# Looking for a crank that can handle a heavy rider 350+



## JayMo602 (May 9, 2014)

This is my second post on this board, I am just getting back into riding , sorry if I miss some of the correct terminology - 
I posted earlier in the Specialized forums, perhaps I should have posted here..
I have a 2014 specialized expedition sport that I am thinking of changing the crank set out on. 
The crank set is a Suntour NEX crank 24/34/42T , and I am contemplating a higher chainring set.
I am a heavy rider that likes to come off the saddle allot, and would like to do it confidently.
Any recommendations, I am looking to spend between 100 and 175, and ride mostly pavement and street.

Thank you for your help in advance!


----------



## paxy (Apr 6, 2012)

300 lbs here and run a deore crankset. It's been bullet proof. With price matching it was $89 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## JayMo602 (May 9, 2014)

Thank you for the recommendation Paxy, I will check it out!


----------



## Flamingtaco (Mar 12, 2012)

ANYTHING that is not a square taper crank and you will be golden. I used to wear them out in about three years back when I was a road racer. Nowadays, pushing 350 pounds of flesh up trails, and standing on descents... The crank that came with my new bike lasted almost a year.

2.5 years on an XT crank... not a single issue.

If you've got your heart set on spending $175, XT triples are $185. Almost as good, SLX triples go for $160. The SLX has a 44 or 48 ring available, the XT has 44. All are 

While the Expidition is a fine bike for paved surfaces, it is not a good bike for standing a lot, especially standing while pedaling. If possible, I'd suggest returning the Expedition for a Crosstrail or Ariel. The handlebar placement on the Expedition (and any bike that permits an upright riding posiition) is high and close to the body. As you move your hand position towards the front and close to the headtube, stability and control increase.


----------



## GOTA (Apr 21, 2011)

Isn't the expedition a comfort type bike? I'm not sure if I would spend much money to upgrade it. It's not really meant for anything but very smooth trails.


----------



## JayMo602 (May 9, 2014)

Flamingtaco said:


> If you've got your heart set on spending $175, XT triples are $185. Almost as good, SLX triples go for $160. The SLX has a 44 or 48 ring available, the XT has 44..


My budget certainly will allow that, and I will have a look at those recommendations, thank you!



Flamingtaco said:


> While the Expedition is a fine bike for paved surfaces, it is not a good bike for standing a lot, especially standing while pedaling. If possible, I'd suggest returning the Expedition for a Crosstrail or Ariel. The handlebar placement on the Expedition (and any bike that permits an upright riding posiition) is high and close to the body. As you move your hand position towards the front and close to the headtube, stability and control increase.


No returns necessary, I realized when buying the Expedition that it was an entry level bike. Cant tell you how many times I have purchased "Gung-Ho" big, only to lose interest shortly after, followed by losing product value. I will have to look into your notation of handlebar position differences in the bike, as my handle bars are positioned very close to the headset if not over it. One thing I was certain is I did not want my seat to sit as high as the headset, as I didn't feel this to be a comfortable position for me at this point.


----------



## JayMo602 (May 9, 2014)

GOTA said:


> Isn't the expedition a comfort type bike? I'm not sure if I would spend much money to upgrade it. It's not really meant for anything but very smooth trails.


The expedition is a comfort bike built for pavement, and perhaps light dirt trails....I realize that mountain bike use in the level of what most do on this board requires heavy duty components that can take a beating, so I figured what better place to ask.
Any upgrades spent on the bike, will be made with the notion that there quality components that can be transferred to a better bike when the need arises.

I hope to be confident enough in my equipment and ability to do those types of riding others do on this board one day!


----------



## sanitaire (Jan 30, 2008)

make shure it's cold forged. makes the metal stronger when bike parts are made...


----------



## clydecrash (Apr 1, 2005)

Deore, SLX, and XT will satisfy your needs, plus let you install a quality mtb crank on that future mtb frame. Watch the sales too. And Ebay. Just picked up a "new other" Race Face Atlas crank (w/o rings) for ~100 that would more than satisfy your needs, and your needs way into the future if you ended up AM/FR/DH.


----------



## GOTA (Apr 21, 2011)

JayMo602 said:


> The expedition is a comfort bike built for pavement, and perhaps light dirt trails....I realize that mountain bike use in the level of what most do on this board requires heavy duty components that can take a beating, so I figured what better place to ask.
> Any upgrades spent on the bike, will be made with the notion that there quality components that can be transferred to a better bike when the need arises.
> 
> I hope to be confident enough in my equipment and ability to do those types of riding others do on this board one day!


I'd just make sure the frame is compatible with any of these upgrades before I purchased them. Trying to make a frankenbike could end up a lot more expensive than buying an entry level mountain bike frame and upgrading that. You can get an Airborne Goblin frame for just $250 and free shipping. Buying that and building it up might ultimately be a cheaper and better option.

Airborne Bicycles. Goblin Frameset


----------



## Flamingtaco (Mar 12, 2012)

JayMo602 said:


> The expedition is a comfort bike built for pavement, and perhaps light dirt trails....I realize that mountain bike use in the level of what most do on this board requires heavy duty components that can take a beating, so I figured what better place to ask.
> Any upgrades spent on the bike, will be made with the notion that there quality components that can be transferred to a better bike when the need arises.
> 
> I hope to be confident enough in my equipment and ability to do those types of riding others do on this board one day!


You will be ok with the way you want to do this if you are saavy with your purchases. Watch for used parts, previous year new parts, etc. If you purchase parts at full 2014 prices, though, you will pay a lot more than just buying a new bike.

I think you can make some positive changes to your Expedition that will get you on your way. You can both drop your stem and swing it down to put it in a better position. Replacing the riser bar with a flat bar will both push your hand positions down and forward. I think you can get real close to a typical mountain bike position by just adding a flat bar.

Your headtube has a very respectable angle for trail riding, but the fork is not up to it, so no bombing down even easy trails for now. Room to grow if you want it.

The brakes are also not up to snuff, but you can get very good Shimano v-brakes for like $15 each.

DO NOT SHIFT UNDER LOAD with your current drivetrain, it will not last long. Definately not trail worthy components there, so take it easy on the deraillers for now.

Make sure you get the seat raised up so you are in your powerstroke zone and can breathe well.

I think overall you can do a few cheap changes to the bike to improve stability and start improving your riding style to get ready for trail riding, and can also swap some parts to make it more trail worthy as you start to get into it. Just stay with it and you'll figure out what you need in time. Be prepared to have fun and get better each week. You can do it!


----------



## hrhitter (Dec 20, 2004)

I've been at 350. And have had a race face diablo on my 29er for 8 years with no problems


----------



## Nubster (May 15, 2009)

I love my SRAM (Truvativ AKA) crank. It's on my single speed so it sees loads of torque and no problems plus IMO it looks great too. Been riding it as high as 320 pounds...255 pounds now.



The chainring on the other hand...I would not recommend.


----------



## Nubster (May 15, 2009)

double post


----------



## davejs (May 26, 2014)

Flamingtaco said:


> ANYTHING that is not a square taper crank and you will be golden.


Sorry, not trying to hijack the thread...

But can you take a bike with a square taper bottom bracket and upgrade it to another bottom bracket and new cranks?

Or do you have to use square taper only, if that is what comes on the bike?


----------



## paxy (Apr 6, 2012)

It's all about bottom bracket shell size. As long as your new bottom fits the shell, you should be good to go. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Dawgprimo (Mar 7, 2004)

I have used Shimano XT for years and no problems.
If you go with new cranks depending on what your replacing you might have to get a new BB. WHich is a good upgrade anyways in my opinion.

If you have square tapered BB you can up grade but you will have to get the BB removed and replace it with one that will work with a hallow crack, like the XT cranks are or Truvativ.


----------



## willtsmith_nwi (Jan 1, 1970)

Flamingtaco said:


> ANYTHING that is not a square taper crank and you will be golden. I used to wear them out in about three years back when I was a road racer. Nowadays, pushing 350 pounds of flesh up trails, and standing on descents... The crank that came with my new bike lasted almost a year.
> 
> 2.5 years on an XT crank... not a single issue. .....


The achilles of the venerable Shimano cranks are the pinch bolts. I have dropped the crank arm on a couple an XT set. That's when I really started taking a torque wrench seriously. The other issue on the Shimano cranks is the pinch bolts are designed to save grams ... not save themselves. Heads strip, threads rips and bolts snap. Replacement bolts from the hardware store will serve you much better.

Oh, and don't forget to treat the threads with anti-sieze.


----------



## 14Stone (Jun 23, 2010)

Just another clyde jumping on the XT bandwagon.

XT Cranks are the Honey Badger of drive trains.


----------



## jonshonda (Apr 21, 2011)

willtsmith_nwi said:


> The achilles of the venerable Shimano cranks are the pinch bolts. I have dropped the crank arm on a couple an XT set. That's when I really started taking a torque wrench seriously. The other issue on the Shimano cranks is the pinch bolts are designed to save grams ... not save themselves. Heads strip, threads rips and bolts snap. Replacement bolts from the hardware store will serve you much better.
> 
> Oh, and don't forget to treat the threads with anti-sieze.


I don't know that I have ever seen anyone complain about pinch bolts on shimano cranks. But by your own account, you were not using the correct methods to torque them? Lets not blame Shimano for incorrect assembly methods.


----------



## willtsmith_nwi (Jan 1, 1970)

jonshonda said:


> I don't know that I have ever seen anyone complain about pinch bolts on shimano cranks. But by your own account, you were not using the correct methods to torque them? Lets not blame Shimano for incorrect assembly methods.


Arms ...

http://forums.mtbr.com/drivetrain-s...k-left-arm-pinch-bolt-plastic-tab-737403.html
http://forums.mtbr.com/drivetrain-s...k-arm-replacement-shimano-fc-m552-883265.html

Bolts:
http://forums.mtbr.com/drivetrain-s...bolt-thread-shimano-m760-crankset-106215.html
http://forums.mtbr.com/drivetrain-s...-hollowtech-crank-arm-pinch-bolts-742516.html
http://forums.mtbr.com/drivetrain-s...tripped-pinch-bolt-crank-arm-help-698703.html
Search Results

For someone with such a great reputation .... you dont pay very close attention ... nor do you you seem capable of searching for relevant threads on mtbr.com .

Also ... if you notice ... I mention using ant sieze and a torque wrench. I'm advocating the correct assembly methods. And for the record .... if you browse through those threads you'll see that the weakneas of Shimano crank pinch bolt threads is as well known as the weakness of Crank Brothers' ... everything.


----------



## jonshonda (Apr 21, 2011)

willtsmith_nwi said:


> For someone with such a great reputation .... you dont pay very close attention ... nor do you you seem capable of searching for relevant threads on mtbr.com .


I am very capable, but don't ever recall reading the negative reviews when looking for my clyde friendly crankset. Maybe I just dismissed some of them you referenced, because they are from 2005.

I guess when I am looking for a crankset "even a gorilla couldn't mess up" isn't part of my design requirements. I look for bang for the buck, stiffness and reliability. Shimano SAINT clicked all the boxes for me. Maybe the bolts in my crankset are a revised version, but I have yet to have any issues. Maybe its because I never really have needed to remove them? Reliability over pretty every time.


----------



## TooTallUK (Jul 5, 2005)

Heavy handed spannering kills more parts than heavy riders ever will do. Heavy riders AND heavy handed spannering? That's most of the 'I'm too heavy / strong for my parts' threads right there.


----------



## jonshonda (Apr 21, 2011)

I knew you would show up to preach about spannering. 

If you ask TooTallUK...it is always bad spannering. Never has anything to do with physics.


----------



## solarplex (Apr 11, 2014)

paxy said:


> 300 lbs here and run a deore crankset. It's been bullet proof. With price matching it was $89
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Any issues with the bb? My deore bb cups came loose and had to be re greased and tightened after a month... I got a ticking again. I hope its not coming loose again.


----------



## paxy (Apr 6, 2012)

None so far. Did have to replace the middle chain ring last week as I bent it. I've had the crank for 6 months now. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------

