Middleburn external cranks due in this week!

Weight comparison over on our Flickr pages[/url] – 890g total, with middleburn hardcoat slickshift and Hope stainless BB. XT complete is 878g

Si

Thanks for those. Any chance of the weight of the crankarms without the spider? *world holds it's breath*

Seems it's the Hope BB that's the porky bit otherwise it's fractionally lighter, would have wished for a bit more considering cost, but it's British and I support it.

just waiting for mine to arrive in the shop… paid £170 (cycling club discount) 😀

delay seems to be because i'm having black ones, and apparently they need to be anodised still…

any idea how long before they send anodised ones out?

itching to add all my nice new bits (XTR shifters, carbon bars etc)!

Does anyone know when the double-specific spiders will be available?

GB

double specific spiders? do you mean duo rings?

iirc (and this could be totally wrong) the same rings/spiders will fit the cranks as previous cranks, no?

Matt at Middleburn still hasn't finalised the duo spider. he has the final proto's being tested at the mo. Afraid nothing definate on when they will be available

OK great – thanks for the update.

The double has a better chainline compared to just running a double setup on a spider designed for a triple, so it does make a difference.

fair enough, didn't realise there was a spider for that… may look into it myself.

i thought double ones would be more set up for a XC 2 ring spec – i.e. not 22/34? running double and bash, 22/34 so may be interested if there is a spider which will work better with this.

anyone know about lead times on anodised cranks?

Heavier than XT (by a gnats chuff) and about 140g (ie ~20%) heavier than XTR for about the same price as XTR.

So how stiff are they, compared to XT/XTR? If they're based on RS8's one can't help but think they'll probably be a fair bit flexier?

Not looking good for me so far (which is a real shame). 😥

am I the only one who thinks they look like a cheap pair of cranks from the 90s?
don't see the appeal 😕

OK – geek alert.

Have just been weenie enough to drag up the XTR chain ring weights. It would appear the bare XTR arms are only a hair heavier than the Middleburn ones.

I don't think Middleburn slick-shift rings are especially light either. TA Chinooks are about 40g lighter, for instance.

Direct comparisons in bare crank weights are interesting, but the "problem" I have is that these types of cranks/ bb's is that they come out heavier than the square taper RS8's I currently use…

Still, these look nice to me – I'm not a huge fan of the appearance of the latest Shimano offerings.

I like them, I'm already using a Middleburn ring and am extremely impressed.

If a small British engineering firm can offer a viable alternative to Shimano and SRAM on merit then it's good by me.

am I the only one who thinks they look like a cheap pair of cranks from the 90s?
don't see the appeal

Your not the only one…

Oh dear – some people are moaning about a couple of grams 🙄

am I the only one who thinks they look like a cheap pair of cranks from the 90s?
don't see the appeal

never understood the obsession either. especially the 'it's a singlespeed therefore you must have square taper middleburns ans a witty one speed sticker'.
unless they are significantly cheaper, lighter or stiffer than current shimano offerings i'll steer clear.
they look old and dated too.

Hideous looking cranks.

By "double" I mean XC race double 29/44, not double plus bash. For double plus bash you'd go with the triple cranks.

GB

Oh dear – some people are moaning about a couple of grams

Yeah…its a couple of grams heavier than an xt chainset, which is HALF the price.

The weight comes about from the Hope BB, combine it with an XT BB it'll be lighter, I'm all for supporting British brands where it makes sense, and if it's a few quid more then so be it, if your a weight weeny you won't buy it, if you want a part that's good quality and a bit more unique than the mass produced stuff then you'll consider it. I've always used Middleburn rings dispite the weight because of the longevity.

Folk wondering why folk care about the weight – it's because that always was one of the middleburn benefits. I have RS7s on my DH bike, as the setup is very light, and yet strong. Even better if I swap out the ring for an Uno ring.

Many were looking for the same qualities in the HT2 stuff.

i just happen to like them, am happy to spend a bit f money on some cranks, happy to admit that i'm a fanboi, they they are (in some people's eyes) not that attractive etc etc etc

imo they look good, they sq taper are, imo, classic cranks, i've wanted a set of the HT2 cranks ever since they said they would release them. they also have a stunning warranty and customer service. fortunately my financial position at the moment is one where i can afford them, and therefore… i'm getting some.

fwiw i think the current XTs look gash, fortunately we live in a free country where i am able to make my own decisions 🙂

now, anyone know the lead times on the black ones?

Love them, want them!!

Yeah…its a couple of grams heavier than an xt chainset, which is HALF the price.

Well its half the price because it's mass produced in the far east. I don't think that 180 quid is a lot of money considering it is a top quality british made niche product. Also for those worrying about the weight, you are not limited to using a Hope BB and Middleburn rings. Run for example an XT BB and you can save yourself 30 quid and 18g, just don't expect it to last very long.

If I buy some of the new ones, will I be able to use the Uno and Duo rings from my RS7s?

Not until the new spiders get made. I'm also waiting for the Duo.

sorry to keep this going, but any news on lead times for the anodised ones?

my lbs knows nothing and i've not managed to get through today.

i'm getting desperate for my new cranks!!!!

18bikes emailed me to say that they can order the black version in.

Does anyone know whether it is possible to adjust the length of the axle (Q factor)?

Gruen, The axel is a fixed length and due to the fitment, not adjustable.
You can adjust the preload on the BB with the collar on the non drive side. Maybe MIddleburn could make you a custom axel?
You could posibly use a washer between the crankarm/BB to adjust slightly.
Mine sits perfectly central in the BB.

sslowpace – I ride a custom hardtail that has a 73mm bottom bracket shell and beefy chainstays. With a 73mm bb shell you are supposed to use one 2.5mm BB spacer on the drive side, however with this setup the inner ring (22T) of my XT cranks rubs against the chainstay. The only way to get around the problem is to use two 2.5mm spacers on the driveside, however this means that the non driveside arm doesnt sit completely on the axle (the axle is 2.5mm too short due to the extra spacer).

I was hoping that the Middleburn system would offer me some extra leeway.

Is anyone else able to confirm whether or not this is the case?

iirs there may be an 83mm BB for DH bikes available at some point? seems to heva been some chat about that on the DH forums.

i've ordered a black one in, but no idea what it'll arrive in the shops 🙁

Will the crank allow me to have a chainline of 51mm?

give thm a ring, they've always been helpful when i've got through. but a 51mm chainline isn't so odd, so i'd be surprised if not…

😀
😀
😀

arrived this morning. beeeutiful they are.

now just gotta work out how to fit them… (?)
no instructions in the box!

arrived this morning. beeeutiful they are.

Which one? To fit an 83mm BB?

one of the first black anodised, for a 68mm BB

fitting tonight, will post up photos (first black one i've seen)

Ok thanks, so I guess they aren't doing a 83mm version yet 😥 arse

right, just fitted mine.

simple job to do…

non-drive side (which holds the axle) in, drive side on (remembering to put the outer seal from my BB on – oops), tighten the 8mm bolt till it is tight, and then an extra tweak, tighten split ring on non-drive side to eliminate wobble, and pinch it up.

done.

couple of initial impressions

its pretty light
its very nice quality, all the way through – everything which needs to be greased is done so in the factory (although i put a bit of grease on the axle/drive-side interface)
it looks a bit 'old school' i guess
does seem to have quite a narrow Q-factor – with the same BB spacers (as advised by the nice man at middleburn), the inside of the crank arms are very close to the chainstays – i had some innertube wrapped round mine to stop chainslap and the like, and i have had to re-do it so that there is only one layer of innertube between the crank and the chainstay – its still a very tight gap, although not touching any more.

will post a link to some photos later.

i am very happy 😀