bike4fun12

which one is the better crankset? I don't plan on updating my crank any time soon. I was just wondering what you guys thought between the 2 cranks.

jds108

Fsa kind 'o sucks. Get the SRAM. Fsa needs to come up with a better way to deal with side loading the bearings. Shimano's solution is the best of all the choices IMO.

profjmb

I'm sure SRAM Red is great. My experience with FSA crankset was bad. Ultegra solved it.

Chickenstrip

Almost 10,000 miles on my supersix 3 (ultegra) which came with FSA SL-K Light cranks and no problems what so ever. Front shifting is snappy and the arms are stif. Granted my LBS added the green locktite to my BB30 before I took delivery, but that is a Solution to a possible BB problem un related to the cranks. SRAM cranks are better looking IMO, but I have no expierience riding them so I can't comment there.

uncrx2003

Between the 2012 Red and the SL-K, I found no difference in front shifting.

Adrianinkc

I haven't had the best luck with sram cranks. I just got a FSA SLK a while back and it's been good so far.

merlinextraligh

New Sram Red is a substantial improvement over previous Sram cranks; mostly in the sitffer rings which equals better shifting.

FSA cranks suck:

They don't shift nearly as well as Shimano, or the new Red , which is on a par with Shimano;
They tend to have creaking problems. (FSA knows thier design sucks, and the band aid it with locktite);
FSA lies about weights rather blatantly, and
They tend to break.

I,ve had the misfortune to have several FSA cranks, and really do not care for FSA cranks.

Mansram01

The new SRAM Red is pretty stiff stuff. My vote is for Red. No experience with FSA but I am rather surprised on so much negative feedback.

jotaeh

I happen to have both. I ran an FSA SL-K Light BB30 on my SuperSix since last summer. In September, I was upgrading my wife's Synapse and I bought a 2011 SRAM Red Black BB30 crankset. Both are compacts and both have 172.5 mm crank arms. I was trying to decide which one was "better" and I've swapped them back and forth on my SuperSix a few times to see which one I liked better. The rest of the components on my bike are Dura-Ace 7900 and Ultegra 6700 on my wife's. My observations:

Both cranksets are nice and quiet while pedaling "normally". However standing on the pedals is a different story:

The FSA is a bit noisier. Aside from the BB30 bearing creak (unrelated to the crank), which happens with either crankset, the FSA develops a clicking/ticking sound from the chainring bolts. I remove them periodically, grease them up lightly and re-torque them and the noise goes away for a while. I did discover that the FSA alloy chainring bolts and nuts can barely be tightened to recommended torque without stripping. So I tighten them to about 7 nm instead of the specified 11 or 12 (I can't remember which now) and I keep a bunch of spares.

The SRAM Red is quiet, except, for the aforementioned BB30 bearing creak. I haven't had to maintain the chainring bolts which is really the way it should be.

The FSA is slightly lighter than the the SRAM Red, but not enough to worry about.

If one is stiffer than the other, I can't tell. Before I bought the Red crankset, I dropped into a bunch of LBS's and asked which one they preferred (I was planning to put the stiffer one on my bike as I'm 50 lbs heavier than my wife). I got as many different opinions as the number of LBS's that I asked. (I know, there should only have been two opinions, but you'll be amazed that the crap some of these guys try to feed you)

I've ridden both cranks up some nasty category 1 climbs and both perform well enough that I don't have a preference on that basis.

At first, the FSA seemed to shift better than the Red, but after a front derailleur adjustment, the Red shifts just as well. If I have to choose which one shifts better overall, I'd give a very tiny slight edge to the FSA. Again, not enough to worry about.

In the end, I left the SRAM Red Black on my bike and put the FSA SL-K Light on my wife's. The reason is purely esthetics. Without any performance preference for either one, I put them on the bike where they'd "look" the best.

I also have some experience with the 2012 SRAM Red crankset. I put the group on my son's S-Works last June. He also uses 172.5 crankarms, BB30, Compact. He runs the full 2012 Red group with the pivoting front derailleur. Shifting is superior to previous SRAM Red systems, but not quite as good as my Dura-Ace 7900 with 2011 Red Crank, or even my wife's Ultegra 6700 with FSA-SL-K crank. The crank itself is lighter than either the 2011 Red or the FSA SL-K crank. I've only ridden my son's bike a few times, so I can't directly comment on stiffness, etc. He has no complaints and the crank is quiet, even when he's standing on the pedals. The install was a bit more complicated due to the addition of the pre-load nut, but once installed and the FD adjusted, no problems.

bike4fun12

Nice review, Jotaeh. I hear from LBS that the new 2013 red is better than any FSA or of course, the 2012 red crankset.

ThinLine

FSA is El Junko,their quality is n where near SRAM or Shimano, lower grade metals, sloppy tolerances, finishes suck, etc.
SRAM's quality is excellent in al aspects of manufacturing, 7075 AL, no 6000 series like fsa uses.
FSA's main focus was entry level cheapness, their god awlful gossamer stuff is total crap-O-la.
Only their top teir K-Force components are good......and even then I would choose SRAM.

nhluhr

FSA chainrings = chainsuck city

bike4fun12

probably a dumb question, but, when getting a new crankset, is it best to get a new chain or just the one already on the bike?

bianchi10

not needed, unless of course your chain is old and needing replaced. thats kind of like asking if you need new tires if you get new wheels. only if needed.

bike4fun12

Thanks, bianchi.

Another question, I rode a friends Cdale with sram red and loved the way it shifted so quickly and precise. I have apex, which is fine. I just wanted to know if I were to switch out the shifters, if I would get similar shifting with just upgrading the shifters or would I have to get the derailleurs also?

merlinextraligh

The new SRAM Red is a new design which reported has much stiffer chainrings and improved shifting. I wouldn't expect there to be a performance difference with regard to shifting between the 2011 RED and FSA. I would between the New RED and FSA.

bianchi10

Its .pre than just one thing. Levers, front derailleur, rear derailleur, chain and gears all play a part in smooth shifting. Number one, is everything adjusted well on your bike? Getting just one thing isn't gonna make a huge noticeable difference.

bike4fun12

everything is adjusted fine on the bike. shifting the RD is fine. not as quick as red shifts. the FD though does take a little effort and time to shift from the small ring to the big. It can only really be done when easy pressure is applied. under pressure, I really can't shift up. but, I read in a lot of forums that apex is like that. when I rode the red, I could shift whenever I wanted no matter the situation. It was just nice to be able to do that. I was just thinking that the red shifters might help with that problem. but, according to you, I would have to get the RD and FD also.

bianchi10

Would probably run you about $300'ish. Upgrade part by part when you can afford it.