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you are paying for weight and performance. they make more durable versions for enthusiasts.
they are racing cranks. XC races for one summer season.
so, if you are paying top dollar for lightweight cranks, do you really expect the addition of a heavy scuff proof coating? I think not.
I personally use Zee cranks with a narrow wide chainring.
Maybe you should send them back under warranty?!?
slx; 5g heavier, 30 quid? cheaper and waaay more mtb friendly finish than xt
It's nowt to do with the cranks, if your feet rub them you'll scuff them. XTR aren't any more prone to it than any other crank. People expect expensive cranks to be wholly resistant to abrasion. They also want them to be light. These two things are mutually exclusive!
I think scuffs would make then less gopping.
Whenever I see bikes with heel rub it drives me mental. Why do people keep peddling knowing ther feet are hitting the cranks. Surely you can feel it and move your bloody feet.
Even road bikes where 99% of people are clipped in. How the frig do you get heel rub when clipped in - unless you're a complete gimp.
The more they rub off the lighter they should get... genius new marketing about the new 650b xtr specific cranks
Whenever I see bikes with heel rub it drives me mental. Why do people keep peddling knowing ther feet are hitting the cranks. Surely you can feel it and move your bloody feet.
My chainstays always take a bit of a foot polishing. The reason is my big feet and their even bigger shoes and the fact that a tend to move about on the bike to help me negotiate stuff. I could ride in a more rigid fashion or swap out my feet for smaller ones but i can't be arsed.
...Whenever I see bikes with heel rub it drives me mental. Why do people keep peddling knowing ther feet are hitting the cranks. Surely you can feel it and move your bloody feet.
Can't figure it either as I can't even position my feet half comfortably on the pedals to make them touch the cranks, must be a bunch of "ten-to-twoers"
Depends on the size of your feet and a bunch of other stuff, throw in a dodgy knee or 2 and maybe a hip thing and it just happens. I can't feel when I clip the crank or the stay through my shoes.
If you're particularly precocious:
Remove pedal.
Cut section of roadie inner tube to length of crank.
Pull inner tube over crank.
Refit pedal.
No rub marks but people won't be able to see you've spunked a bunch of money on flash cranks...
My 4 year old XTs are looking a bit battered and there's some heel rub but I guess that would be expected for a year round bike that sees lots of use.
Seems like a few people have actually worn through their crank arms though 😯
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Whenever I see bikes with heel rub it drives me mental. Why do people keep peddling knowing ther feet are hitting the cranks. Surely you can feel it and move your bloody feet.
I scuff cranks, seat stays and chain stays! Use clipless pedals, I've got a decent pedal stroke, I never feel myself doing it, but I know that I'll obliterate the finish on cranks if I don't cover them!
I know several people who scuff top tubes with their knees!
My ancient Race Face Atlas cranks have held up pretty well and I pedal like a cack footed monkey!
I agree with the others on here that a few rubs will make them look a bit better.
As for what is yow, I can only assume that you have never watched Harry Enfield and chums.
I scuff cranks, seat stays and chain stays! Use clipless pedals, I've got a decent pedal stroke, I never feel myself doing it, but I know that I'll obliterate the finish on cranks if I don't cover them!
+1, I ride slightly duck-feet but also with my feet inboard (guess I have narrow hips) so my heels often brush the stays/arms. Especially with chunky fat/phat flattie shoes.
I have no issues with being precious, I use my kit but I don't abuse it and I resent unnecessary or easily preventable damage. I fit heli tape to prevent cable and heel rub on the frame, and my M800s are fitted with these
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I think cokie's post pretty much undermines the detractors.
njee20 - MemberIt's nowt to do with the cranks, if your feet rub them you'll scuff them. XTR aren't any more prone to it than any other crank.
No, they definitely are more prone to it than SLX. It's a weird thing this- whatever Shimano does with those, it's a far more durable finish, always has been. But they don't apply the same method to anything else. Older XTR at least had less colour on the parts that wear so you were polishing silver, also a better approach. Shape can play a part too.
[url= http://crankskins.com/ ]Crankskins[/url] probably have a pre-cut coating for them.
SLX seem to be designed to look alright when scuffed. And Canfield are designed with an unpainted ridge to suck up the heel rub and protect the paint.
It's a pity that XTR apparently isn't designed to keep looking decent.
I’m all for keeping a bike up together and maintained, however they are mountain bikes after all – a few battle scars and whatnot adds character. That’s not to say we have to accept inferior designs/material that lend themselves to wear, but we might need to lower our expectations somewhat in this instance.
You’d think from my gait I could pass a pig in a corridor. That’s transferred a little to my riding style, although I’ve tried to eradicate it by cleat alignment and bringing my knees in-board, but crank-arm wear is inevitable for me.
mtbel - Member
Viz top tip - actually ride your bike and you won't ever see the outer faces of your crank arms. ride it quickly enough and no one else will either.
😀
Am not precious about my bike like many of you think I am it's gets ridden a lot and theirs scratches on the frame and rs which in no way bothers me. What does bother me is my last 10 speed ones lasted 2 years and still looked pretty good after that length of time. These on the other hand nave done 15-20 miles and are wearing already. I ve not seen another set to compare them to to see if it is me or just a really bad finish.
Older XTR at least had less colour on the parts that wear so you were polishing silver, also a better approach.
My M970s and M980s still got scuffed to buggery! Or rather they would if I'd not covered them, and even then still ended up looking a bit tatty!
Polished cranks can still look pretty rubbish too. I just think you need to protect them if you want them to look nice. That is interesting about SLX ones, I've seen some very scuffed ones, so assumed they were as prone as anything else.
2nd tape thread of the day...
if you scuff your cranks then tape em. If you don't stuff your cranks then tape them anyway in case a crank scuffer borrows your bike.
Scuffed ranks look messy and as though the owner doesnt care about his/her bike and they can result in failure eventually. Cranks should be one part of your bike that lasts well which is how you can justify buying nice ones unlike the rest of a bike which is more consumable. Eventually they will get chipped etc and that is due to riding and happens.
I realise cranks get chipped and scratched. What I was annoyed at was the coating coming of so soon
My old M665 SLX still looks good. My new M675 has a similar approach to finish and will likely look good in a couple of years.
Tbh, I can see being annoyed at something expensive looking old in fifteen minutes, but that's hardly been a secret with XT and XTR cranks or various SRAM, RF etc options, and why people tape cranks.
I've just arranged for tape on a new £400 hard tail frame simply because I want this one to stay looking nice for a bit for personal reasons.
Cars manufacturers are perfectly happy to let people pay for aftermarket treatments to improve durability of finish, so I'm not sure why a bike or its parts should be different...
Got money to spend on light cranks and don't like heal rub... should have gone for carbon cranks.
should have gone for carbon cranks.
You're kidding? Carbon cranks scuff just as badly as alu! SRAM XXs were horrendous for it!
Bling on a MTB is really a pointless pursuit TBH but if you must have pretty things, then these:
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Look far nicer than these:
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IMO...
[url= http://www.velosolo.co.uk/jjcrank.html ]and at a fraction of the price... [/url]
They are Deores?! They look fantastic. Too chrome for my taste though.
I did something similar to a set of SLX cranks that were looking a bit scabby. Even before polishing, they came up a lot better.
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The inner snob in me couldn't cope with the poverty spec though so they were replaced for some carbon arms that got taped up from day one.
Used XT off these here classifieds for £25, a bit of wet n dry & metal polish. Getting a bit scratched now so might have to give em another quick go over
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