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Stylo for DH?

djb

Monkey
Apr 6, 2006
173
0
VanCity
I was looking for a rather lightweight crankset, and I came across the new Truvativ Stylo's. They, to me, look pretty close to the FSA Gravity Lights I was going to get, minus the chromo pedal inserts.

I know there's a thread or two about the older style Stylo's being not so great for DH bikes, but I've seen them on a few Morewoods.

I'm a rather light rider coming in at about 145 lbs.

I've included photo's to compare..

My main reason for thinking about the Stylo's, is the fact that I can get a set for nearly half the price of the FSA's.

Hoping someone has a little experience with them, or has seen first hand if they can take a little abuse.



 

rowlands

Monkey
Nov 26, 2006
159
0
Stylo's are solid i weigh 200 and there awsome. ive clipped a few rocks and the ground with mine and there still running straight and all of the threads are still there. just remeber to keep them tight.
 

4130biker

PM me about Tantrum Cycles!
May 24, 2007
3,884
448
If you can get them cheap, why not give it a shot? I just got a pair and I like them so far. i ride aggressively and weigh about 185.
 

Zark

Hey little girl, do you want some candy?
Oct 18, 2001
6,254
7
Reno 911
A haiku on Truvativ cranks:

butter's not a metal
where did my left pedal go?
Truvativ sucks ass
 

bikenweed

Turbo Monkey
Oct 21, 2004
2,432
0
Los Osos
A lot of guys around town run the Stylos, and I've never heard of any problems. Truvativ stuff is good, and especially the newer products. OCT Howitzer BB Holzfellers are some of the best cranks I've ever ridden.

I'm currently running very bent FSA Gravity Lights, and I'll be on Stylos once I can fanangle a pair.

I've been riding a 5 year old pair of Stylos (3rd generation hand-me-downs) on the Enduro, and they're straight and true.
 

someguy

Chimp
Jun 21, 2007
15
0
Colorado
If you don't mind risking your day on some crank failure go for it. If you want sure fire reliability get something else.
 

TomBo

Monkey
Jan 13, 2004
300
0
Calgary,Alberta
What about the RaceFace Atlas, a few guys I know have been DH riding them with no problems.
Atlas claimed, 955g (175mm with triple rings & BB)
Stylo claimed, 880g (175mm with triple rings & BB)

I guess it would really depend on price, as the seem rather evenly matched.
 
Feb 2, 2008
37
0
Santa Cruz
Im 145 and I had Stylo's on my sx-trail for just about everything. The non-drive side developed play forward and back in addition to side to side. I would hope the newer one's are better because the older ones were horrible. I'd stick with a more reliable crank but maybe I just had a bad set.
 

djb

Monkey
Apr 6, 2006
173
0
VanCity
Lots of mixed reviews..but then, it's to be expected as some are much harder on components than others.

The newer ones seem to be much better built than the older, so I think they'd hold up a little better.

I'd love to get a set of Atlas cranks, I'd much rather support a Canadian company...but right now cost comes out over what I'd like, and the Truvativ's are $100..
 

Slater

Monkey
Oct 10, 2007
378
0
Their cranks can be great but that still doesn't mean as a whole they're not **** (which they are) because of their BB's and ISIS-like interface. (holzfellers, not stylos)

I don't know about you but I don't like my cranks creaking and popping so much I can feel the actual movements in my pedals.

As for the stylos a buddy had them for a while and he liked them. But then again he wasn't hucking 10' drops either.

My XT's are better than any other crank set I've ever riden or owned.
 

toodles

ridiculously corgi proportioned
Aug 24, 2004
5,480
4,720
Australia
Truvativ cranks suck. Bent easier than Shimano's XC offerings. Won't waste my money on them again.
 

Luckybikes

Monkey
Jan 29, 2006
162
1
Dracut MA
I have a set of the new stylos on my AM bike and i love them but i am not to sure about using them for DH so i got Holzfellers instead.
 

Old_Sckool

Monkey
Jun 5, 2007
187
0
Most good quality X/C AM cranks will work fine for downhill, even for 200lb guys. Unless you are constantly bottoming out your shock, cause your spring rate is to low. The suspension is simply taking most the stress off the cranks.

Now....... reality.

If you spend all your time of really mellow courses without a lot of rock gardens or the rock gardens are really short or steep so you can get by without pedaling you will be fine. But if you have to lay down the power in a nasty rock garden on a real DH course, it's only a matter of time before you hook a pedal or a crank or just smack a pedal on top of rock on the down stroke. When you do this, your lightweight crank is instantly toast, end of story. You'll get anything from a bent arm to a pedal ripped out of the crank arm or both.

Chrome-moly or aluminum with steel inserts in the best way to go if you really want reliability. Nothing worse the a race run ruined cause you wanted to save a half a pound thats at a low COG, if you gotta have extra weight anywhere on the bike, the cranks are in about the best spot you could hope for.

This is how you build a lightweight DH bike that can still take the chit.
Coil sprung both ends, Avalanche shock, Chrome-moly external bearing cranks, CNC not magnesium pedals, real DH brakes (Codes with Ultimate levers), no carbon anywhere.

41.09lbs of old school goodness with dual ply 2.5 Minions, not the Firepro's in the pic.

 

pedalmunky

Monkey
Jan 15, 2007
124
0
Impeccable build, old sckool. But what kind of cranks are they?

BTW I run old Stylos on my Preston and love 'em.
 

Old_Sckool

Monkey
Jun 5, 2007
187
0
that bike is dope! Very nice build, orange and gold go together way better than I thought.
Thanks, looks better in real life. The color is actually Gold Dust Orange, so it has Gold flakes in it, you just can't tell from pics. Gold is great with orange.

Opps!!!! Gotta run, I see the Ridemonkey fashion police headed this way.:shocked:
 

Old_Sckool

Monkey
Jun 5, 2007
187
0
Impeccable build, old sckool. But what kind of cranks are they?

BTW I run old Stylos on my Preston and love 'em.
DMR's. Really nice cranks. Basically like Profiles but use an external bearing BB. Got them for around $100 on closeout at Ebikestop.com. Pretty sure they have more.

Yeah, like I said Stylos are really fine as long as you aren't banging 'em on stuff. I'd run 'em on my trail bike and the trails I ride here in Colorado are nastier then a lot of DH courses. But I want bullet proof reliability on my race rig.

I ran profiles on my Racelink all last season (only cranks that work on it) not a single problem. When I refurbed the DHR, I was going real weight weenie, I ran XT initially for about month before ripping peddle out at Keystone. I have 3 sets of ruined cranks over the last 4 years. Guess I'm a slow learner.:disgust: