I’ve had it with Shimano cr@p – this weekend was the last straw!

I’ve been running an XT crankset for 18 months, can put up with them being scuffed and having more than a few rock enduced dings after the first ride – I can even put up with the self-loosening non drive side crank arm. But riding yesterday the pedal threads completely let go launching me off into the undergrowth at some speed. Closer inspection and i’ve got 1/2 a thread left!

Utter Cr@p

What are my options on a new non-shimano crank set?

With shimano being the go-to of the crank world, I’m not sure!

Perhaps you should look at Race-Face… But cost is a factor perhaps…

SLX cranks have steel pedal inserts, go for them

Wow! what on earth are you doing to them? They are totally solid and reliable for me and everyone else I know.

Shimano cranks and less ham fisted spannering 😉

If you’re wrecking XT you need either Saint / Zee or a how-to-fit guide. Most other cranks use taper-fit splines for NDS crank attachment and the Shimano system is a better way to do it – FSA started to change their cranks to this system recently.

Was there not a very dull group test of cranks in last / this months MBR? Essentially, they all work and the Shimano were the best for value and performance. If the Xt aren’t tough enough maybe look at zee or saint?

My XT hollowtech 2 cranks are probably my favorite and most bombproof piece of bike equipment I own, outlasting frames, forks, brakes and almost everything else bar a seat clamp on my current bike.

Despite being a lightweight XC component they have survived 4 Alpine trips including 3 Megavelanche, 2 Spain weeks and all my UK riding in between over about 6 years.

God only knows what you have put yours through but I doubt anything else would survive any better. Perhaps weld some girders on there instead.

Shimano cranks and less ham fisted spannering

This, everything else on the market is going to make you very angry indeed I suspect.

Perhaps look at what you’re doing to the cranks, why they are failing and what you can do to resolve it?
What sort of riding are you doing for starters.
I’ve not had an issue with either pair of my HT2 Shimano cranks in 5 years. Im no lightweight (17st with kit) and can be quite heavy on stuff.

Oh and if you’re going to vent at Shimano stuff being crap, pick something that is actually crap, which their cranks generally arent.

Shimano cranks and less ham fisted spannering

+ another

Shimano cranks and less ham fisted spannering

Have a:

+1

and

😆

Torque wrench FTW.

No Shimano cranks on any bikes now.
Sram x9 easy to fit paired with a Hope BB.
Race face same as above.
Sram x01 same as above. Fitting with 1 Allen key and have proper splines.

No Shimano cranks on any bikes now.
Sram x9 easy to fit paired with a Hope BB.
Race face same as above.
Sram x01 same as above. Fitting with 1 Allen key and have proper splines.

Wait until they get loose at the specified torque, gradually require more and more torque to remove play – and eventually the self-extracting bolt breaks so you have to cut them out! Hopefully I was just unlucky…

i’ll mend the pedal threads

Sounds like your pedal started to unscrew then stripped the last half of the thread. Could have been not tight enough, some people use locktite, or the pedal could have seized.

After seven years of the “anything but Shimano” mantra a new bike came with SLX cranks. They were a revelation, still going strong five years on.

I had RaceFace Evolve cranks for a while, they ate BBs every few months and finally the splines gave up just after the 12 month warranty expired. Since then I’ve never fitted anything RaceFace to any of my bikes and have been all the happier for it.

Truvativ cranks were much better – they were stiff, good looking and light but the perennial bottom bracket wear issue meant that I gave up on them eventually.

All three of my bikes have either XT or SLX cranks fitted and I’ve never had any problem aside from an occasional creak from the XTs – solved with the application of grease.

i’ve also done the same with a set of XT cranks.. (m760)

they where correctly torqued..

I rode them off a maybe 3 foot drop to a transition.. and on landing the pedal was at a 30 degree angle and the thread’s had stripped!

ive always been a bit of a crank breaker for some reason despite not being that crazy a rider..

but i replaced them with some SLX and they have been utterly faultless for a good few years now..

i also have some raceface Evolve XC on two other bikes which have also been faultless!

Unfortunately not down to being ham fisted 🙁

It’s what i’d call normal riding but definitely not XC, couple of up lift days a year but mostly trail centres & Peaks / north wales – not a big fan of keeping my wheels on the floor though 😀

I’m running a five with 150 forks and a Burgtech offset bush though so do have a few pedal strikes and i’m running straitline pedals which have proved to be undestructable! But that should mean i strip out all the threads?

Just found out they are under warrenty – what’s Shimanos warrenty like?

Regular heavy pedal strikes with big platform pedals will kill most things. You’ll get on a lot better with a crank intended for DH use if that’s your usual riding.

And you’re surprised?, the xt crank set-up is primarily an xc crankset, go for saints.

If your non-drive side arm is coming lose, you probably have installed extra spacer(s) on the BB. If your BB is 73mm then you only need one spacer on the drive side.

And you’re surprised?, the xt crank set-up is primarily an xc crankset, go for saints.

Yeah I’m surprised. Unless the OP is a fat biffa. My XT cranks are peppered with scratches from rock strikes and I don’t give them any sympathy with a similar riding style by the sounds of things. 5+ years old now, probably the best bike component I’ve ever bought for reliability.

Saint parts are for DH bikes and park laps – they’re not intended for XC and are overkill on any 150mm bike. Maybe you’re just unlucky, maybe you’re doing something wrong with installation.

OP if you’re struggling with XT, then you’re in for a hard time, the Shimano installation system is about the most secure and easy to install system on the market currently

Not a fat biffa more like 10 stone weakling!

Oh well looks like i’ll have to suck it up and add it to the list of failed parts – hopefully the next set will last me longer 🙄

I have Deore LX HT2 on my hardtail.
Do about 3000 miles a year on it, new chainring every couple of years.
Never skipped a beat.

I have XT770 on the Yeti
Couple of scratches, rock stikes
Been fab

Skinny lad 63kg

mysterymove – Member
Unfortunately not down to being ham fisted

It’s what i’d call normal riding but definitely not XC, couple of up lift days a year but mostly trail centres & Peaks / north wales – not a big fan of keeping my wheels on the floor though

I’m running a five with 150 forks and a Burgtech offset bush though so do have a few pedal strikes and i’m running straitline pedals which have proved to be undestructable! But that should mean i strip out all the threads?

Just found out they are under warrenty – what’s Shimanos warrenty like?

Funny – I’ve had Straitline pedals rip out the threads on XT cranks. And a friend has had the same. There’s something weird about the straitline threads, I think.

SLX crank set here (the ‘AM’ version with the steel pedal inserts) I reckon they are close to indestructible…

Shimano…never any issue apart from once stripping the pedal threads from stupidly inserting the wrong side pedal (but they still gave me another crank arm despite my own stupidity 🙂 )

When it comes to cranks Shimano are the best as far as I am concerned. As others have said maybe try SLXs wuth steel pedal inserts or go badass and get some Saints. I had the first Saint M800 for about 6 years before changing to the new M820s last year. They ahve been faultless and seem pretty much indestructable. The M800s were sold on and were perfect. I got the M820s from Halfords on a sale for £130 so since I neede a new BB anyway, the cost of said BB and value of old cranks meant new shiny model for bugger all!