OK, so my trusty square taper Middleburn set-up is on its last legs, which is fair enough after an estimated 10,000+ miles. If I was looking at a replacement, with the features/option of:
- a 28T front single narrow/wide ring
- can fit 68/73 threaded bottom bracket
- lightweight (or at least, lighter than my sq taper bb!
- long lasting
Like the idea of Hope as British but gotten confused as to the combinations/what bottom bracket I'll need/special tools etc.
Any good suggestions? Is Hope as good as the money suggests? And others to look at?
Cheers
I'm very pleased with the newish XT cranks I got on cheap for my lad's bike, for which I got a 28t ring like this one from shorelines, which fits to the inner ring bolt threads but offsets to be in the correct chainlink.
Edit: that link hasn't got the 28t in stock, sorry.
Raceface or Shimano XT would be my choice, they tick 3 of your wish list above. Superstar even go as low as a 26T direct mount 6mm offset chainring. You can run a Hope 24mm BB with either straight out of the box and replacement of bearings is easy enough, as you can with Uberbikes offering. Other 24mm BB's are available too
Had Hope 30mm crankset and thought they were shite. Looked mint, but constantly had to adjust the preload, seemed over engineered, which I think has been addressed in the EVO (2nd versions) but my experience was enough to put me off them. Other issues reported in the originals, were the axle splitting at the end or snapping off iicr. Had Sram and whilst ok, wouldn't go back.
RaceFace Aeffect (or the posher Turbine) might suit your needs OP.
I have them on all my MTBs now as they fit a standard HT2 BB with 24mm spindle and take a direct mount chainring (chainline determined by the ring offset). Good availability of RaceFace and third party rings (I get Superstar ones).
In an ideal world I'd have Shimano cranks, but there are very few aftermarket options for the rings and they seem a bit over-engineered now.
I run a RF Turbine with direct mounted 28 ring on my Smuggler. Works a treat
RF Turbine or RF Aeffect cinch - both take direct mount chainrings down to 26 teeth. If you want durability, go for the Aeffect and use a HT2 BB of your choice.
Hope Evo is essentially the same as Raceface Cinch, no special tools other than a big allen key needed to fit or remove. Raceface uses a small, fiddly bolt for preload that's easy to round, Hope one is a size bigger and is no trouble. Both use a 30mm BB. Hope costs a fair whack more, up to you if it's worth the extra.
Raceface Aeffect use a 24mm (same as Shimano) axle/BB, they're a good cheaper option, same cinch chainrings as the more expensive 30mm Turbine/Atlas.
I'll second what's said above about the RF cranks - we've 4 sets in the house, 3 different versions of Aeffect and a set or Turbines. All just work, and changing the rings is easy if you've got an old ISIS / Octalink BB tool. The Turbines look a little nicer and are about 4g lighter, but last time I looked were pretty double the price of a set of Aeffect R cranks so I got those instead. If you go for the RF 30mm axle cranks (Turbine, Atlas) it's worth spending £20 on the Cane Creek preload collar as the proper RF one doesn't last long.
Thanks all ... looks like RF is a good option, posted a WTD ad!
Cheers
Old (11 speed style) SRAM GX crank with a direct mount 28tooth oval here.
Meets all the requirements other than being not particularly light.
I would rather swap to a Shimano option though for the sake of matchy-matchy.
