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Tech writer/support on this here site. FIST school instructor and certified bike fitter. Formerly at Diamondback Bikes, LeMond Fitness, FSA, TiCycles, etc.
Coaching and bike fit - http://source-e.net/ Cyclocross blog - https://crosssports.net/ BJJ instruction - https://ballardbjj.com/

Whoops - sorry for the blank post...

I used to work for FSA, and I have a lot of miles in on these cranks, including a full season of cyclocross. They're good cranks, and the company hype is correct, they're lighter, stiffer, and stronger than the top-line cranks from big "S" and "C." I have seen the test results, and personal experience bears it out as well. I weigh in at <140# in form, and I could feel the difference in stiffness between these and my DA's.

I have a friend who pro-dealed a set of these from me after breaking 3 successive sets of Dura-ace cranks (He's a monster - really big,and incredibly strong. He actually snaps crank arms off.) He averaged less than a season on a set of cranks prior to getting the Teams, and he is still going strong on the cranks he got from me a year down the road.

Negatives? The alloy quick releases are pretty flimsy. I wouldn't use them. Q-factor is slightly wider on these than on Shimano cranks, although this may actually be a plus for some riders.

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Tech writer/support on this here site. FIST school instructor and certified bike fitter. Formerly at Diamondback Bikes, LeMond Fitness, FSA, TiCycles, etc.
Coaching and bike fit - http://source-e.net/ Cyclocross blog - https://crosssports.net/ BJJ instruction - https://ballardbjj.com/

Got these on my new bike last year from carbon frame w/ shimanos, to ti w/ carbon cranks. Obviously I'm on a stiffer ride overall. New bike is much lighter than previous bike, around 14lbs, so I guess it helps taking weight off. BTW, I weigh around 175lbs. I did notice the q-stance, esp the right side. I must have weird feet, I just moved the cleat out on the shoe.

the cranks do look cool though

After being targeted for assasination by FSA following my comments about carbon cranks in a Felt preview (not review) on my own website I was invited, rather cordially too I might add, by FSA to try their cranks again. I did, purchasing two examples of the model shown in your photo. One set I raced the entire cyclocross season on, taking third in the over 40 catgory without a single mechanical problem (knock on wood). The cranks worked perfectly. I use them set up as a single chainring with a Spot Brand chainring guard on the outer ring position. The second set had the threaded pedal holes installed into the arms at an odd angle. This produced a bizarre sensation while pedalling. The threaded pedal holes in the arms were simply not straight. FSA replaced them in 9 days with a set that is perfect. In general, I give them high marks.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Would you reccomend them over DA?

Hmmmmm. At the risk of being targeted for another assasination attempt by FSA Ninjas, I will answer your question with a question:

What is the benefit? When you learn the answer to that question, Grasshopper, you will be enlightened.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Hey Tom,
You've got to admit, your comments RE: the cranks in that Felt preview were pretty inflammatory. Heck, you scared people - some folks read something like that, and it's like the sky is falling.

One of the topics conspicuously absent in the discussion of reviews (in a previous thread) was responsibility: by putting yourself out there as an expert, and posting your opinions in the manner you do, you label yourself an authority, and must assume the responsibility for due diligence. You simply didn't do that in this case.

I used to work for FSA, and before that I was self employed for almost 10 years in a manufacturing capacity (musical instruments.) The tenor of your article, and it's strident nature ( you called these cranks dangerous!) was, in my opinion, very close to the line where litigation is necessary. I have seen smaller manufacturers go under from the weight of rumors that can propogate from writing like this. You basically told people that carbon cranks are a bad idea, they ALL break, they're dangerous, take them off your bike. You tarred FSA and the successful manufacturers of carbon cranks (and there are a couple) with someone else's brush. There was a time when people made these same comments about aluminum cranks, you know. What would you say to them now?

Your words have power, and I actually got calls at FSA from people who read your article and wanted to return their cranks - they break, right? Wrong - they don't. In my time at FSA I NEVER saw a carbon cank arm fail catastophically, something I can't say about any other brand. It's a pain in the a** to have to explain to people that a bad article by Tom Demerly is not covered under warranty.

Please don't get me wrong - I read the reviews on your site pretty frequently (you're good at them,)and you are a valuable contributor to this forum, and you do know your stuff - most of the time. In general, I respect what you have to say. I do think you carry the whole "have opinion, will travel" loose cannon thing too far sometimes, and the Ninja assasin comments make me uncomfortable. I think they are a tad juvenile, and genuinely uncalled for. In my opinion, FSA (and Felt) handled the whole issue of this review with pretty commendable restraint and fairness, and they deserve credit for that. Comments like this don't serve any purpose but to further an image of you as crusader against mega-corporations, and you don't need to do that. You have a whole heap of merit of your own to stand on.

Oh Yeah - the cranks...
They are lighter than DA, they are stiffer than DA, and they are stronger than DA. Are they different enough to toss your DAs and replace them? Well, probably not, unless you produce enough wattage that crank flex is an issue for you, or you are a compulsive weight weenie.
I was genuinely surprised that I could feel the difference when I switched, and I would characterize it as being similar to the difference between a Ti square taper BB system, and an Oct/Isis style in terms of stiffness.
MH

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Tech writer/support on this here site. FIST school instructor and certified bike fitter. Formerly at Diamondback Bikes, LeMond Fitness, FSA, TiCycles, etc.
Coaching and bike fit - http://source-e.net/ Cyclocross blog - https://crosssports.net/ BJJ instruction - https://ballardbjj.com/

Thanks for your perspective on my comments about the FSA cranks featured in my preview of the Felt S22 triathlon bike on our website. I've taken a lot of critiscism for those words. I wrote them because I saw a rider fall during a time trial start at 2002 Walden School of Cycling training camp in Orlando, Florida. As he began his first pedal stroke the pedal on his left arm tore completely out of the arm,with the portion of the arm below the threaded oriface cracking all the way through causing him to land on the top tube of his frame. It was not an FSA brand crank. It was a a painful and awkward fall, but did not result in injury. Since then we have returned two carbon cranks with what appeared to be irregularities in their manufacture of two different brands. These never made it onto bikes. One additional crank did and had another minor defect. It was quickly changed with an identical crank that worked fine. A forth was returned by me as specified in this thread. I have used a carbon fiber crank for cyclocross for four months and have not experienced any problems. I've since re-read my comments, a number of times, about the cranks on the Felt S22 PREview (not REview as some people have characterized the article)and actually included the comments of an official from FSA to offer a more balanced perspective. I further specified in my article that the cranks I observed failing in Florida were not FSA brand. The vernacular used in the preview states that WE consider the cranks dangerous: Specifically, based on our observations more likely to fail than other types of cranks, possibly resulting in a fall or loss of control. Our intention was not to harm or slander anyone and was, in fact, exactly the opposite- to offer people a conservative, cautious opinion based on our specific experience with one category of equipment. Additionally, we have devoted an entire page of disclaimers saying that our reviews are, in essence, our opinion. I apologize sincerely if my reviews have created stress and anguish for you or anyone else. But based on my observations of the man who fell in Florida, the fragments of his crank and several subsequent concerns over similar products I felt it was responsible to make mention of it. Or I could have just shut up and rang people up for them without saying anything, but that didn't feel honest to me.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Thanks for the very reasoned response.

I have actually read the appended version of your PREview, and yes, you did add a rebuttal section from FSA to the article, and followed it with this;

I was impressed that Doug Stuart took the time to read our review and respond with the above information. It is certainly worth considering when evaluating these cranks. Admittedly, our stance on equipment in general is conservative and errs toward safety.

Honestly, I think this was a pretty good response, although you stopped short of actually saying "hey... I might be wrong on this one, time will tell," your actions seem to express this sentiment when your words do not (you bought and are riding/testing a set of the cranks.) I must say, however, that the "impressed that Doug..." comment leaves me wondering where the Ninjas came from...

I think your conservatism - towards - safety stance is commendable, and should be emulated. It's interesting to note, however, that the crank failure you witnessed so dramitically was of a type the FSA design was specifically engineered to eliminate. In fact, as I mentioned in a previous post, I have a friend who breaks cranks on a regular basis, and so far the only thing that has stood up to him is the FSAs.
One of the most interesting things for me about working in the bike industry has been the access to real test data on bike components. At FSA, I got to see pictures of broken EVERYTHING, and the corresponding fatigue data. The real numbers reduce many of the industry's holy cows to hamburger pretty quickly, and certainly changed the way I regard safety/weight issues in component choice. More than anything, these real numbers made me realize that some of the new materials being utilized offer a significant opportunity for improvement over the traditional construction methods and materials, particularly in the areas of strength and safety. It would be a real shame to see outmoded perceptions and expectations deny these innovations the market share they deserve, especially when they have the potential to make the bikes we ride safer and stronger.

Are you going to append the "No Bikesport employees ride carbon cranks" comment? :o)
MH

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Tech writer/support on this here site. FIST school instructor and certified bike fitter. Formerly at Diamondback Bikes, LeMond Fitness, FSA, TiCycles, etc.
Coaching and bike fit - http://source-e.net/ Cyclocross blog - https://crosssports.net/ BJJ instruction - https://ballardbjj.com/

Yes Sir, I am going to amend that comment and in detail in a soon to be published review(S) on a couple bikes we built with carbon cranks.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Tom, what about the AQ factor of the FSA's I hear it is quite significant vs. Dura Ace ... would'nt this detract from pedalling efficiency and 'aeroness' by having the feet farther apart?

Gary, I'm embarrassed to admit I have not measured the total Q factor. I will be including that in an upcoming review.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

I considered buying that crank. I'd been riding an Ultegra crank on my Talon, which made it's way from my last road bike. Anyway, price was my issue, FSA's are expensive. I went with a DA crank, which FYI is noticeably superior to the Ultegra variety (stiffnes, balance and weight). If you've got the budget the FSA "seem" superior to the DA crank.

BTW, I'm a light-weight, 155 lbs at 5'11".. I figured the DA could handle anything I could ever throw at it.. the diminished returns of the higher priced item wasn't worth it in my case.

mike

I forget the actual numbers on Q-Factor difference (I used to have them taped to my desk...) But it's a pretty small difference - 3.5mm seems to stick in my head..

FWIW, I am VERY sensitive to Q. I have very close-set legs (my inner thighs chafe when running if I get over about 6% body fat) and, I have had no problems with the q difference on the cranks. It took some getting used to, but it was way less traumatic than an ill-fated attempt to switch pedals a few years ago. That put me on the couch for a month, and was 100% a function of the Q of the pedals.

Interestingly, I have heard of a couple of studies that show riders produce more wattage with a wider Q than is common. I have also had some success with increasing Q as a solution to discomfort on the bike and certain knee problems in larger (or wider-pelvis-ed) riders when doing fits.

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Tech writer/support on this here site. FIST school instructor and certified bike fitter. Formerly at Diamondback Bikes, LeMond Fitness, FSA, TiCycles, etc.
Coaching and bike fit - http://source-e.net/ Cyclocross blog - https://crosssports.net/ BJJ instruction - https://ballardbjj.com/