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I have always used XT cranks, but I am looking to replace them just because they are worn. Any ideas on something better than XT in the same price range? These will be used on a spot.
Your favorite Cranks?
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I like XT cranks
I'm still running an old set of XTs on my bike--octalink. Work great. I'm still trying to find a compelling reason to upgrade. Can't seem to find one.
Jaybo
I really don't think there is a crank on the market better than XT for the money. They are easy to install, have the best rings on the market, and have infamous Shimano quality.IdahoBiker said:
I'm still running an old set of XTs on my bike--octalink. Work great. I'm still trying to find a compelling reason to upgrade. Can't seem to find one.
Jaybo
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16,463 Posts
I know I'm a bit outdated, but I like the old XTR cranks (M952). They are decently light, but have a stiff feel to them. They are tied with Race Face ISIS Turbines. I have not tried outboard bearing models yet.
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41,992 Posts
You're not really going to find anything stiffer or stronger than the XT cranks. Other crank manufacturers are forced to use a "C", "I-beam" or "V" shapped crank, and while they aren't bad, they aren't nearly as stiff as the XT hollow design.
The octalink 1 XT cranks were also very good, they didn't last long though before outboard bearings came along.
Some people complain about the rings, but I torque the heck out of my drivetrain and do not have any problems with them wearing prematurely. Some gears can't resist wear as much as others due to decreased or increased surface area, and I'd say that people that tend to stay in certain gears may wear specific gears much faster, but overal I can't substanciate the claim that the shimano rings wear too fast, only that people tend to not change their chains enough or actually check for wear.
Out of all the external-bb cranks that I've dealt with, I'd probably never buy the race face stuff for myself. The plastic axle preload spacers are just a bad design, and this system is basically a taper-fit for the axle-crank interface. I also don't care for the removal, requires big allen wrenches (10mm) and it's basically a huge self-extracting bolt. You just have to loosen and remove two small allen bolts with the shimano and the entire thing slides apart for easy cleaning. You don't have to torque the heck out of the shimanos.
FSA and Truvative work fine for the most part. No qualms with their outboard bearings, but stay away from ISIS. It's a huge step backwards.
The octalink 1 XT cranks were also very good, they didn't last long though before outboard bearings came along.
Some people complain about the rings, but I torque the heck out of my drivetrain and do not have any problems with them wearing prematurely. Some gears can't resist wear as much as others due to decreased or increased surface area, and I'd say that people that tend to stay in certain gears may wear specific gears much faster, but overal I can't substanciate the claim that the shimano rings wear too fast, only that people tend to not change their chains enough or actually check for wear.
Out of all the external-bb cranks that I've dealt with, I'd probably never buy the race face stuff for myself. The plastic axle preload spacers are just a bad design, and this system is basically a taper-fit for the axle-crank interface. I also don't care for the removal, requires big allen wrenches (10mm) and it's basically a huge self-extracting bolt. You just have to loosen and remove two small allen bolts with the shimano and the entire thing slides apart for easy cleaning. You don't have to torque the heck out of the shimanos.
FSA and Truvative work fine for the most part. No qualms with their outboard bearings, but stay away from ISIS. It's a huge step backwards.
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get me a full pic of that bike
Can you post a full pic of that bike? That is the new blue ano and mine should be here middle of January. I'd really like to see a full pic....looks awsome.mattsteve said:
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1,991 Posts
Wrote Jayem "You're not really going to find anything stiffer or stronger than the XT cranks"
After using XT cranks for many, many years....I did actually notice that my Race Face Northshore cranks I put on my Spot, were perceptibly stiffer than the shimano XT's - it was actually noticeable.
OK, OK, so they are a tad heavier.....not by much though...lifetime warranty too!
After using XT cranks for many, many years....I did actually notice that my Race Face Northshore cranks I put on my Spot, were perceptibly stiffer than the shimano XT's - it was actually noticeable.
OK, OK, so they are a tad heavier.....not by much though...lifetime warranty too!
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12,941 Posts
i gotta agree with the jerk here. the 952's are oh so stiff and light as one could hope for. doesnt hurt that they can be found very cheap used or new. what does hurt id the 24/34/46 gear and its lack of compatability with reasonably priced replacement rings. this can be gotten around with a few more bucks. shimano made a 4 bolt compact ring adaptor that bolts right on that im mentioned alot before and its still available through yer lbs if they order though bti.
id also fully support those who say to stick with yer ht 1 xt's. new rings go a long way on these super stiff and kinda light babies. the newer ht 2 xt's are even better when installed correctly. i dont have any time on the fsa's but my rf and truvative stuff has been quite good through the years too. the rings even work well compared to the perfection of the shimano stuff for much less.
and to mattsteve............. damn! wow! how true to life is the color in that shot? damn! thats just nice! lets see the big picture for sure!
id also fully support those who say to stick with yer ht 1 xt's. new rings go a long way on these super stiff and kinda light babies. the newer ht 2 xt's are even better when installed correctly. i dont have any time on the fsa's but my rf and truvative stuff has been quite good through the years too. the rings even work well compared to the perfection of the shimano stuff for much less.
and to mattsteve............. damn! wow! how true to life is the color in that shot? damn! thats just nice! lets see the big picture for sure!
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12,941 Posts
id stay away from the newer '05 ht lx cranks. they have a stand alone requierment for a 126mm octalink b/bkt and man does that mess up a chainline not to mentoin a very wide q factor. no friggin idea what shimano was thinkin on this one. i just installed one on a custys bike this past weekend and it pretty much sucked. run away! run away!
A "stand alone requirement" and "Shimano" in the same paragraph? Nah...couldn't be.cactuscorn said:
It seems they're all about proprietary parts and "standards" these days. Not that I'm a Shimano basher, they do make some fine stuff. I've got boxes of UN-72's and old XT hubs that refuse to die and are just waiting for their next life on a city cruiser or as donor parts.
My only gripe with the hollow tech style cranks is that my feet and ankles tend to hit the arms. Might be my riding style or pedals (speedplay frogs..lots of float), but the hollowtechs just don't work for me. I recently picked up a set of the Truvativ Stylo GXP's (a'la cheeze) mostly because the install of the RaceFace Systems sounded like a PITA. The Stylos were a breeze to install, after purchasing yet another BB install tool for $20...I've yet to track down the required 16mm hex wrench for disassembly.
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Well, then again we have Tuvativ (and you know who owns them) trying to figure out what standard they want, because ISIS failed, and they've since come up with two new standards, one smaller splined standard to replace square taper on inexpensive bikes, and their new integrated BB standard. I don't see how that is any better.k1creeker said:A "stand alone requirement" and "Shimano" in the same paragraph? Nah...couldn't be.
It seems they're all about proprietary parts and "standards" these days.
I'm not saying SRAM is any better. H$ll, I was happy with Shimano square taper BB's and cranks aside from the occasional bent square spindle, but hey, a replacement BB was $20 and they were easy to find. Personally, I never had any issues with ISIS either (call me lucky?). More and more, I find myself buying "upgrades" so I'm not last one to leave the party left searching the retro forum for a left side Next LP arm, 1.25" headsets, or lightly used 8-speed parts, and not because I feel they are better than the "old" way. You must have skipped the line where I b*tched about having to buy more tools for the Truvativ crank. My point to IdahoBiker was that I've read of install issues with the new RaceFace style system and that I had no problems with the GXP install.Jayem said:
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1,563 Posts
Both of the more current generations of the XT cranks are great. Past experience for me has shown the middle ring wearing very quickly, say with in a month of new but haven't seen it so much lately.
My personal favorite cranks at this point are the Race Face Turbine ISIS, matted to a Race Face XS Chromo bottom bracket. Stiff, fairly light, strong, and shift great.
My younger brother has the new Deus cranks, I helped him set thim up, no problems, everything went together as planned, everything tightened up nice and hasn't loosened up at all. Bearings felt draggy at first, but after some use the seals and all bedded in and they're pretty damn smooth.
just my .02
happy trails...
squish
My personal favorite cranks at this point are the Race Face Turbine ISIS, matted to a Race Face XS Chromo bottom bracket. Stiff, fairly light, strong, and shift great.
My younger brother has the new Deus cranks, I helped him set thim up, no problems, everything went together as planned, everything tightened up nice and hasn't loosened up at all. Bearings felt draggy at first, but after some use the seals and all bedded in and they're pretty damn smooth.
just my .02
happy trails...
squish
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7,319 Posts
I've been on RaceFace Turbine LPs for the past 2.5 years. The same crank, same rings and only a second bottom bracket. These are ISIS, by the way. It has been on my hardtail, then my Burner, then my Spot and now it will migrate to a RFX/Pack. They are plenty stiff, very light, shift awesome, etc. They are the perfect crank, in my opinion. I wish RaceFace made them in the outboard bearing flavor, instead they have Deus which seem to fragile for trail bike use and Atlas which are a little on a boat anchor side of the weight scale. Turbines are right in the middle.
At any rate, I doubt that you'll be going ISIS as everyone seems to have dropped ISIS like a bad habit. I've been looking at FSA K-Force, and although a few here have them on their 6-Packs, I don't know if I would trust carbon in a part which smacks rocks so often. XTs are good, but the rings definatelly don't last as long as good RaceFace (2.5 years in my case and still going strong) or FSA rings. Another crank which I looked at buying is the FSA Afterburner MegaExo. One thing to keep in mind is that FSA allow for the narrowest chainlines of all the outboard manufacturers.
_MK
At any rate, I doubt that you'll be going ISIS as everyone seems to have dropped ISIS like a bad habit. I've been looking at FSA K-Force, and although a few here have them on their 6-Packs, I don't know if I would trust carbon in a part which smacks rocks so often. XTs are good, but the rings definatelly don't last as long as good RaceFace (2.5 years in my case and still going strong) or FSA rings. Another crank which I looked at buying is the FSA Afterburner MegaExo. One thing to keep in mind is that FSA allow for the narrowest chainlines of all the outboard manufacturers.
_MK
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