Excellent quality cranks for a
"Excellent quality cranks for a great price. Cambria shipped them to me quickly, which was great because I installed them the night they arrived and rode them the next day. These cranks are everything I want out of a mountain bike crank. 104 BCD chainring interface with a 24mm steel spindle. Available in 165mm and 170mm lengths, and includes a chainring and quality Shimano BSA threaded bottom bracket. Also includes spacers with the external bottom bracket so it can be installed on 68mm or 73mm bottom bracket shells. Be aware these are a 1X crank, meaning there is only room to mount a single chainring. Not really an issue for most people, but still worth mentioning. One thing I really like about Shimano cranks is how the non-drive side crank is held on with pinch bolts, which makes them easy to install and preload compared to other designs. Like Saint cranks, these have a heavy duty steel spindle that is thicker than what is found on SLX and XT cranks I’ve seen. The included chainring isn’t narrow-wide, but with a good clutched derailleur and a minimal top guide I still haven’t thrown a chain riding fast in rocky terrain all season long. The great thing about the 104 BCD chainring interface is that there’s a ton of options for replacement chainrings, many of which are quite affordable. I plan to replace the chainring with a steel narrow-wide one, if I ever manage to wear out the one that came with the cranks. It still looks new after a few hundred miles of riding. The 24mm spindle means larger diameter bottom bracket bearings compared to 30mm spindle cranks when you have a threaded BSA bottom bracket. You guessed it, larger bearings last longer - to the point that I’ve given up on using 30mm spindle cranks in frames with threaded bottom brackets because the tiny bearings wear out ridiculously fast. The Zee 24mm steel spindle is plenty strong and stiff. I weigh around 230 pounds geared up and ride rocky terrain with big drops in the Pikes Peak region. I bought the 165mm version and have noticed the improved pedaling clearance and reduced number of rock strikes in comparison to the 175mm cranks which they replaced. I was also able to fit a longer dropper on my frame. The pedaling height is 10mm taller than it was when I had 175mm cranks, but the seat is lower when the post is down - and that is a real improvement when descending steep terrain. I have a set of Saint cranks on another bike, and these Zee cranks feel just as stiff to me. I’m not gentle on parts. I hope Shimano keeps on making these because they are extremely strong and durable, and they are one of the last cranks available, along with Saint, that use inexpensive 104 BCD chainrings rather than one of the many new proprietary and more expensive mounting standards."
