math2p14

Hi all


I have been reading reviews all over the place about cranks and bottom brackets and i cant get a bloody clue at all. Several people swear for raceface prodigy xc cranks or XT cranks and several others say that they are cheesy cranks they creak they break and they come loose. I was considering the RF Prodigy XC crank with an evolve freeride ISIS bb against the XT splined. Any Real ideas here from users? I weight 200lbs i do extreme xc and mild dh. I put a lot of strength in the pedals but i dont do drops at all. My current cranks are specialized strongarm II square taper.

Thanks.

a2psyklnut

I've seen several bikes with the Prodigy. I've never owned a pair, but have had several of the LP Turbines on my bikes. RF makes a great product. The difference between the Prodigy (low end) and the upper end stuff (LP Turbines, NEXT, NS) are the Prodigy line is forged. The upper stuff is machined!

I don't know if there is a big difference between your existing cranks and the Prodigy line. Except appearance. O.K., if you get the ISIS, that's an upgrade, but, if you're not breaking spindles, it's not a necessary upgrade! If you want an upgrade, I'd say spend a bit more and get the LP Turbines.

L8R

PeterG1185

I'd go for the lightest one in this situation. Both are very strong and both have been on the market forever. The differance between ISIS and Octalink is that Octalink is Shimano's version of ISIS b/c they dont want to ingtegrate their stuff with other companys. I have a pair of 03' LX cranks and they definately are an improvement over my old Specialized Strongam II cranks.

Good Luck

2Wheel Warrior

The prodigy cranks are good, but you will probably be better off with the DH prodigy than the XC one. Your not doing drops but they are very strong and beefy for what you would use them for.
And on the BB idea if your into extreme FR and mild DH go with the RaceFace Signature series of BB, I've seen the Evolve BB's get nuked easy. I hope i was helpful.
Later

Hunter

Correction. Even the prodigy XC cranks are forged and machined. The Turbine LP uses a process Race Face dubs "near net forging" utilizing 7075 alu. The Next is a carbon fibre endo skeleton with a forged and machined alu. exo skeleton.
Go to https://www.raceface.com for more info on their cranks.

fubar5

Math2p14,

For the money, XT cranks are a best buy. They are light, stiff, strong, and octalink. A racer that comes to my shop weighs 212, races cat 2, has broken 12 Specialized(Specialized calls him "the crusher") S-works MTB frames, and swears by the XT cranks. I have yet to find a BB that gets good reviews from a lot of people. BB's are disposable, so I wouldn't really worry about it. When it starts making noise or getting sticky, pitch it and get a new one.

math2p14

Hey Fubar do you think that the new XTs are better than RaceFace Prodigy ? What about truvativ stylo team sl? I got most parts on the bike XT but i heard that the finish on the XT cranks is crap and wears off quickly. If i use clipless pedal and i have narrow cycling shoes can i avoid wearing off the finish?

slcpunk21

The XT's are going to be lighter than the RF prodigy cranks....I use the prodigy's though...they work just fine. I have seen XTR cranks come loose all the time, weird....but the xt's are a good crank. For the problem of wearing off the finish on them...it all depends on where you put your cleat and how much float you have in it. I wouldn't worry about the finish man....you say you do mild DH and some pretty rough xc stuff, so they are gonna get scratched and nicked up eventually!

MikeOK

a2->

hehehe

I like my new Prodgiy DH cranks, forged or not. They were cheap, about the only cheap part I put on this bike, but they are WAY better than the stylo's I had on it at first.

Is anybody riding this weekend? I started a new job this week and it was brutal! It's cold again here in OK, but I'm gonna try to get out and blow off some steam this weekend anyway...

math2p14

Ok my bottom bracket is the shimano BB-UN25 (alivio or acera) so i guess i am going to see a huge difference if i switch to Raceface evolve or srx ISIS bracket with a Prodigy crank right?

Maelstrom 

You will probably notice more stiffness and responsiveness. The RF bb will be much burlier and stronger. So yes you should see a diff

math2p14

hi all.,

I went to the lbs today and saw both cranks. I really loved the RF Prodigy ,,,but XT was nice as well. They offer me the same price for RF XC plus Evolve BB. or the XT combo. I am concerned with the durability of the finish on the new XT cranks. Also they said that RF has better rings and may be stiffer. Any comments on that?

Maelstrom 

They were right. Thats the same thing I have heard from both pro riders and the shop monkeys and the same thing I said above. RaceFace were built and designed to be burly. For the Shore. Thats where they live so yes for pure toughness I trust raceface far more than shimano. But then again I have had nothing but problems with shimano's parts so I am a little biased.

a2psyklnut

I'd go with the RF. I just don't like the look of the XT's silver arms w/Black rings.

I wouldn't say the RF rings are better than Shimano's, I'd say they're equal.

I would have to say that they're probably about the same; weight, stiffness, quality, precision, shifting.... I'd go with the one's you think look best!

Either way, you can't go wrong!

L8r

math2p14

Really thanks Mael and A2. You really help me out often.
My issue now is to revive my spirit....and to be one with my bike again. 8 years out of the sport did me great trouble....i dont trust myself on the trail anymore...i hope that i ll get back to the old days where i was downhilling on a HT with 60km/h.

Maelstrom 

I am sure you will..once you get out there and you feel the wind and the speed you will go faster...ahhh...WHERE IS THE SUMMER