http://www.thebikinghub.com/mtb/shimano-xt-crankset-review/ Mountain bike news, reviews, and original features Fri, 21 Nov 2008 03:09:12 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.2 http://www.thebikinghub.com/mtb/shimano-xt-crankset-review/#comment-15258 Sun, 03 Jun 2007 16:05:58 +0000 http://www.thebikinghub.com/mtb/shimano-xt-crankset-review/#comment-15258 For rain-country riders: The reason the Shimano HollowTech bearings often fail so quickly is that they are poorly sealed. I bought a used bike with an XTR HollowTech crankset that had only one season on it from a rider in Minnesota, and the right bearing cup was already gone. The problem was obvious: it bled rust when I squirted lube into it. I considered replacing the cranks, until I discovered that Phil Wood offers marine-grade, (i.e. submersible) replacement bearings for HollowTech cranks. I have a Phil Wood bottom bracket on a road bike with over 50 thousand miles on it, including lots of wet riding, that still “feels like butter.” The cost is $46, plus round-trip shipping (you have to send them the old bearing cups for installation), which is about what new Shimano replacement cups list for. Also, regarding the soft (and expensive) Shimano chainrings, Boone Ti and Cycle Dynamics both offer titanium rings for Shimano HollowTech cranks for about the same cost as Shimano replacements, but which will last 3 or 4 times longer. For rain-country riders: The reason the Shimano HollowTech bearings often fail so quickly is that they are poorly sealed. I bought a used bike with an XTR HollowTech crankset that had only one season on it from a rider in Minnesota, and the right bearing cup was already gone. The problem was obvious: it bled rust when I squirted lube into it. I considered replacing the cranks, until I discovered that Phil Wood offers marine-grade, (i.e. submersible) replacement bearings for HollowTech cranks. I have a Phil Wood bottom bracket on a road bike with over 50 thousand miles on it, including lots of wet riding, that still “feels like butter.” The cost is $46, plus round-trip shipping (you have to send them the old bearing cups for installation), which is about what new Shimano replacement cups list for. Also, regarding the soft (and expensive) Shimano chainrings, Boone Ti and Cycle Dynamics both offer titanium rings for Shimano HollowTech cranks for about the same cost as Shimano replacements, but which will last 3 or 4 times longer.

]]> http://www.thebikinghub.com/mtb/shimano-xt-crankset-review/#comment-11 Tue, 06 Dec 2005 20:12:15 +0000 http://www.thebikinghub.com/mtb/shimano-xt-crankset-review/#comment-11 [...] I agree with the assessment of the cranks (easy to install, easy to maintain, stiff) and, based on my experience with Shimano’s Deore XT cranks, wholeheartedly recommend the X-Type bottom bracket setup. As for the rear derailleur, I’m not the biggest fan of Shimano’s mountain bike rear derailleurs because of the way the mechs consistently smack your bike’s chainstays on rough descents. The Saint derailleur continues this legacy but, by most accounts, the slapping isn’t quite as bad as some of its siblings. Of course, that doesn’t make it acceptable or right, but it’s good to read that Shimano is at least making an effort to address product flaws. [...] […] I agree with the assessment of the cranks (easy to install, easy to maintain, stiff) and, based on my experience with Shimano’s Deore XT cranks, wholeheartedly recommend the X-Type bottom bracket setup. As for the rear derailleur, I’m not the biggest fan of Shimano’s mountain bike rear derailleurs because of the way the mechs consistently smack your bike’s chainstays on rough descents. The Saint derailleur continues this legacy but, by most accounts, the slapping isn’t quite as bad as some of its siblings. Of course, that doesn’t make it acceptable or right, but it’s good to read that Shimano is at least making an effort to address product flaws. […]

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