That's my feeling too. The external bearings on mine (hollowtech II style, not Liberte, but I think that exact same crank) have been noticeably smooth and durable, and readjust (to remove play), in 2 minutes. Tires are easier to change than a crank, although, my crank with bearings was $65 new (a steal IMO), and two tires, especially fatter ones, with tubes, can easily run that much (I think the buyer said they preferred the larger tires of a different model). The wrench to install the new crank bearings was $30 (I bought a 4-pattern wrench, planning for the future). I already had tools for taper bottom brackets.