Thread: New Crank Bros post. Hmm. i dunno...

Originally Posted by rideit

economy of scale and the weight/price/durability connundrum.
yes, it really is that simple.
Plus life cycle and number of units produced in one design to manufacture run in moto vs. Mt. bike (maturity of tecnology).
Oh, and the relative size of moto manufacturers, and their other industrial conglomerates that give them tremendous buying power and other logistical advantages, from marketing to packaging.

It's not a conundrum - bike users are willing to overpay for some boutique name because it's a boutique name and generally lack sophistication - hence the proliferation and staying power of shitty manufacturers and shitty products.

Yes and no.

true. I should have said "retail badger" not "manufacturer"

thats a little closer.

Hmm. Told Ya so?
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/dow...rothers-7.html

Originally Posted by toast2266

I wonder if over time the post will develop "notches" where the mechanism engages the inner shaft.

Apparently I was exactly wrong; instead of developing notches, it smoothes out the shaft to the point that it stops working.

Seems like everyone is totally shocked that Crank Brothers failed to properly execute an otherwise innovative idea.

Yeah As soon as I read the pinkbike review I thought "duh, why wouldn't that happen". The idea of it being a set up issue is laughable. Steel grinding past a knurled aluminum surface, what could possibly be wrong with that? Seriously baffling that they built up so much hype only to fall flat on their face.

Link to PB review: http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Crankbr...sted-2012.html

Detail photo of epic fail:

That's about as dumb as making tech inserts out of aluminum, safety factors aside. At least it'll fail up instead of down.

Originally Posted by rideit

Hmm. Told Ya so?
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/dow...rothers-7.html

ditto. Crank bros is consistent

More negative reviews... http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/ca...kronolog-46205

The post has also developed a bit of hesitation before it locks in at either full extension or full compression, and the bead-blasted and scored clamping surface on the front and back is starting to show wear as well. “That quill [stanchion] is 3D forged and has tons of QC [quality control] checks on it,” said Brewster. “The ones we have we’ve tested hardness and they’re all in spec. We hold that to a crazy tolerance standard."

However, he admitted: "The 'jammers' are a little more difficult.” Right now CrankBrothers are looking to the stamped, hardened, tumbled and plated steel locking plates as the possible cause of the accelerated wear. “We have someone in Taiwan working on this,” said Brewster, stressing that this issue would fall under CrankBrothers’ two-year warranty, without question.

At least they have someone in Taiwan working on it.

had one on order. just cancelled it. gonna go reverb.

Check the new KS LEV. Looks to be the best of all worlds to me. Not cheap but...

Originally Posted by beaterdit

Check the new KS LEV. Looks to be the best of all worlds to me. Not cheap but...

Yeah, that looks pretty sweet. I have had problems with their customer service in the past, but now that they are mainstream in US market, it would hopefully be better.

150mm of travel. wow.

the new KS Lev definitely looks super fresh, but you can't beat RS customer service. Every post on the market has a 10-15% failure rate, so which company can get you a replacement as quickly and painlessly as possible is no small consideration. Plus, the reverb rocks.

The best product crank brothers ever made was a sticker. stay far away from the kronolog until CB deals with the already apparent manufacturing defects...

Originally Posted by reidhresko

Every post on the market has a 10-15% failure rate

CB excepted...

KS LEV looks sweet, but I've gone without for so long I can wait a few more months to see how it shakes out against the Thomson.

Originally Posted by Bean

CB excepted...

KS LEV looks sweet, but I've gone without for so long I can wait a few more months to see how it shakes out against the Thomson.

good point. their failure rate is probably above 50%. ha.

Man, I really, really want Thomson to knock it out of the park. Any and all other experiences with Thomson bits has simply been 'set and Forget' , I hope whatever they do meets that mark.

Originally Posted by reidhresko

the new KS Lev definitely looks super fresh, but you can't beat RS customer service. Every post on the market has a 10-15% failure rate, so which company can get you a replacement as quickly and painlessly as possible is no small consideration. Plus, the reverb rocks.

Specialized's Command Post Blacklite is cheaper, lighter, and also has great customer service behind it. Also hear from a few people that they are pretty reliable. Worth checking out.

Originally Posted by reidhresko

The best product crank brothers ever made was a sticker.

Except for the two pairs of pedals I've been rocking since 2005.

Originally Posted by Dickeymotto

Except for the two pairs of pedals I've been rocking since 2005.

2x.
I've been using CB pedals (beaters, mallets, and candies) on all my bikes since the first eggbeaters came out. Over ten years later, that first set is still working flawlessly on my XC rig.

Originally Posted by Roxtar

2x.
I've been using CB pedals (beaters, mallets, and candies) on all my bikes since the first eggbeaters came out. Over ten years later, that first set is still working flawlessly on my XC rig.

So when exactly did CB's quality dive off a cliff? All I ever hear from anyone these days about them is that they suck and their products are junk that either doesn't work or breaks pre-maturely. When I started using CB pedals in 2005, all I ever heard about the brand is how clever, well designed, simple, and kickass their products were (pedals were about all they did back then), granted this was before I became an enlightened and all-knowling e-rider

So what happened? Did the company change hands or something? Something had to have gone really wrong to change the overall brand perception from awesome to terrible.

A lot of their pedals had problems too. Lots of sloppy bushings, etc. For every person I know that has a pair that they've been happy with for years, I know another that gave up on them because they had so many problems.

Originally Posted by toast2266

A lot of their pedals had problems too. Lots of sloppy bushings, etc. For every person I know that has a pair that they've been happy with for years, I know another that gave up on them because they had so many problems.

If they've always been bad, how in the hell did they develop such a following? How are they still in business? They had to have been doing something right at some point because they are a mainstay in the market. It just doesn't make sense otherwise.

My impression was always that a lot of people really like the pedals, aside from the premature wear issues. They're light, simple, have lots of float, and the basic pedal mechanism usually holds up alright (although I've seen a few explode). If you get a good pair or don't mind rebuilding them 1-2 times a season, they're good pedals.

I think CB has lots of good ideas that are often poorly executed. They're a mainstay in the market because most riders don't pay attention enough to realize that CB has developed a crappy reputation. It also helps that CB's products tend to hit a pretty competitive price point, which may also be a contributing factor as to why their stuff tends to fail.

Originally Posted by toast2266

They're a mainstay in the market because most riders don't pay attention enough to realize that CB has developed a crappy reputation. It also helps that CB's products tend to hit a pretty competitive price point, which may also be a contributing factor as to why their stuff tends to fail.

oh, it's this shit again. most "riders" don't ride enough for the pedals "poor quality" to really matter. most "reputations" spoken about online are bullshit and just the jerkoff meme dujour. see: tgr tech talk.

I guess I'm also one of the people who's had amazing luck with CB pedals. I had one failure not due to me being a hack out of the 7 pair that I've had since 1999 and some of them probably have 6000-8000 miles of trail and/or road on them with doing almost ZERO maintenance. I did bend one early mallet but I hit a rock hard on a DH bike and did a lot of damage to me too. I ride less these days with a family, but I sure used to ride plenty of hours every week and still get more than many. I've ranged from 150-160lbs and maybe that's part of my success.

I'm bummed to see this failure mode appear on the Kronolog so quick, cause I was really wishing them well. Personally, I'll keep rocking the 3 Gravity Droppers I've got until someone else builds something as reliable. I'm surprised they didn't make that surface a thin pressed in piece of steel. Maybe the Lev will prove good cause I lost count of Reverb failures around me, so as nice as they work I'm not throwing money that way. Finger's crossed for KS.