I want to go 1x on my gravel bike but there are SO many choices out there. I am VERY harsh on my bikes and need it to be strong and weight is only secondary. Currently have a SRAM Force with a Quarq PM but want to change to a 24mm axle..I should add I will be running a AXS Eagle derailleur and a 10-50 cassette.

I will need a crank, a VERY robust power meter and a 1x chainring that can take some abuse - preferably an aero type.

I was looking at a KORE crank but concerned that it's a 3 bolt interface and it may not be very robust.

What is an "aero type" chainring?

it's a marketing ploy with no real advantage on a 1x gravel bike, unless you're being timed to the thousandth, and are running into a 20mph headwind.
The KORE CF crank arms are boxy, so the "aero" ring is not gonna make one tiny bit of difference.

the "aero" rings i've seen are for track bikes, and mainly just one stamped sheet of aluminum with no cutouts.

the interface is three screws holding the ring to a spline... like most direct mount rings/cranks that don't use a retaining ring.
the screws don't carry any torque load, just the splines.

Generally flat and featureless. Also pointless marketing BS - it's in the dirty air from the front wheel and your feet and cranks are stirring it up something crazy too. But I guess it might be more rigid, which suits the OP's strength-over-weight requirement.

What he said. If there is any advantage to a flat disk chainring, you're not going to notice at speeds of less that 30 mph. Even then, it won't match the gains you can make by lowering your handlebar, using low resistance racing tires, and wearing a skinsuit and aero helmet.

Are you having issues currently with cranks because of your harsh riding and power?

If so, it'd help greatly to know that those issues are. Otherwise you might be handicapping your choices of otherwise better cranks. In the belief that you will somehow cause them to fail.

On road sections I average 35-40 but honestly I just prefer the looks of a disc and a little more strength when bashing stuff off road. The bike IS setup for racing


My issue is with eating a BBs a couple times a season and have also slightly bent a chainring trying to clear a log. Currently SRAM DUB and want to try a crank with a 24mm axle for the larger bearings and hopefully get more life out of them- my FTP is only 280 on a good day but ride in harsh conditions. I want an aero type because I like how it looks.
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Honestly I think the answer is rebuilding the BB at regular intervals instead of waiting before it gets crunchy - and up my bunny hopping skills so I don't bend stuff LOL. FWIW the bike is a Grevil with SRAM Force and GX rear mech.

Maybe higher quality bearings would last a bit longer?

I just looked up that bike. The version I saw had an Italian bottom bracket. Is that the case for yours?

I've had a few bikes with Italian bottom brackets and never had an issue but in theory, the left side might not stay as tight, and that might cause some creaking.

Have you confirmed that your dub BB is the problem? So many times, especially on a carbon bike, the noise is coming from something else, not the BB.

I had an adventure in creaking a couple years ago. I even got a new bling BB that didn't change anything. Turns out, the pins on my platform pedals were a little loose. A couple drops of loctite and a couple turns of the wrench and the sound finally went away.

It sounds like you just need a new chainring to replace the bent one, some maintenance, and probably a dose of reality. If you were averaging 35-40mph on your rides, you'd be telling the pro's how to do it, assuming your rides are longer than a half mile.

I assumed he was talking km/h not mph.

Miles or kilometers?

This is what I am thinking - ditch the SRAM DUB BB for something with better bearings and seals OR switch to a crank to something with a 24mm spindle and gain larger bearings.

Italian - Yes, and it's the bearings them selves get rough (SRAM BB) - it's not just a cup coming loose. I have 2 other bikes with Italian BBs one of which does have that issue (Colnago Master). As far as creeks, the stem and seat post had issues but carbon assembly grease fix it. I had a SuperSix in 2014 and it was non stop BB creaks until I ditched it for a Praxis thread together one.

Yes, KPH, I think my fastest sprint ever was barely 35 mph LOL, A typical weekend ride is 50-75 KMS and I commute 20km one way when the weather is better.

Anyway, I pulled the BB and cleaned/greased it - the bearings feel OK with no rough spots. Still using the SRAM crank but installed a 1x 46t as I am heading on vacation with it in a few days. Hopefully with the extra grease packing the seals it will keep the bad stuff out. feels good on the trainer at least.

I'm not an off-roader, but lots of experience with structures. If you want strong, it seems to me that a traditional crank with a mounting spider, on the largest BCD possible, like 130mm, would be much stronger laterally than a direct mount chainring. On large 1X cassettes, that's why the low cogs are riveted together and/or to a carrier; At that large a diameter, just holding them at the freehub body provides insufficient later stiffness. For a direct mount chainring, same thing. For a track bike for racing, I could see going ultimate aero. But if you say you want strength, go large spider and not direct mount.

I much prefer 2-piece hollow-spindle cranks with external bearings, over square taper cartridges. But I bike purely on-road, and one person said they preferred square tapers for off-road, and I can see why: On external bearings, the inner crank arm face is very near the bearing seals and could grind grit against it. With square taper cartridges, the seals are well-recessed away from the crank arms, so less chance of that.

I put a Cane Creek Hellbender in red on my mountain bike. On installing it, it did seem better built than the SRAM one the box came with. It didn't fix any problems for me but it is smoother and looks better.