Looking for some new cranks – must be 165mm and ok to take a bit of a beating. Looked at the Hopes which are kinda where I was leaning but heard the odd story about them cracking and being an absolute ballache to fit and look after and then I found that BETD are still making Middleburns. Much difference in the two? RS8s able to take a bit of abuse (its a trail bike so won’t be doing 10ft drops). Liking either of these options for the UK made/shiney-shiney aspect…

Anything else to consider? Running XTRs at the minute but at 175mm I’m finding them too long…

EEWings? Stupid money, but light and can take a beating, and even if they succumb, I’ve heard stories that Cane Creek really go the extra mile on warranty/crash replacement (10 years).

There’s also Sturdy Cycles, if EEWings aren’t spendy enough. Can’t comment on durability yet though.

Or Locked (Kingdom sub brand) components, But they kinda look like someone explained what EEWings looked like over a poor phone connection…

5Dev cranks seem to be standing up to abuse, and are a bit out of the ordinary.

Newer Hopes are same system as .ost others, single self extracting bolt and a preload collar, was just the older ones were a tricky fit.

Unite do some nice ones.

The middleburn cranks i have are lovely. Fit and removal is easy. I like cranks that tighten to a positve stop a d dont rely on pinch bolts.

Pedals fit on the ends🙄🤣 they are shiny

Another vote for Cane Creek eeWings. Seems like silly money on paper but a set will outlast the universe. The last crankset you will ever buy.

I’d personally avoid anything carbon because the pedal thread inserts have a tendency to de-bond. Not so good if out of warranty.

Another vote for Cane Creek eeWings. Seems like silly money on paper but a set will outlast the universe. The last crankset you will ever buy.

They’re welded Ti, like a frame it’s a lottery whether they’ll crack or not. Or at least the durability is still to be proven. They do look nice but having had 10+ years from XT and XTR cranks I don’t buy into the durability point here. They’ll also still wear slowly from ankle scuff.

Cane Creek really go the extra mile on warranty/crash replacement (10 years).

– this certainly helps though

I can’t see past XTR for top-end cranks. The axle to crank connection is excellent and a 24mm axle is a bonus for greater bearing space. Middleburns perhaps, though I’ve only had the pre-BETD square taper versions and Sq T wouldn’t be my choice for MTB.

i have 2 pairs of XTR cranks, they are both heavily gauged from rock strikes, looked real nice before then, never noticed this problem on slx or XT usage :0(

Ingrid
5Dev
EE wings are lovely. but i cant see them being worth 3x the cost of most other expensive cranks. unless youve got cash to burn.
stay away from carbon. seen far too many break.

As mentioned above. the Hope Evo cranks attach the same way as SRAM with a big 8mm allen key upto 50nm. aluminium preload collar. self extracting for removal. Really easy. My RX cranks have a very definite stop when they are tight.

buying now. id go for middleburn. I love the slightly old school look of them.

I can’t see past XTR for top-end cranks. The axle to crank connection is excellent and a 24mm axle is a bonus for greater bearing space.

Agree.

Fans of the old school look may wish to check out Engin Cycles Port Royal Cranks.

https://engincycles.com/all-products/engin-crankset

+1 for Unite.

Thanks all for the comments so far.

Still thinking its out of Hopes/Middleburn and now the Unites (wasn’t aware of those but look nice, decent weight and UK made etc). I don’t need (does anyone?) Ti cranks and certainly aren’t paying a grand for a set! Beauty of the Middleburns being I wouldn’t need a new BB as well…

Is there a reason for running “nice” cranks?

I run 165mm SLX cranks on my Hightower and judging by how bashed up they are, i wouldn’t want to be running anything that has cost me a significant outlay!

I did look at EEwings and also Hope when i was building the bike up but decided I’d rather spend the cash on nice wheels/electronic gears!

FYI – Unite seem to have very frequent 20% off deals, worth being on their maiing list for a bit if you are interested

JONO20 was working yesterday……

If you want non fash but durable – then Shimano, Middleburn, unite, dmr etc basically anything that isn’t carbon.

If you have cash to splash then eewings, I own two sets they are silly light but also a comparatively expensive and you don’t get any perceptible performance increase.

Slightly less cash than EEwing’s but just as flash imo would be Garbaruk or Ingrid

yup.. dont get hte nice crank thing…
XT’s sit at pretty much the top of the tree for general riding as far as im concerned, and cost very little more than other option’s chainrings
i can’t say id notice flex.. but hte next option for me for realistic cost etc would be the cheapest sram carbons to save a 1-200 gram
every other crnak i loook at is no lighter from what i can tell
Rotor make some lovely alumnium cranks
you’d have to tell me why hope are a good option…

XTRs here. acouple of sets of 970s bought second hand that have been faultless and a pair of 9100s that I ponied up new money for – looked beautiful for the first ride, then started getting (like all Shimano cranks) ankle scuffs and rock gouges. Light, tough, stiff enough, 24mm axle so BB bearings last fine.

EEwings would be my choice if I was spending more than that as they just don’t seem to wear out and can be made to look like new again with a bit of elbow grease. They do seem to come loose occasionally, and they have a 30mm axle, which might well mean more BB woes. (no plastic sealing tube between the bearings on a BSA BB). But I can’t justify spending THAT much more!!

Hopes are heavy for the money.

I got the middlburns because they are shiny.

I wont use shimano ones with the pinch bolt.

Sorry mods, shouldn’t have included that link. Warning all over the real Ingrid site about the dodgy fakes being sold.

Ahhhhhh I forgot about those Ingrid ones. Beautiful.

eewings, I own two sets

*wide eyes emoji*

Fair dues though, I like your attitude to it all.

It’s dull but

24mm axle is a bonus for greater bearing space

Is worth consideration but I put even greater value on a nice readily available direct mount chainring standard.

*wide eyes emoji*

Fair dues though, I like your attitude to it all.

In my defense, the second I bought second hand and cost less than the RRP of a set of slx….😁 The first set I bought to go on my ti fat bike when I bought the frame, imports from the US & were still cheaper than any UK set.

Is worth consideration but I put even greater value on a nice readily available direct mount chainring standard.

Dont get Ingrid’s then – dedicated for there own chainring, which also costs about the same as a set of slx cranks.

I really, really want a set of 5Dev, just like them, to my eyes they look lovely

I run 165mm SLX cranks on my Hightower and judging by how bashed up they are, i wouldn’t want to be running anything that has cost me a significant outlay!

I have those on all my MTBs.

They are very nice cranks and pretty light. Does it matter that they’re not very expensive?

You can bling them up with aftermarket chainrings if you want to show off.

Can’t rate the Middleburn RS8’s highly enough, always been super reliable, and their customer service excellent.

Related question, for those who’ve ordered bits from the USA, have you got stung on import fees? And have you used “FedEx Duties & Taxes included” shipping which would imply that I wouldn’t get stung for duty/tax on top, but I’m not confident that it’d work that way.

I’m potentially looking at some nice shiny bits which are only available in the US for my next bike 😁😎

Related question, for those who’ve ordered bits from the USA, have you got stung on import fees? And have you used “FedEx Duties & Taxes included” shipping which would imply that I wouldn’t get stung for duty/tax on top, but I’m not confident that it’d work that way.

No, yes. Works perfectly.

Related question, for those who’ve ordered bits from the USA, have you got stung on import fees? And have you used “FedEx Duties & Taxes included” shipping which would imply that I wouldn’t get stung for duty/tax on top, but I’m not confident that it’d work that way.

Sometimes Yes and sometimes no (depends on the item and how good at forms the seller is)

FedEx system Yes – works fine, and works out faster than items going through customs, waiting for release and then payment

No, yes. Works perfectly.

FedEx system Yes – works fine, and works out faster than items going through customs, waiting for release and then payment

Awesome, cheers!

Well, not awesome for my bank account but shiny stuff isn’t cheap 😁

Stupid thread has me on the cusp on buying ingrid cranks now

Between the PSA’s, Tom’s internet rummagings, and threads like these, STW is quite often bad for the bank balance.

Has anyone got a set of Unite cranks and are they any good?

Is worth consideration but I put even greater value on a nice readily available direct mount chainring standard.

Good point. My last few 1x setups have all been running 4-bolt chainrings. What is a readily available direct mount standard? 30mm axles?? That could have a bearing (no pun intended) on my decision as I’m err’ing towards Middleburn but their rings seem to be £80/£90 a pop AND I’ve just noticed aren’t 12 speed Shimano compatible which I need.

@honourablegeorge – I’ll add myself to Unite’s mailing list as the cranks look like a decent option and 20% off potentially makes it even more appealing.

I don’t think Middle urn have any 165mm cranks in stock as I looked a few weeks ago.

If folks aren’t running their own standard, SRAM 3 bolt is popular. Though it’s got wide tolerances, I’ve had to get stuff re machined where it fits a SRAM crank, but not an EEWings, despite both being the same ‘standard’.

Rings available in all sizes, £15 – £350

I’d like eewings. But what I have, is old XTRs, because they’re absolutely fantastic- not much heavier than the lightest cranks I’d consider fitting, stiff enough that I never think about whether they’re stiff or not, and indestructible. 2 sets are at least a decade old. The newer ones are like 10 grams lighter, woo

What is a readily available direct mount standard?

SRAM I’d say. Used by SRAM, Cane Creek, Unite and others, just have to check the specs. It means you can buy boutique, SRAM, Superstar etc and then when 13 speed comes out you won’t have long to wait before a suitable ring is available for your cranks 😀

stiff enough that I never think about whether they’re stiff or not, and indestructible

I don’t doubt they are but when making these statement shouldn’t you quote your own personal specs? Like, what do you weigh? Dripping wet? 😀

Do direct mount cranks have any real world advantage over a set of slightly older Shimano hollowtech 4 bolt cranks on a 73mm external BB? Apart from being able to run tiny chain rings?