Dh cranks and flat pedals

Chalky76

I'm looking to upgrade my cranks and pedals as they were not my first choice last year when I had my bike built up as I ran out of money. Thinking race face atlas cranks which i think i saw around the £130 range, and some superstar flats which are £43 and have good reviews.

Just wondering if I should be considering others which are not too expensive or whether anyone does not rate the above bits?

supersonic

Exotic make the same pedal for £10 cheaper, or Wellgo MG1.

But is there anything actually wrong with what you have? How are you trying to upgrade?

steelie600

if thats your bike in your sig, whats wrong with the SLX cranks??

rockmonkeysc

SLX cranks are surprisingly strong. Personally I would go for Saint rather than Atlas cranks. E13 cranks are really good as well.
I'm using superstar pedals for downhill and they are really good. Thru pins are a nice feature, makes it easier to replace worn pins.

YeehaaMcgee

Saints, or stick with the SLX. I wouldn't bother with any cranks that aren't Shimano Hollowtech II

peter413

Just stick with the SLX cranks if that is what you have. I have both Atlas and Saint cranks and would choose the Atlas cranks over the Saints mostly because of the looks but they are slightly lighter. I wouldn't be throwing away SLX cranks for them though, money is much better spent on another set of tyres towards some better brakes or just keep it as spare money for when things break which will happen.

As for pedals, Superstars are decent but I found I had to fit pins that were about twice as big as the originals to get the amount of grip I wanted, something they don't sell so I had to make my own from a few random boxes of screws out of poundland. I probably wouldn't bother with the MG1's for DH as again I fitted longer pins but they rip out quite easily and take the thread with them because of the Magnesium body, I'm just waiting for some more pins to go then I think they will be getting replaced. If you want some cheap things then Wellgo B54's are grippier and have a larger body but are also very thick. There are also DMR Vaults which again have a bigger platform than the Superstars but are still quite thin and have tonnes of grip, they would be my choice if I was buying flats again. With the money you saved from the cranks though you could get some Burgtec's which would be my choice if I had tonnes of money but I don't which is why I would go for the Vaults.

ilovedirt

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

Saints, or stick with the SLX. I wouldn't bother with any cranks that aren't Shimano Hollowtech II

This, the axle interface on RF cranks is crap, I have two bust sets of RF x-type cranks. The SLX are decent, but if you want something stiffer, then go for saint. No point buying anything else IMO.

Also, superstar pedals are a definite winner.

Torres

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

Saints, or stick with the SLX. I wouldn't bother with any cranks that aren't Shimano Hollowtech II

The man speaks the truth.

Woody80

I'd highly recommend DMR Vaults, seriously grippy with the right shoes

Chalky76

No issue with the slx, but I have the occasional pedal strike which has nearly led to a bad off here and there, and I know they will be mainly down to shock set up and my average skill, but I just think if I can shorten them a bit it can only help?

And a little weight saving and better performance too?

YeehaaMcgee

Chalky76 wrote:

No issue with the slx, but I have the occasional pedal strike which has nearly led to a bad off here and there, and I know they will be mainly down to shock set up and my average skill, but I just think if I can shorten them a bit it can only help?

And a little weight saving and better performance too?

Better performance how?
The pedal strikes won't really be noticeably reduced by getting cranks 5 or 10mm shorter, you'll need to adjust your riding and/or your shock.

peter413

You're not going to be saving weight going from SLX's to Saints or Atlas cranks. What length are your current cranks? Pedal strikes happen in DH, not much you can do about it, shorter cranks won't usually help since there is so much suspension travel. I hit my pedals off the ground while they are level, never mind when one foot is dropped. Best thing you can do is try to anticipate them and learn how the bike is going to react when it happens, just like you learn how it is going to react when you hit a bump normally.

Chalky76

Slx's are 175mm, so straight away I could be 10mm better off? Appreciate all the replies, maybe I'll save some cash and just learn to ride better!!