Crankset - Zee, Saint, Truvativ Descendants

What Truvativ model? The descendant? I picked up a new Descendant crank for 80 bucks on ebay, don't have one complaint about the crankset in 9-10 months. Can't beat that.

i saw some deals on ebay for some saints last week. worth a peep depending on your budget. i got some new 2012s for a little over 150 bux with BB not too long ago.

ive read good reviews on the zee, im sure you could find a deal or two on ebay.. but IIRC it was only another 20-30 bones for me to up to saint and get a matchy mactchy BB included as well.

edit:
not sure if its just had a hard life sitting in the box or what, but check these out:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2013-New-Shimano-Zee-Crankset-165mm-83mm-36T-NO-BB-NEW-/261275043540?pt=US_Cranksets&hash=item3cd534c6d4

I have used Descendants on two different bikes the last two seasons. Two years on a 165mm arm on my DH bike, a second set on my GT distortion this year in all conditions.
I have zero complaints. Runs awesome with straitline silent guide.
For the money, tough to beat I think.

Saw the $150 Saint cranks on ebay too. Thats a steal. Go. Geddit.

Wow. $150 for brand new Saints on Ebay is pretty cheap. The ad says "crank arm fixing bolt not included" however. So factor in shipping plus however much one of those pretty anodized bolts costs + shipping for that too.

I've used Descendants for a year and a half or more, rode em pretty hard, never had a creak or loosening problem with them. I was rather surprised by this. Even after removing and reinstalling (once), no probs. I bought those cranks for under $100 shipped. If you don't need the stiffest_cranks_evar and want something other than 165's, I'd go Truvativ in this case.

In my opinion Shimano (and FSA) has a superior way of attaching the left crank to the spindle, and therefore I would not even consider the Truvativs, but I know, opinions are like as$holes...

Verskis said:

In my opinion Shimano (and FSA) has a superior way of attaching the left crank to the spindle, and therefore I would not even consider the Truvativs,

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Bingo. I HAD to get a pair of truvativ cranks for my road bike (well unless I wanted $600 dura ace's) and it cause me great emotional pain when I had to affix the left crank arm.

For Hcor DHing Saints have never let me down. A friend of mine has been using his Zee's all year without an issue.

I agree about the installation interface. Shimano wins by a landslide. I also think the Descendants are flexier than the Saints. This isn't a problem when one stays on the bike, but I've had two crashes, one on each side of the bike, where I've gouged my chainstays with the Descendants. They flexed inwards and left ugly dents and scratches. It could have been sh1t luck, but I've had many crashes, and this has never happened with my Saints.

I've never tried the Zees, but I do believe they are made out of a weaker alloy, so there is a greater chance you'll bend them. However, for the price, they may be worth the risk.

kickstand said:

Only concern, Zee states for 10 speed only, I am assuming that just means the chainring is a 10 speed width, is the crank spacing (chainline) any different than a 9 speed?

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Used Zee cranks for a long time on a 9 speed. No issues.

What's the downside of 6000 solid alu vs. 7000 hollow?

Get the Zee if you can't afford Saint.
While the Saint will be stronger due to the use of a hollow forged arm and higher grade of alloy, the Zee still seems adequately strong for most riders, and still has the benefit of the chromo pedal insert and axle. Obviously if you can afford the Saints get those.

Every alternative setup to Shimano's spline+pinchbolt (or FSA's copy) is markedly inferior. This includes Truvativ/Sram, Raceface, and even e13/hive with their tapered trifecta of marketing BS. Common problems are difficulty of installation/removal, inadequate or excessive preload on BB, creaking, loosening, and an increase in these problems as loosening causes interface wear over time. Some may have less problems than others, but they're still an inferior design.

With the spline/pinchbolt setup you're on/off in minutes, and have a level of reliability where (once installed correctly - pinchbolts done up tight) you'll have many years of trouble-free operation, in most cases until the BB bearings wear out.

They work fine with 9spd (the ring seems fine too), and I think they are priced quite low on CRC for what is essentially a Saint crank with lower (but seemingly adequate) strength.

Descendants have been flawless for 2 seasons. That said, the Shimano pinch-bolt system is amazing and by far the best on the market. Seems Zee would be the best value...

Have had Descendants for two seasons, same bb also which is quite fascinating considering roughly 55 days of hard park riding only this season. I think the Descendant interface works well enough, my bolt never come loose and they dont seem to flex noticeably under my 200lbs. What is a pita is the drive side washer, it can work loose and get damaged.

Have a pair of Zee's on my spare bike, shimano system sure is easier/better. All but the preload bolt, should have been a normal hex imo but that is a minor issue. Seem as sturdy as my Descendants. The bb however had seized up after it had been sittning for a while, might have been a bad set.

Conclusion both work extremely well for their price

^ thats your shoe.

And E13 is a pita if you dont have a torque wrench. Wherein you need to torque it til you shart a little... Running the 'new and improved' Raceface Atlas cranks. So far its been 'saint-like' in terms of keeping the crank in place New interface is good!

I'm all for going for the Shimano cranks, based on the spline and pinch bolt interface alone.

Boylagz, are those new Atlas cranks still using the bolt on the drive side? Such a pain in the butt when initially trying to line things up

canadmos said:

Boylagz, are those new Atlas cranks still using the bolt on the drive side? Such a pain in the butt when initially trying to line things up

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Yes, but unlike the old interface, it already has a bumper to stop you from overtorquing the thing and destroy your hub bearings. Lining stuff up isnt an issue at all.

Running newer generation Saints on my DH bike, and like most have already said, they're super stiff and easy to remove/install. Not familiar with the Descendents, but I will offer the following as it relates to non-pinch bolt set ups - have RF Atlas cranks on my trail bike, and while certainly more of a time consuming process to the get them on and off, it's nice to have the super thin spacers to adjust for chain line and upper chain guide cage compatibility (vs. only 5mm and 2.5mm BB spacers). I would also add they seem stiffer than my previous gen XTs, if a little heavier. Plus, my XT's would eat into the BB plastic race, and require me to tighten them every so often - but this is likely due to me overtightening the metal nut on the non-drive side (so if you're a ham fist, you're probably better off with the plastic nut).

Bent my old FSA Gravity cranks, Zees have been fine all season with a fair bit of park ridding.

My last two bikes have had Saint cranks and I have no complaints. I waited until they were cheap on Chain Reaction Cycles to get them.

^ive seen deals once or twice now on saint cranks on there.. just gotta wait it out.

sweet, when you start looking for saints again give it a couple of weeks and start looking early. something will pop up!

kickstand said:

I need a new crankset and bottom bracket.

Which would you choose and why?


Zee is cheapest.
Saint is most expensive.
Truvativ is slightly more expensive than the Zee.

All three seem to weight about the same amount.

Saint is likely ruled out due to price right now. (Getting married October).

Zee is attractive price wise, but is it a quality piece? I do like the shimano preload/pinchbolt style.

Truvativ is what I am replacing, so I've used it for 2 years and am familiar with it, though I don't love relying on the pressfit and bolt set up.

Thoughts.....

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Sounds to me like you answered your own question with your initial post......

Zee

Love mine. For all the reasons that you mentioned. Cheap, same wt, and GREAT Shimano interface. Plus, you're not buying someone's used (scuffed/beat) Saints just to pay what you'd put out for new Zees.... And, just to say you run Saint cranks.

Or you can just stick these bad boys on: