. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Evil Yak
a cross-country rider
from San Francisco
Date Reviewed: September 1, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Well... I ordered a $19.00 Sugino-Avitar Crankset from Jenson USA and it just came in recently. A first look at it reveals a bladed-shaped crank arm and Alivio-like chainrings. In fact, the chainrings are the same size as the Shimano Alivio, making it difficult to upgrade. Although it seems rather cheaply made, You guys can expect a real review in about a month. Later.... | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brad Goodwin
a cross-country rider
from Santa Cruz, CA
Date Reviewed: August 30, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
My Bontrager Privateer S came with the 700 X 4 arm Crankset. Like others I upgraded the other components to XT (Are you listening to this Trek?), but figured the crankset would was okay. Looks like I figured wrong. The few times I use the small chainring, usually results in continual chain suck, and the LX derailleur has to fight to shift up to the middle ring. I've ordered the 22T ring to replace the current 20T ring, which may solve the problem. Also at 175lbs, I never thought pedal arm flexing would be a problem, but again I was wrong. Two and a half stars would be a fair rating, but I'll round up since nothing has actually broken yet. My adivce to stay with LX or above, Shimano still makes the best cranksets under $100.00. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Porkchop
a racer
from Denver
Date Reviewed: August 16, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Ever had a mechanic give you a story to explain a mechanical problem and stand there thinking, Does this guy think I'm a total f'ing moron? I've worked in a few shops, and while I ain't Stephen Hawking, I couldn't believe this one:
Q: Why are the teeth shattering off my Sugino 700 4 arm middle 'ring? Three of 'em? I don't think my shifting has suddenly gotten THAT bad...?
A: (from a wrench I'll super skinny man) You know, I think that this year's Sachs chains are out of spec. Let me get you a new ring and a Shimano IG90 chain.
Man, I thought super-skinny man's explanation was A**, but any racer that skinny I give the benefit of the doubt. He GAVE me an identical Sugino ring and also a free new chain.
Super-skinny man knows his way around a bike. Plenty of rides and 4 CORPS series races later, my rings are worn, but elsewise intact. GO SKINNY MAN! I hope that this helps any of you out there with these cranks/rings. I find the crank's post chain replacement performance adequate. The rings are too soft, they do wear noticeably faster than any others I have used. By the way- 4 armed cranks? Are crank designers that BORED? T**s on a bull- who needs 'em?
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mix Master Mike
a racer
from The Bronx
Date Reviewed: August 7, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Yo i reprentinin the sungo crang it's the bomb supper light and very fresh you should buy this superior race crank awsome but a little expensive but yo know only the best for MIX MASTER MIKE word out my Bro's keep riding I ve rode the best and this crank is by far the best !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
tony D
a cross-country rider
from Portland, OR
Date Reviewed: August 3, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I think we need seperate product listings for different Sugino cranks. How would it be if we had one category called Shimano cranks?. I have two the 5-arm Mighty 900 and the 5-arm Impel 700. Both of these cranks are forged and weigh 600 & 675 grams respectively with rings. I have found them to be quite stiff and hey, I like the look. I have ridden the 300s and found them flexy but c'mon, let's not trash the whole line by using the low end as a standard. How many people think XT cranks should be judged by using Alivios? | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kevin L.
a weekend warrior
from Toronto, ON
Date Reviewed: August 1, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
The Sugino Impel's came stock on my Trek 6500ZX. Already, hearing some creaks from a few weeks of single-track. Didn't know how much they costed until I checked some price listings, and I guess you pay for what you get, but I got them stock on my bike so no choice (yet). A few of the teeth on the chainrings also starting to look worn down a bit. Heard great things about the upper-end Shimano cranksets or RaceFace, so if I really ruin these Sugino's, I will look towards those. Wouldn't recommend people to UPGRADE to these, but if they come stock on your bike, keep them until they're ruined. No use wasting something that is ok. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
kelvin
a racer
from Ireland
Date Reviewed: July 24, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
My experience of Sugino cranks is possibly the worst experience a person could have when first getting a mountain bike. I got my kona in '96 when I was getting bored of being a roadie, the kilaeua is a great bike, but the cranks were absolute fuc#ing shit. They lasted three weeks in their original state.
The first week I rode every day and by the end of the week the spider was completely out of whack, the middle chain ring hitting both sides of the front mech cage. The second week the cranks creeked all the time, even after clean the tapers and greasing. The third week me and my club mates were bombing down a killer downhill in Winchester (my home town), I was really going for it, and half way down at about 30mph the left hand crank sheared downwards as the tapers went. Immediately I was totally fuc#ed, putting my leg down onto the rubble surface, I then went into the undergrowth and terminated my ride by hitting a tree, destroying my front wheel. My leg was completey shagged, couldn't ride for about two weeks. After that I got a LX crank, but that another story...
Avoid these cranks at all costs. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Fodder
a cross-country rider
from Seattle
Date Reviewed: July 16, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I bought a Bontrager Privateer S (yep, the Miami Dolphin paint job:) and the bike came stock with Sugino Mighty 700 cranks. There was a clicking sound coming from the bottom bracket area when the drive side crank was at the 3 o'clock position on every pedal stroke. Weird. Brought the bike back to the shop and they monkeyed around for some time trying to make it make the sound go away. After spend an hour and a half in the shop I told the ham-fist mechanic to stop scaring up my cranks and that I would fix it my self. I made sure every thing was tight, but was unable to get tourqe specs on the Sugino cranks so I just cranked down all the fixing bolts on both the crank itself and the chain rings, this had no effect and the more I rode, the the more prominant the creaking was becoming. What solved the problem? I took the chain ring fixing bolts out of the chain rings and cranks, greased the hell out hell out of them and ran Finish Line wet style chain lubricant into the area between the cahin rings and the crank itself, trying to lube any area that was metal on metal. This solved it! No more creaking. To all with Mighty 700 and 300 series cranks give this a shot before throwing in the towel and buying a new set of shiny new Shimano cranks. Also, try new chain ring fixing bolts as well. I switched to an anodized aluminum set and they seem to fit slightly tighter in the cranks and chainrings than the stock fixing bolts. These are decent servicable cranks.. Good luck. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Paul
a weekend warrior
from Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium)
Date Reviewed: July 13, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I've got Sugino 300A on my Joshua X0. They have turned this dream bike (that my personal opinion) to a nightmare bike... Every time I ride i got chain sucks, chain falling from the smaller ring,... I've tried everything to get the STX front derailleur fine tuned (changed vertical position, cable tension,...) nothing helps! Now my rear triangle is harmed by the chain falling into the frame... but who cares... Reading what I can see on other reviews I think I definitely need to switch to something MUCH better (It seems not to be difficult).REM : why is a rating below 1 star not provided? | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
monkey boy
a cross-country rider
from Redfiel, SD
Date Reviewed: July 7, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I don't normally bad mouth equipment, but this I have to. These cranks suck!!!!
I had one for about 2 weeks then it broke. 2 of the chain rings broke and another 2 were cracked and the design flexed badly. The way it placed me geometry wise, just sucked to the max!! And to top them all off it is butt ugly
I c would like to give this crank a -4 for a rating but I will have to settle for a one!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jason T.
a cross-country rider
from Charlotte, NC
Date Reviewed: July 3, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I bought a Gary Fisher 1998 Paragon with the Sugino Mighty 500 crankset
and after three months of none too hard riding, have a bent middle ring.
My former bike had a set of Sugino Impel 700's from Supergo and they
held up fine. It may be the new four arm design but with the way I ride,
there is no way these rings should be failing so early. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
BLADE
a cross-country rider
from KNOXVILLE, TN
Date Reviewed: July 3, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
OK these cranks kinda suck !!..they do chain suck in the small ring and flex a bit.I think i can save some weight if i upgrade,yeah a lot of weight probably? I have to admit they are not that bad though ,I ride a full suspension so they will probably last longer...?! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Golen Bear
a cross-country rider
from Bay Area, CA
Date Reviewed: June 23, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Sugino cranks in whatever form- White, Impel, Specialized all suck- They are way flexy at the 6 o'clock position and the left crank is especially flexy. The metal also gouges easily and corrodes easily. My Impel looks 10 years old after 1 month of riding- almost pitted- dirt sticks to it like glue- corrodes easy. And they're heavier than you think. Also, the Q factor is different than Shimano's so you pedal different (more ducklike)- Stick with Shimano (they make the drivetrain) the quality/design is much better or get a Syncros. Don't get fooled by cheap imitations. Hey, Shimano LX is < $100. Why would you get anything less? | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bob Berta
a cross-country rider
from
Date Reviewed: June 19, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
These came stock on my 96 ProFlex Animal. I upgraded several components on the bike and always put off upgrading the crank until it had problems. To its credit my Sugino Impel has done just fine. The rings did go away and I replaced all three of them once with another brand and after theyf went away with Real rings which are really (pun) amazingly long lived. They have a nickle plating hard face over the alloy.. The trick on this crank like others is to make sure you have everything at the correct tightness. I use a torgue wrench marked in Inch pounds. Compared to other cranks I use they seem to be equally stiff and comparable quality. Note though there are different levels of Sugino cranks. Some are cheap alloy. Others are cold forged like mine. Make sure you get the better level ones. I rate these about comparable to the XT Shimano's.
I am amazed at the people who ride mountain bikes over rocks, logs, etc. Never perform any maintance like retorgueing bolts, etc. and than scream when they brake a tooth or fold a ring. Sheesh....if you want your stuff to holdup you need to at least take care of it. I am relatively light as I only weigh 140 lbs. but as a retired catagory II road racer I figure I can put some real torgue on the cranks so figure I am a pretty good test case. By the way this isn't my only bike (have a garage full both of MB and road bikes) but I figure the cranks/bike has about 12,000 miles on it of hard use and a lot of jumping and hard uphill climbing.
The compact ramped chain rings that came with it are ok...actually shifted better than my Shimano XT and rings on another bike but wore out quickly. This is probably the only weak spot as far as I am concerned.If these ever go I will likely go with one of the higher zoot sets like Race Face but frankly I don't see much need to yet. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Alex
a weekend warrior
from Russia
Date Reviewed: June 10, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Sugino sucks foreva. My chick has this piece of shit (300 mighty) on her '98 Trek 950. And this part is the worst one on the bike. It's just so flexy, I can't have the derailleur tuned so that it could at least operate properly. Leaving out the grinding sond of the chain against the chainbox which just can't be eliminated and appears every time the girl starts stomping on pedals. Never used an Altus, thanx God, but I presume it may turn out even worse. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
s.de jong
a weekend warrior
from Holland, zwolle
Date Reviewed: June 9, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
This is a very bad crank, It really sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!, my chain came stock on my bike.
I bought this bike(Mongoose Rockadile)two months ago, and so far I have no problems with other compenents but only with this poor crank. Don't buy a Bike with Sugino cranks!!!
Because that's the biggest mistake of your life!!!!!!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a cross-country rider
from Austin, Tx.
Date Reviewed: June 4, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
My fisher paragon came with the 98 500 series. I have had nothing but problems with these cheap ass chainrings. I've worn out all three rings in the course of 6 months. By the time you buy this crankset and replace all the rings, it doesn't sound like anybody's really getting a deal here. There are better deals on Shimano stuff out there. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
MATTHEW TURNER
a downhiller
from ENGLAND
Date Reviewed: May 31, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
A pair of SUGINO IMPEL 350 cranks came stock with my Diamond Back recently.From the start they looked shabby, flexed, creaked and shifted worse than a knackered sturmney archer. When I rode my bike for the first time in the mud I began to get the dreaded CHAINSUCK, which ripped all the paint off my stays. Why the hell did I never get chainsuck on my old GT outpost with an altus chainsetl. Now the main reason I am posting this letter is because recently at a jumping session down the BMX track the driveside crank bent, but to make matters worse on the way back the soft alloy threads holdin the pedal in crumbled, ruining my pedals in the process. And by the way Sugino rings are about as strong and well made as crusty old rancid cheese | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tim
a weekend warrior
from MI
Date Reviewed: May 29, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Not real good. I bought a '98 Fisher Big Sur that came with a STX front derailleuar and a Sugino 350 crank. I kept losing my chain when shifting to the inside chainring and it wouldn't shift down under heavy torque. I had the front derailleur upgraded to a XT which is a ton better as far as smooth shifting goes and shifting under heavy torque, but I still am dropping my chain at least once a ride. I brought it into the bike shop (for the 5th time) to look at it and they finally said Well, it could be the crank I think it is! They are going to swap it out for a LX crankset. We'll see how that goes. Bottom line, if my problem is the crank, the SUGINO 350 is not a good one. | | Overall Rating: |
| |
|
Photo Caption Contest
(sponsored by Maxxis)
|
Enter here
|
|
|
$
