how are they ??

have the choice of XTR or RS8 …

XTR plus side – come in 180mm , are 280 quid and i can sell the rings+BB for what ever and get the ceramic + a single ring

RS8 look lovely , (always had RS7 square taper since 1999 same set on various bikes till last year) cost 175 + 95 for a ceramic BB and 30 for a single ring

RS8 look like they just made a nice Hollowtech 2 ISIS axel for the old RS8 ….

think the costs work out about the same in the end depending on what i get for the rings

weight wise what is there in it ? stiffness wise ?

what would you buy with your money -do be aware most of you i will ignore there are a few folk on here whos opinions i value…..

The Middleburn arms are heavier than the XTR if that makes any difference to you. In fact, they’re heavier than XT. They’re also a lot more spindly looking.

GB

I was thinking about those new Middleburns too.
Not because I can see any advantage over the square taper, but I like the ability to simply change the bearings on the BB, and the big plus is they should work with an Eccentric external BB set.

BTW the Middleburns may look spindly but they thrive on hard use.

I’ve got a square taper set and an ISIS set – so obviously I like them. 🙂

hmmm weight is important(ish) to me but what appeals to me is the ability to remove without specialist tools in the arse end of no where should have issues

any idea how much extra we are talking gee ?

thinking on it i think the XTR might still be out in front – i originally speced XT but thought **** it why not build it how i want it – for the first time ever !

the build on paper is less than 22lbs – be interesting to see what it comes out at …

Go XTR. Ive used a lot of other cranks over the years and have now gone with XTR all round as they just work reliably for so much linger than anything else. They’re 20-30g heavier than XT.

GB

gee – Member
…They’re 20-30g heavier than XT…

30 seconds with a Dremel and that’s fixed 🙂

Yes, or just have a wee.

They are a lot of cash for an unproven product when there are lighter things around. A friend has a set and has used them for most of this season without a problem.

I guess if you want something different from the crowd, go for it. They wont wear as badly as XTR if you go for the silver ones?

GB

Terry, Tommy Marv had these on his bike. He bought them from us and we ended up having to send them back (after they took ages to arrive) and he got his money back. The axle was so short that the cranks hit the chainstays on his bike- and he’s not got anything really unusual.

Safe to say he has XTRs now.

Interesting point that Spokes – It looks like the axle could be replaced, so why don’t they make different axle lengths? Give better chainline options, which would be handy for SS, hub gears and, ahem, belt-drive…

ir_bandito – Member
Interesting point that Spokes – It looks like the axle could be replaced, so why don’t they make different axle lengths? Give better chainline options, which would be handy for SS, hub gears and, ahem, belt-drive…

and 100mm for fatbikes 🙂