# favorite crank....



## SamL3227 (May 30, 2004)

alright, right now i have some truvative blaze cranks on my zero, but those are gonna fail on me soon, so im looking for a new set of cranks and i dont know what to get. i was lookin at the hussulfelt 1.1s cuz they are cheep, but other then that i dont really know what to get.

so what cranks do u guys run and why


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## cummings (May 21, 2005)

run what u got till they do fail. unless you have crazy money floating around, just keep em. but if u insist, hussefelts would be good if your keeping it cheap. if you want to spend more, go with a bmx style. deity, odyssey wombolt (what i have), stolen bmx, fly, profile. and if you are singlespeed get a bmx chainring as well. but if you still have gears, look into a deity DH sprocket


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## Vinny A (Oct 8, 2006)

The best cranks out there right now with out a doubt are either the traditional Profiles, Odyssey Wombolts, Fly Cranks, or the Demolition Medials which are basically re-enforced Profiles with a Ti Spindle


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

If you don't want to go with a 3-piece setup...

DMR has the new x-type cranks, very interesting.

Saints have always been pretty solid.


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## SamL3227 (May 30, 2004)

whats better about using the bmx style cranks over mtnbike cranks?


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

The obvious difference is that most mountain cranks are aluminum, and most BMX cranks are steel or cromoly. Aluminum is softer and has a limited fatigue life.

There are other differences too.


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## BikeSATORI (Mar 20, 2004)

bmx cranks offer the ability to easily run a micro-drive set-up (since mtb's use a tradtional Spider which limits size/set-up possibilites).
And on top of that, the 3pc design uses a floating (vs. fixed for most mtb) spindle which allows for infinite chainline adjustment, given you have a long enough spindle.




oh yeah, Vinny A listed most of my favs... but most any bmx crank you look at with the 19mm 48 spline standard (other standard is 22mm) is probably going to be very solid (with a few cheapo exceptions), may just come down to your price point and what looks you want.


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## SamL3227 (May 30, 2004)

what about the oddysey phat black widow cranks. they seem like they would be pretty good.

what about shadow conspiracy torrid cranks?


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## Vinny A (Oct 8, 2006)

No one uses the black widows for a reason. 

The TSC Torrid cranks are really new and not many people have used them yet, however they are sick looking cranks and TSC has always made a solid product.


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## BikeSATORI (Mar 20, 2004)

SamL3227 said:


> what about the oddysey phat black widow cranks. they seem like they would be pretty good.
> 
> what about shadow conspiracy torrid cranks?


Torrid's are bangin'!

black widow's, not so much...

The TSC Torrids supposedly take care of the only flaw known to the profile design, by using a 1pc backplate that is cnc'ed together with the spindle boss and pedal inserts, to keep them stiffer and prevent snapping at the spindle like some profiles have done (still very rare). But, the Torrids only come in 175mm size, but if that's what you need (most do), then even better.
The new Demolition Medials have supposedly taken care of this flaw w/ the traditional profile design as well, with a larger weld area and larger cnc'ed spindle boss, that also prevents "ankle bite" from that area. The medials come in 170mm size too! And even better, for the same price as the reg. Torrids, you can get the Medial "LT" which comes with a titanium spindle, making them quite a bit lighter than the torrids, and many other cranks as well! check staff-bmxdotcom
but just be warned that the above two recommended cranks do not come with a bb in the set, because of all the variations in size and standard, but a proper one can be had for around $25 extra. I'm assuming you need a euro, and with any of the profile style cranks, you'd need 19mm.


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## bigmclargehuge (Feb 10, 2007)

Deity cranks. Nothing more need be said.


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## BikeSATORI (Mar 20, 2004)

bigmclargehuge said:


> Deity cranks. Nothing more need be said.


yeah, Deity is a great route to go for the mtb. Excellent product, even better customer service, and for some mtb's, easier setup due to the longer oem spindle. Also, the 170mm is a nice size for mtb apps.

but, if you do not need that 6.15" spindle, there are many many other cheaper and lighter routes to check out. I'm not the largest fan of their bottom bracket either, but they do adjust to bb width easily and don't require removal of your chainguide for adjustment or fitment, that is if you run a chainguide anyway...

also, like the profile, they are a traditional chromo tube welded to a cylindrical spindle boss and pedal insert, and although I've never seen it happen, or even seen many situations on the net here where it has happened, that design flaw still exists, unlike the above mentioned two recommendations. No doubt Eric at deity would of course take care of you if anything did happen though...


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## SamL3227 (May 30, 2004)

alright, so all of you are saying basically that i should get either deity, TSC torrid, profile, or the demolition medials.

so there isnt too much diff between any of those designs it seems so just gotta pick the one thats to most fly!

and another thing, ive seen some bmx bikes with these really fatty chains and whatnot. where do u get those and is it really nessesary at all?


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## The Dude (Jan 19, 2004)

Vinny A said:


> Profiles with a Ti Spindle


thats what i run on my t.o.p


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## jimage (Dec 22, 2006)

get ether race face diabolus or evolve dh or dmr or gusset or saint or husfelt or holsfeller

edit:heres links

race face- http://www.raceface.com/components/index.html

dmr- http://dmrbikes.com/?Section=products&pageType=category&category=5&categoryName=Cranks

saint- http://cycle.shimano-eu.com/catalog...<>ast_id=1408474395181667&bmUID=1174939032945

truvativ- http://www.sram.com/en/truvativ/freeridedownhillcranksets/index.php


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## BikeSATORI (Mar 20, 2004)

jimage said:


> get ether race face diabolus or evolve dh or dmr or gusset or saint or husfelt or holsfeller
> 
> edit:heres links
> 
> ...


Diabolous is ridonkulous.

and the others.. mmmm, ehhh, nah.. not where I'd spend my cash. Saint is nice though.


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## fiddy_ryder (Jun 15, 2005)

jimage said:


> get ether race face diabolus or evolve dh or dmr or gusset or saint or husfelt or holsfeller
> 
> edit:heres links
> 
> ...


those are fine if your running gears. but no gears, go bmx style 3pc.


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## Vinny A (Oct 8, 2006)

BikeSATORI said:


> Diabolous is ridonkulous.


Couldn't have said it better :thumbsup:

Stick with BMX style cranks for this, you'll be happier. Personally I'd go with either the Demolition Medials or the Fly Bikes cranks. The TSC cranks are absolutely sick but seem like over kill for the average rider who doesn't have a problem with breaking cranks.


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

Blah on RaceFace. Stupid interface design, it wears out so quickly

But as mentioned, it is more difficult to run BMX chainwheels on MTB cranks.


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## aggiebiker (Apr 18, 2006)

wow, thats gnarcore will.


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## BikeSATORI (Mar 20, 2004)

aggiebiker said:


> wow, thats gnarcore will.


from the eastern26 website... one of their past riders (forgot his name, but I think j-dogg said he knew him from his area or something) did that with an eastern medusa sprocket and a dremel... horrible dremel work I must say too, hahaha.... but pretty ingenious no doubt.


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## bigmclargehuge (Feb 10, 2007)

There's no way in hell I'd ever run Hussefelts again. Those things are absolute garbage. The pedal thread bosses come right out of the crankarm after only a few months.


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

Terrible terrible dremel work. I think I could have made better cuts with a big ol' angle grinder. But a good idea.


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## SamL3227 (May 30, 2004)

alright so ive been reading that i have to get a 6in wide spindle or something and the bmx bbs come with shorter ones. so is that a problem or am i blowin shiz outa my mouth?

lets just say that i get the deity cranks and their sprocket w/ bash. they sell the cranks with the bb right? and i wont need any adapters or anything for the instalation on my 05 Haro Zero?


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## Crow (Feb 14, 2007)

Not for sure on the answer but I am putting some Profiles I had lying around on the budget freeride bike I am building, a Bighit Spec, and the spindle appears a tad short. Imma just run down to Empire and get 6 incher from Tom today. 

I run the big chain on my 20" BTW, no bashguard. I will say it is heavy as crap but I have never harmed it and I beat it mercilessly. I don't think you can get a proper chainwheel in micro sizes though. I run old school 44T.


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## BikeSATORI (Mar 20, 2004)

SamL3227 said:


> alright so ive been reading that i have to get a 6in wide spindle or something and the bmx bbs come with shorter ones. so is that a problem or am i blowin shiz outa my mouth?
> 
> lets just say that i get the deity cranks and their sprocket w/ bash. they sell the cranks with the bb right? and i wont need any adapters or anything for the instalation on my 05 Haro Zero?


you'd be all set with the Deity's then in your case... they come with a 6.15" spindle and adjustable bb w/ spacers... a lot of bmx cranks come with 5.75, which is close, and you don't always need the full 6". are you running a chainguide? on a 73mm or larger bb?

you can always pick up an aftermarket spindle, I have a couple of 6 inchers, one in ti, one in chromo... profile makes'em all the way up to 6 7/8" but you don't need that.


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## jimage (Dec 22, 2006)

gusset cranks rule

heres a link- http://www.gussetbikes.com/gusset/viewcat_mtb.php?i=BBs'n'Cranks


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## J-dogg (Aug 7, 2006)

yeah that guy is pretty crazy with his bike, those saints setup thingy and he machined out a atomlab rim and his tem its pretty funny but hes a relly good rider no doubt and his names nick soloninka. as far asc ranks, profiles or dk chopstix or whatever you want, tsc and the new flys look awesome too


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## aggiebiker (Apr 18, 2006)

XSL_WiLL said:


> Terrible terrible dremel work. I think I could have made better cuts with a big ol' angle grinder. But a good idea.


i could make better cuts with my teeth.


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## SamL3227 (May 30, 2004)

so how do the bmx BB work, does it screw in like the blaze cranks. ive never really messed with cranksets at all.


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

There are different type of BMX BBs. There are euro BBs which is just like MTB. The cups thread in.

There's American, Spanish, Mid, etc. These are pressed.


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## SamL3227 (May 30, 2004)

well whatever mine is, it runs the truvative blaze ISIS cranks....so would that be euro or what?

just to let ya know i havnt been able to find out for my specific frame. 05 haro zero


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## Tracerboy (Oct 13, 2002)

BikeSATORI said:


> Diabolous is ridonkulous.
> 
> and the others.. mmmm, ehhh, nah.. not where I'd spend my cash. Saint is nice though.


buahaha nice one. im a few days late but couldn't resist. i speak from experience when i say both Saints and Diabolous cranks are not worth the money for this application. in the past i've been stoopid enough to buy both. bought my RF's a bit over a year ago for a DH bike and now that i think about how much i spent all i do is cringe at the thought and wonder what i was thinking:skep: . i was much less informed at the time. also bought a pair of saints which creaked like no other and would not stop. all i say is ew ew eww about both. i've also broken a Diabolous BB so i hope my second one holds up. just buy BMX cranks please.


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## BikeSATORI (Mar 20, 2004)

SamL3227 said:


> well whatever mine is, it runs the truvative blaze ISIS cranks....so would that be euro or what?
> 
> just to let ya know i havnt been able to find out for my specific frame. 05 haro zero


you'll have to remove that ISIS blaze crank before using any type of bmx crank. ISIS is an mtb standard. You have a "Euro" threaded bb shell, but you need to know the width of it. Measure the bottom of the frame's bottom bracket shell, from edge to edge, not including any part of the blaze's bb. it should either be 68mm or 73mm I would guess, but I'm not familiar with Haro's mtb lineup. 
then if you pick up a bmx crankset, make sure you get the "euro" bb, not american, not spanish, not mid, not bmx, etc...

also, I'm still not clear, sorry if you already said it, but do you run a geared setup with a chain-guide, or just single-speed?


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## SamL3227 (May 30, 2004)

oh its all going to be SS only for my zero. i want to buy a new cromo 24 spec frame but for now ill just get some bmx cranks and get there slowly

so then i have a euro bb thats 68 or 73mm. alright. 

so basically i got it down to these cranks
-pofiles w/ ti spindle or without
-TSC torrids
-deity full set

what do u think is the best out of those 3?


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## BikeSATORI (Mar 20, 2004)

SamL3227 said:


> oh its all going to be SS only for my zero. i want to buy a new cromo 24 spec frame but for now ill just get some bmx cranks and get there slowly
> 
> so then i have a euro bb thats 68 or 73mm. alright.
> 
> ...


What size crank arm do you want? 170, 175, 180, etc.?

Profile w/ ti spindle is going to be expensive... but getting the add on ti spindle would give you a chance to opt for one of the proper length (you have to decide if you can get away with a 5.5 or need a 5.75, or even possibly a 6"), and it would be lighter than the other two....

Deity would be cheapest route in your case, heavier, but solid as well. And they only come in 170mm I believe.

Torrids may be the worst choice in your case, if you get the off the shelf kit, since it comes with a shorter bmx chromo spindle, and only comes in 175mm. Unless you get the TSC Torrids, and a Profile ti 6" spindle (perfectly compatible), then you'd have the set-up I've wanted for awhile now, haha... and the lightest of the bunch, but it doesn't come with a bottom bracket either, so adding those three things together may be your most expensive option.

But, you can get Stolen Light cranks, or Demolition Medial LT, which both come with ti spindles instead of chromo, and they are CHEAP, cheaper than the Profile or torrids with a regular chromo spindle.... But, I'm not sure exactly how long those ti spindles are. Not sure if they are 5.5" (just fits a 68mm mtb shell), or if they are a nice 5.75". I know they aren't 6" though...

alright, wait... ALL of those cranks mentioned above (yes it includes, deity, TSC, Demo, WTP royal, ODSY 41thermal, profile, Stolen, FSA, etc.) are compatible with the 19mm Profile ti spindle (FSA makes one too that is a bit cheaper, but only 140mm small)... So it comes down to you choosing which arms you want, as in length, price and looks... 
and just a tip= THE best euro 19mm bearing you are going to find is a WeThePeople royal bearing that uses a double wide japanese sealed bearing, unlike ALL of the others that simply use two next to each other and toast a bit easier... They are kind of pricey, and even harder to source these days though.

hope those little tips help you out. It's your choice where you want to drop your dough.


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## SamL3227 (May 30, 2004)

alright. well, my bike is outside locked up and im not sure bout the bb length.

but ur saying the torrid would be the lest cost effective, but the most efective if i heard u right.

if im spending 180-200 on cranks ill spend the extra on the BB and whatnot

what is the strongest of the 2

the profile cranks
or TSC torrids with whateer BB they require


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## SamL3227 (May 30, 2004)

and the crank length doenst matter too much. ive ridden a few diff lengths but personally when ur just standing on the pedals i dont notice muuch of the diff

so for me at least the length dont matter


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## BikeSATORI (Mar 20, 2004)

SamL3227 said:


> alright. well, my bike is outside locked up and im not sure bout the bb length.
> 
> but ur saying the torrid would be the lest cost effective, but the most efective if i heard u right.
> 
> ...


if you leave your bike outside in the elements all the time... chromoly isn't going to be your best friend, just keep that in mind, they do rust...

If your price limit is 200 or less, then forget anything that has to do with the Profile ti spindle, that is $100 on its own without anything else.

I don't think you have to worry about strength comparison, they all blow away a majority of the aluminum mtb cranks out there...

don't forget that added onto that price will be a bmx sprocket too... and depending on the sprocket you choose, possibly a new chain as well.

There are LOTS of things all attached to doing parts upgrades and swapping standards that you may not be aware of yet... I can keep trying to help explain all of them the best I can, but you are the one who has to make the decision and pay for all of it, I can't do that for you.


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## gwarballs (Mar 11, 2007)

my favorite crank.....profile ss.... they are huge and heavy..... but ive had mine for 6 years and on a few frames and they are stiff and strong...... best cranks i have ever had.....


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## cummings (May 21, 2005)

it seems like you've got a few concerns about fitting and stuff. well, if i were in your shoes, Id just be safe and get Deity. they come with euro bb, they have a long enough spindle, they are not as expensive as some of the other options, tough solid cranks, and made to work with mountain bikes cuz their a MTB company. pretty much buy em and run em. I dont think you'd have to worry about new spindles and bbs and stuff like that. Thats what I think you should do.


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## jake2119 (Feb 27, 2006)

Fly cranks were mentioned. Where you talking about the Fly Racing cranks from the link below? They seem like a pretty sweet price for them. I thought to be weary of the bolt arms?

http://www.flyracingbmx.com/product/parts/bmxcrank.htm


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## cummings (May 21, 2005)

jake2119 said:


> Fly cranks were mentioned. Where you talking about the Fly Racing cranks from the link below? They seem like a pretty sweet price for them. I thought to be weary of the bolt arms?
> 
> http://www.flyracingbmx.com/product/parts/bmxcrank.htm


no no, not those. that must be a differnet company with fly name. 
this fly --> http://www.flybikesbmx.com/


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## jimage (Dec 22, 2006)

check out gusset

- http://www.gussetbikes.com/gusset/products_mtb.php


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## SamL3227 (May 30, 2004)

i think i might have to just go with the deity setup just for the simplicity of it.

but other then that i would get TSC torrids. my LBS has the bb and dif sized spindle if need. 

damn, im glad im thinkin this out. lots o cash to invest....


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## SamL3227 (May 30, 2004)

ok i pulled the trigger finally.

i got the torrid cranks with the torrid 33t sprocket and a grind guard. steve hamilton pedals, a new phat chain, and then i couldnt resist it and i bought some other random ****. now i just have to wait......


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