Ask the experts

[alpinevibes]

Just get some eewings and be done with buying cranks for the rest of your life.

Oh god, those are hawt!

[El Chupacabra]

Just get some eewings and be done with buying cranks for the rest of your life.

The guy who bought Magic Motorcycle cranks back in the day probably said the same thing.

[toast2266]

The guy who bought Magic Motorcycle cranks back in the day probably said the same thing.

Those things were nice. And really, they probably still work fine. I have some 25 year old raceface turbine lp's that are still in use.

[rideit]

The problem with the Magic Motorcycle ones is proprietary, cnc’d chainrings that don’t fit anything else, IIRC.

[Pinned]

Doesn't a dub BB still use a 30mm id bearing but with little plastic deals that snap in and take up the extra mm?

I've never seen a BB like this - maybe there are some but all of Pressfit / T47 BBs we've installed have been 29mm ID bearings. Cane Creek, WheelsMFG, etc. Maybe some of the early SRAM ones are like this though.

Just get some eewings and be done with buying cranks for the rest of your life.

Yep. Bought a set of these for my road bike, and then ordered a set for gravel and MTB as well. A few of our customers have them and are stoked. They use the SRAM 3 bolt pattern too, which is great for the mountain bike because there are a ton of existing ring options. For SRAM AXS on the road we made a custom spider to mount up the factory rings. Anyways, these things are basically indestructible and you can smash them off of rocks all day long, they don't care. Forget carbon!

[robnow]

After running multiple RaceFace carbon and XTR 9120 cranks, I'm at the point where the EEWings become much more compelling, barely a mark of abuse from what I've seen.

[BlueBison]

Performance wise I don't think there's all that much difference. Raceface and sram are somewhat more future proof than shimano. I have become increasingly anti carbon crank over the years.

That doesn't leave a clear answer. Buy whatever is decent quality and that you can find in stock.

Good to know. I’ll also see if I can track down some Ewing’s... thanks for the response!

[jm2e]

I’ve never heard so much talk about cranks.
Other than stems, I can’t think of a component I think less about after installing. I beat the fuck out of mine. Basic Shimano/sram goes a looooong way.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[rideit]

Quit being so cranky.

[radam]

Straight pull vs j-bend hubs. I know a lot of people think straight pull are dumb, but... Why exactly? I'm trying to choose specifics for a wheel build and straight pull seems like an easy way to save a few grams. I won't be the one doing the building so what are the negatives? Are people just getting all worked up because it's less likely a shop will have the spoke you need in an emergency, and that sometimes the spokes want to spin when you're truing them? Or is there more to it than that?

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

[Dee Hubbs]

Straight pull vs j-bend hubs. I know a lot of people think straight pull are dumb, but... Why exactly? I'm trying to choose specifics for a wheel build and straight pull seems like an easy way to save a few grams. I won't be the one doing the building so what are the negatives? Are people just getting all worked up because it's less likely a shop will have the spoke you need in an emergency, and that sometimes the spokes want to spin when you're truing them? Or is there more to it than that?

I’m a big fan of straight pull hubs. But I’m also a DT fan.
Typically straight pull are built with bladed spokes, so not an issue when building with regarding spokes spinning. If your builder is using round spokes he should have an appropriate spoke holding tool. If you’re truing at home a little bit of lube on the nipple and any smooth pliers will hold your spoke for a quick adjustment.
When they build your straight pull, ask for 2 or 4 extra spokes. That way you have them on hand, and can throw them in a gear bag if you’re going on a trip and don’t want to get stranded.

[Pinned]

Straight pull vs j-bend hubs. I know a lot of people think straight pull are dumb, but... Why exactly? I'm trying to choose specifics for a wheel build and straight pull seems like an easy way to save a few grams. I won't be the one doing the building so what are the negatives? Are people just getting all worked up because it's less likely a shop will have the spoke you need in an emergency, and that sometimes the spokes want to spin when you're truing them? Or is there more to it than that?

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

I avoid straight pull spokes, but mainly the hubs I like don't come in straight pull so it's not a problem. I doubt you'd really have a problem with straight pull or J bend, but I think you might find it a little easier to get J bend spokes in a pinch.

[EWG]

If the wheel fails with J spokes, the spoke breaks. If a wheel breaks with straight spokes, it’s often the hub that breaks.

Just something to keep in mind.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[EWG]

I’m a big fan of straight pull hubs. But I’m also a DT fan.
Typically straight pull are built with bladed spokes, so not an issue when building with regarding spokes spinning. If your builder is using round spokes he should have an appropriate spoke holding tool. If you’re truing at home a little bit of lube on the nipple and any smooth pliers will hold your spoke for a quick adjustment.
When they build your straight pull, ask for 2 or 4 extra spokes. That way you have them on hand, and can throw them in a gear bag if you’re going on a trip and don’t want to get stranded.

That said, this is all great advice.

[jm2e]

Online calculators are making it easier to figure out spoke lengths on straight pull hubs, which used to be a big reason to build with J-bend.
Loads of midrange OEM wheel sets have straight pull, non-bladed spokes, increasing the chances a shop will have a spare for you.
It’s actually quite nice to fix a broken spoke without removing a cassette, so that’s a plus.
That said, J-bend just works better for building and tuning and rebuilding and sourcing spokes.
Of course, with the increasing price of spokes & rims, it’s getting less advantageous to build your own.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[toast2266]

If I break a spoke, chances are very good that a local shop will have an appropriately sized j-bend spoke in stock. Chances are very bad that they'll have the right size straight pull.

Companies produce straight pull wheels because they're quicker, easier, and cheaper to build with a machine, not because they're better.

[radam]

After all three of the shops in my town didn't have a standard chainring bolt, I don't count on them to have anything aside from a tube on short notice (and even then, I'm only assuming it's any old tube, not necessarily the size I'm looking for).

Re: straight pull hubs breaking the whole wheel... Care to elaborate?

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

[EWG]

After all three of the shops in my town didn't have a standard chainring bolt, I don't count on them to have anything aside from a tube on short notice (and even then, I'm only assuming it's any old tube, not necessarily the size I'm looking for).

Re: straight pull hubs breaking the whole wheel... Care to elaborate?

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

In almost all overload impact or long term stresses on a J bend spoke wheel the weakest point is the J bend of the spoke - in my experience. Spoke breaks at the J bend or pulls out of the nipple. In the same situation with a straight pull I've seen spokes break, but I've also seen the hub sheer at the spoke receiving tab quite a few times.

I think straight pull hubs are much more likely to crack than hubs with J spokes. Of course, I've seen a pretty damn large number of broken wheels so I'm just talking averages.

[jm2e]

Spokes break all the time on machine built wheels.
Spokes rarely break on well tensioned hand built wheels.
Way too much attention paid to the parts.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[BCtransplant]

Talk to me about bar backsweep. I got some new wide bars with 8 degrees sweep and I’m finding the outside of my hands are hurting after slightly longer rides.

Seems like some more sweep would relieve this a bit, so I’m looking for some cheap used bars to try out with a 12-17 sweep.

What’s the downside here - handling going to get a bit more twitchy?

[HAB]

Talk to me about bar backsweep. I got some new wide bars with 8 degrees sweep and I’m finding the outside of my hands are hurting after slightly longer rides.

Seems like some more sweep would relieve this a bit, so I’m looking for some cheap used bars to try out with a 12-17 sweep.

What’s the downside here - handling going to get a bit more twitchy?

Yeah, handling gets a bit twitchier as you go to more sweep. Bars are cheap though, and it's worth a try. A slightly longer stem might help balance things out (since the added sweep moves you hands back, effectively shortening the stem).

I think I'm in the minority here, but my wrists are happiest with 6-7 degrees of backsweep. I don't like more.

[Andeh]

I assume you took precise measurements of your brake angle and distance from your grips before you swapped? Just a few degrees change can have a big change to comfort.

[BCtransplant]

I assume you took precise measurements of your brake angle and distance from your grips before you swapped? Just a few degrees change can have a big change to comfort.

The new bars were are connected to a new (to me) bike...

Still tweaking set up a bit, but initial impression is that my wrists feel almost turned out in the new cockpit. I’m thinking even a slight change to sweep will give some comfort improvements.

[toast2266]

The new bars were are connected to a new (to me) bike...

Still tweaking set up a bit, but initial impression is that my wrists feel almost turned out in the new cockpit. I’m thinking even a slight change to sweep will give some comfort improvements.

Does the new to you bike have a dramatically longer reach?

Could very well be a bar sweep issue, but hand pressure / pain could be from a bunch of other things too.

[RootSkier]

Dumb gravel JONG sizing question: I've never ridden anything besides mountain bikes and want a gravel-type bike for commuting and some dirt roads around here. Because of everything I am not seeing much in my size locally, so I am likely buying online. I get that different brands have different sizing, but I seem to fall right in the middle of 52/54 in most brands (5'9" but a short inseam, like 29"). How much functional difference is there between these two sizes? Would I even notice the difference? If so, can I make adjustments later based on the stem, etc, if one is either too big or too small?