2015 raceface cranks - sixc vs turbine

We made our carbon cranks to withstand a lot of abuse and last. They pass the same stringent testing our aluminum cranks do. Next SL and SIXC test stronger than any other carbon cranks in their class on the market. Slightly chipping and scuffing your carbon cranks will not cause them to fail. Chipping and scuffing is usually just cosmetic so the cranks don't look as good over time. This is the same with any carbon product. Our pedal boots help prevent this. We have many staffers still riding the original SIXC and Next cranks without issue. Yes some of the cranks don't look great anymore (depending on the rider) but they are still safe. Our SIXC cranks use a thicker carbon layup than our Next cranks, so ride SIXC if you want carbon and are worried about excessive wear.

Basically there will always be people worried about carbon who don't care about the weight savings. We will always make bomber aluminum product for that reason.

And to be fair, I wouldn't expect carbon cranks to be exempt from wear or cosmetic damage that would happen to any other crank.

Is 165mm way too short for general AM? (can of worms I bet)

Fromme climbs and the odd Seymour pedal/shuttle.

I am tall, but I am a sit and spinner for climbs…..and I hate pedals strikes that kill your flow.

Is 165mm way too short for general AM? (can of worms I bet)

Fromme climbs and the odd Seymour pedal/shuttle.

I am tall, but I am a sit and spinner for climbs…..and I hate pedals strikes that kill your flow.

I am 6' and just switched from 175mm to 170mm on my AM bike for better clearance. I definitely notice the difference when spinning, whether or not I am less efficient is debatable. Not smashing my pedals as much is nice. Its definitely personal preference, but added clearance is never a bad thing.

I am 6' and just switched from 175mm to 170mm on my AM bike for better clearance. I definitely notice the difference when spinning, whether or not I am less efficient is debatable. Not smashing my pedals as much is nice. Its definitely personal preference, but added clearance is never a bad thing.

I always thought that long cranks were better for taller riders because they allowed longer legs to spin in bigger circles. It turns out there's lots of research to show that this isn't the case:

http://www.powercranks.com/cld.html
http://sheldonbrown.com/cranks.html

TL;DR: If you are running a single speed or a fixed gear then longer cranks help provide more leverage but if you have gears then this ceases to matter.

I having trouble imagining my 36" legs being happy on 145mm cranks. Zinn seems to agree with me and offers some super long cranks:
http://zinncycles.com/Zinn/index.php/custom-cranks
http://bicyclecranklength.blogspot.ca/

And if you believe that then you should calculate your optimal crank length using this calculator:
http://www.nettally.com/palmk/crankset.html … though this doesn't factor for ground clearance.

I just picked up some SixC's and damn they are sexy:

I added frame protector tape to cover the rest of the cranks down to the boots though.

I always thought that long cranks were better for taller riders because they allowed longer legs to spin in bigger circles. It turns out there's lots of research to show that this isn't the case:

http://www.powercranks.com/cld.html
http://sheldonbrown.com/cranks.html

TL;DR: If you are running a single speed or a fixed gear then longer cranks help provide more leverage but if you have gears then this ceases to matter.

I having trouble imagining my 36" legs being happy on 145mm cranks. Zinn seems to agree with me and offers some super long cranks:
http://zinncycles.com/Zinn/index.php/custom-cranks
http://bicyclecranklength.blogspot.ca/

And if you believe that then you should calculate your optimal crank length using this calculator:
http://www.nettally.com/palmk/crankset.html … though this doesn't factor for ground clearance.

I'm a similar height to you and KK and have experimented with different length cranks over the years on my road bikes, CX bikes, XC bikes and FR bikes. I always come back to 180mm cranks on my road, CX and XC bikes as THE cranks that feel the most natural for me. For my go-fast bikes it is definetly 180mm (haven't tried longer because they're very uncommon). For my Nomad3, I've thrown on some Next XL Cinch cranks in their longest length, 175mm. I've chosen to make a compromise because:

1/ I'm not looking to punish myself on the climbs when riding this bike.
2/ It has a low bb and 165mm travel.
3/ The Next SL cranks are so bloody nice and light.

I'm not convinced that there is no difference with crank lengths because I haven't read any really good scientific studies proving the theory either way. I can imagine that it would make less difference on a road bike where speeds are generally higher and cadence is up but I'm convinced that it does make a difference on a mountain bike. There are many instances where I'll be almost stalled out or climbing a steep hill in my lowest gear when a longer cranks is definitely advantageous. I'm rarely spinning a decent cadence on my mtb and don't worry too much about the odd pedal strike so the longer cranks are an advantage.

I liken this to the argument made that 29er tires have the same contact area as 26" tires. This is an oversimplification that ignores the shape of the contact patch as well as the change in mechanical friction caused by having different knobs in contact with the ground with the longer contact patch of a 29er tire. Mostly true on a road bike but not at all true on a mountain bike.

Turbines with BSA30 bottom bracket require the BSA30 installation tool.

Specs [HTML_REMOVED] Colours
Tool to install Cinch BSA30 cups.
Part# D30146

Where can you buy the tool in the lower mainland or have a shop install the new BSA30 BB on a bike?

I just bought one of those in Vic, Russ Hays had it but it was their last one. I had to call to a bunch of different shops to find one that had it….very hard tool to find. Most didn't even have one in their shop. Best bet is to get on the phone and start calling around to some of the bigger shops that carry RF.

I just bought one of those in Vic, Russ Hays had it but it was their last one. I had to call to a bunch of different shops to find one that had it….very hard tool to find. Most didn't even have one in their shop. Best bet is to get on the phone and start calling around to some of the bigger shops that carry RF.

I thought this might be the case. Thanks.

I just bought one of those in Vic, Russ Hays had it but it was their last one. I had to call to a bunch of different shops to find one that had it….very hard tool to find. Most didn't even have one in their shop. Best bet is to get on the phone and start calling around to some of the bigger shops that carry RF.

There are other bb tools that fit too. I believe Rotor uses the same tool and there is another too, just don't recall which.

The Rotor is much more expensive than the RF tool…but yes they have a BSA30 tool.

If anyone is desperate in Van, I have the tool. Not saying were I work on here but you could PM me if you run out of options and I could take the tool to work :)

I've had pretty good luck with RF Carbon Cranks. I ran the older SixC's for a season in super rocky New England with tons of lift days and thrashing. I did have one of the inserts come loose so it made the pedal wobbly. My LBS worked with RF and they got me the 2015's under warranty. I love the new cinch interface, but I am going to have to pick up one of those BB tools for the future.

I've also been running an older pair of Next SL's for over a season and they've been great as well. I had them on my XC/trail bike before I got rid of it. I kept the cranks and used them for a few months on my bigger bike. They handled lift access days and a 9 day trip to Sunshine Coast/Squamish/Whistler. Overall I'm very happy with RF's stuff.