Peek the Geek

Looking for a little more advice here on my single speed build. This time I'm talking cranks. Most of the parts going onto this frame fall into the used-but-not-abused category, and I'd like cranks to be the same. Unfortunately, used singlespeed-specific cranks are few and far between in the classifieds and on eBay. So maybe I'll go non-specific.

So... Any opinions on the ss-specific cranksets out there? Truvativ Stylo SS, Race Face Evolve SS, Bontrager Race Lite SS? Who else sells a ss crankset?

What are the disadvantages (if any) of buying a standard set of cranks or crankarms and just using a middle ring and bashguard?

And finally, I'm only 5'8". Should I still consider 180mm arms, or stick to 175mm?

Thanks in advance for any and all advice/opinions/ramblings you all have to offer.

nodnerb

Why are you thinking of going 180mm? Just curious. The Raceface evolve DH crank is ss compatible with the evolve DH 118mm bottom bracket. Unless of course that is the specific crank you were refering to anyway.

Maelstrom 

wowsers, I would think you wuld almost want to go shorter, not longer.

squeakywheel

What does your rear chainline measure? I used a Surly single speed hub. That lines up with the outer (large) chainring on most tripple MTB cranks.

If you used a freewheel hub intended for a multi-speed casette, you can use a chainline closer to center.

Sheldon Brown has some chainline offset tables on his web site for various cranks, hubs, and freewheels.

dutret

there is no reason why you can't use a normal crankset. Everyone I ride with does.

remember that while you can apply a little more tourque with longer crank arms you will also have more trouble spinning fast. Since pedal strike is an issue on most trails you should probably just use whatever length crank your comfortable with and adjust your gear ratio.

Peek the Geek

The DH is far beefier than what I'm looking for. The bike's gonna have an XC setup, since that's the type of riding I do. The standard Evolve crank is definitely an option, though I've seen a lot of reviews saying the SS version is too soft.

As for the 180mm cranks, seems a lot of riders go with longer cranks on their SS bikes for more leverage on the hills. I normally ride 175mm, but I couldn't imagine going longer. I just wanted to see how others felt.

Peek the Geek

Nope. I tried 170mm cranks on my current mtb for a little while and didn't like them at all (though I do ride 170mm on my road bikes).

Peek the Geek

Not sure yet what the rear chainline measurement will be. I haven't gotten a rear hub yet. In fact, I'm not even sure yet if it will be a freewheel or cassette rear hub. Thanks for pointing me to the Sheldon Brown article, though.

Peek the Geek

What cranks are you all riding? Any opinions on them?

Maelstrom 

I am riding fsa v-drives.

pinkrobe

I used to ride 180mm triple cranks [Race Face Turbine LP] and enjoyed them quite a bit. They're not that tough to spin, but it helps if your legs are long. For the SS rides in my neck of the woods, I don't think I'll be doing much spinning anyway, just lots of grunting when I climb out of the saddle. I'm looking for a SS XC crank as well, but I'm avoiding the DH stuff because it's heavy and most of those cranks seem to come in 170. I was going to get the Truvativ SS crank through Pricepoint, but they sold out.

Peek the Geek

Looks like Webcyclery, Alfred E Bike, Airbomb and Universalcycles all carry the Truvativ SS. Not sure how their prices match up to Pricepoint's, though.