Originally Posted by
Roasted
But I thought that was the difference between Octalink and Hollowtech II... Hollowtech II used a hollow pipe which made for smaller bearings which made for a short lifespan whereas the Octalink was solid, heavier, but lasted longer. That's what I've been told. I've read it in numerous instances that weight (solid pipe) was the Octalink's drawback.
And I'm not really worried about it because of the extra 40 bones I spent for the 2 year "fix anything but tires" thing I got. I'm just speaking in the sense of BEYOND the 2 years so I'm aware what all is out there. And as somebody said, for all I know Hollowtech II may be obsolete by then.
That's kind of a shocker and also a disappointment that frames could become obsolete simply by their lower hub width. I figured there'd be 1 or 2 set standards for sizing and that's just what would always be used. I can understand mountain bike frames changing their materials and the frame geometry, but I can't understand why the hubs (front hub by the fork, lower hub by BB, etc) would have any reason to be changed.
*shrug*
EDIT - Is this like the crank that was spoken about earlier being for 150ish? I found it on Amazon for 190. Of course I'm sure amazon has a markup on it but I just wanted to link you guys to make sure it's what you guys were speaking about.
http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-FC-M58...4113592&sr=1-1
What does LX mean? It took me a little bit to pick up on OL = Octalink, ST = Square Taper... what's LX?
Hollowtech I Octalink bb spindles weren't solid as far as I know, maybe so on the lower end models, IDK. The Hollowtech II spindle is larger as the bearings are outside the bb shell (don't call it a hub, it's called the bottom bracket shell).
LX cranks were available for as low as $100 at some points, but I did a quick check just now and lowest I found was 135
http://www.bikesonline.com/index.php...-22-32-44-w-BB. LX is just one of the group names Shimano uses for mountain bike stuff, but has recently been phased out in lieu of the new SLX group. While LX might be an acronym, I've never heard what it is for.