Time to replace my crankset. Is it worth the extra $ to go with carbon cranks? Does anyone have a suggestion?
Time to replace my crankset. Is it worth the extra $ to go with carbon cranks? Does anyone have a suggestion?
no it is not worth the money
but if you have tons of money, getting a crankset that is a bit lighter, will be a tiny, tiny performance benefit, so why not?
but not all carbon cranksets are lighter than all metal crankset
and many carbon cranksets still have metal inside anyway
if people we sane, they would all be on shimano 105 cranksets with ultegra bottom brackets. after that, you are buying mostly bling =)
Except you can buy a Dura Ace BB for like 6 more dollars so why not go better?
Except you can buy a Dura Ace BB for like 6 more dollars so why not go better?
touche’
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I just removed a SRAM Rival crank and replaced it with a SRAM Red. The Red crankset looks very nice–I get a lot of compliments too. I can’t however, say it made any difference… other than the nice comments. 
maybe yes maybe no. Usually I’d say no but it all depends on what you have now and what you’d be upgrading too. I have an older FSA SL-K light carbon crank on my road bike which works very well but when I swap my Dura-Ace cranks on from my tri bike off and on it feels like a whole new bike as the DA is a hell of a lot stiffer and more responsive…
I would focus on maximizing bottom bracket quality / stiffness of cranks and rings; weight variances between leading brands would be the least of my worries.
I would also be interested if folks here think that there is any significant aero advantage to be gained with some of the higher end crank sets. Not that it matters since I am broke.
thanks.
I would also be interested if folks here think that there is any significant aero advantage to be gained with some of the higher end crank sets
maybe the vuma chrono but otherwise the budget way to go - shimano 105 cranks with an fsa aero chainring.
even more budget - packing tape on chainring
thanks for the quick response; so are you saying that there really is an aero advantage worth pursuing down there? if so, how much? I know these questions are a little silly so no worries:)
I think Zipp said the Vuma was 8 second faster than the competition which was the other aero crankset, I think an FSA model. The FSA model was supposed to be 3-4 seconds faster than a normal crankset. The crankset is not the place to look for aero gains. Oh, the above improvements were over 40K.
Carbon fiber is rarely needed, nor does it provide a real improvement except when used properly in frames and wheels. Most other uses are purely cosmetic. I’ve used a lot of Dura-ace models over the years and I can’t really say they are stiffer or better than the set of $20 165mm bmx cranks I bought off eBAy.
Chad
I was fortunate to find a Super Record 11 crank at competitive cyclist for $300 (last year’s model) which was replacing a FSA gossamer on my roadie. It is WAY better. Granted that is going from very low end to super high end, but is way stiffer, smoother and of course more bling:) No more creaking, shifts are flawless. Would I pay the $900 MSRP, no, but if you can get a deal on a better crank, it might be worth it depending on what you are upgrading from.
As a PSA for everyone: Using the 11sp crank with my SRAM Force set up works fine, it was a bit finicky to get the FD adjusted right, but once it is…wow. I was a bit nervous about buying it: I did extensive searching online and no one had a definitive answer as to whether or not it would work, but it does…very well.
Hope this is helpful
thanks for the info – always appreciated.
thanks for the quick response; so are you saying that there really is an aero advantage worth pursuing down there? if so, how much? I know these questions are a little silly so no worries:)
yes, but not much, and just an aero chainring, which you can put on any crankset, gets you 90% of anything youll ever get.
so, once your chainring wears out, might as well get an aero one. or packing tape the one you got
If you are a bigger or more powerful rider, I would recommend staying away from carbon cranksets as they flex too much. I would recommend DuraAce or even Ultegra 6700 and an Enduro or Hawk Racing ceramic bottom bracket. The combination of a stiff crankset and silky smoothness of ceramic bearings is noticeable on the bike.
A few images of Hawk Racings bottom bracket install: http://cycnut.com/forums/topic/1330-hawk-racing-external-ceramic-bottom-bracket-installation/