AMS Announces 'Crank Defenders' Crank Boots

 O look little booty wooties to keep your cranks warm on those chilly rides

 What cranks aren't rotor cranks?

 Works great for road biking.

 @Loche: Yes, this can be the only exception. I wrote about MTB.

 @oswaldini Clearly you never tried Biopace.

 I see you've never ridden a URT.

 @fullfacemike: No thanks, love my Shimano Saint crank. I'm 100% sure my pedals will not fly away with the inserts in carbon crank. I do not like carbon, I will not change my mind. Aluminum and CNC please

 @oswaldini: as a contrarian I agree with you.

 Completely agree with you there. Supposed to be stronger, stiffer, lighter, faster. Yet they have a much shorter warranty and you have to put rubber boots on them to protect them.

 @Matt76: Anal Mountain Solutions has a great product here you crumbumbs!

 Truth. Make them lighter! Now add boots on to make them heavier!

 Have seen it all, no comment on your mom,#$$@@$$+& in the &$+!

 @oswaldini: Well, it works quite well for those of us riding cross-country, mild trails or marathon MTB races and don't want to carry too much weight over the hills.

For a gravity oriented bike...don't see the point.

 @opignonlibre: 50-100g over SLX for 200$ more makes for a very hard sell if they don’t come stock on your bike.

 I never wasted a condom on my bike but times are a changing.

 Amen.

 @WAKIdesigns: i had some slx cranks, they were great until the drive side arm snapped in half, 60k in to an 80k ride

 @WAKIdesigns: Oh I agree with that. But some people simply don't care and 50gr there, 100gr somewhere else can add up and make for a non marginal difference in the end even without being a weight weenie. I bought the XX1 crank of my marathon bike second hand for the price of a new SLX, there would be no way I would have bought it at MSRP and if it happens to break I'll simply replace it with an alu one. So far after 3y I'm happy with it.

 @enduroNZ: unlike my friends NextSL which was on warranty replacement since a month or so which pedal insert got loose on first day of his biking holiday. Or X0s of other people I know. Tits. I will rememeber that, no more than 60k on my SLX. Oh come on - Cheer up it could have been 40k into 80k ride!

 I'm a 200lb less than smooth rider on a carbon hardtail, the only stuff on the bike that has ever broken or become worn out has been alloy, specifically rims, fork and handlebar. The carbon X01 cranks have been perfect. Getting close to 3,000 miles... Almost 1,500 miles and the rigid carbon (Niner) fork and it has taken a few nasty hits, including a stick in the spokes to OTB at 22 mph, without a hint anything going wrong.

It's not a carbon cranks problem, it's a Raceface XC cranks on enduro bikes problem... Proper tool for the job works best.

 @jmrbauer: so do carbon cranks make dramatic difference or not?

 @WAKIdesigns: definitely not. My saint vs xodh, xodh more flexy

 @makripper: i know! It is more compliant!

 @WAKIdesigns: like crank for like crank it's a crap shoot. Next r are stiffer than some aluminum and less stiff than other aluminum. They aren't better or worse so why even bother? Most don't even have much carbon and more resemble a fibreglass composite. I wish companies had to do a breakdown of what the crap is we are actually buying. It would be pretty eye opening.

 @makripper: i thought R stands for Replacement, a special edition for Next SL owners

 @jmrbauer: your comment contradicts itself. A dramatic difference would not require a minimal skill set to reveal. If an absolute top tier performer is required to unlock this potential, it is anything but dramatically different.

 @VwHarman: yeah thats just it. I like a slight flex but when carbon is flexing hard when I'm pushing a g out in a berm it's a creepy feeling.

 @VwHarman: and I'm average af

 Maybe ur the dumb one cuz the xx1 cranks are the best cranks i've even had

 @yzedf: what level of wheel was it? What fork? Bars? Xo cranks Seem over built for an xc carbon hardtail shouldn’t you have something lighter or dont you trust some xx cranks or some similar xc cranks?

 Large breasted women are dynamic you know? Bonuncing too and fro wherever they go!

 @loganflores: roval alloy, rear rim lasted 3 months. Have over 2.5 years on the flow ex replacement set. Bars were whatever was stock specialized, slightly bent in a crash, the renthal Fatbar lite has been bombproof. Rockshox 32 fork POS. I definitely don't trust xc carbon cranks at my weight of 200lbs and riding in rocky, rooty New England.

 @yzedf: what I was getting at is was it cheap parts against expensive parts and it sounds like it was. I don’t break things very often but I did break one of those rs toras years ago albeit on a dj.

 @loganflores: it was a expensive xc build when I thought that was what I wanted. Renthal bars aren't that expensive, the wheelset was $600 with dt swiss 240 hubs, the Niner fork was on clearance for $250. Not big money replacement parts, but smart long term money on burly parts at reasonable prices.

 It's a press release, posted by All Mountain Style. So yeah, fully paid advertising, thinly disguised as an article.

I'm curious why that makes you sad. Pinkbike has to get paid to provide all of the other great content, who can blame them for trying to make money? It isn't a non-profit.

 Pinkbike did not get paid for this post. It's a press release on a product we think is interesting. Sponsored posts are labeled, and projects we're working with brands on (like the Privateer) clearly state those affiliations.

 @brianpark: then you do something wrong

 I will write a sponsored post about how @themountain is the GOAT for $20, a mint condition Balfa Minuteman, and a Game Boy.

 Yet you still want the content? Would it be better if Levy was a plumber for his day job, and created content in his spare time? No! We can’t consume the material and then decry the process, that is out and out hypocrisy. Come on.

 @brianpark: which gameboy?

 @Altron5000: ..and 20$ doesen´t cut it either.

 That’s a great question. I imagine the material is pretty good at its job, since other brands (RF) have used them instead of throwing 18g more carbon at their cranks.

I’ll reach out to some carbon nerds and see if anyone can shed some light.

 The soft material will absorb energy from impact's better than carbon. It also will spread the force more equally instead of having it in one point where the carbon cracks easier and the crack will spread fast . That goes only for rock strikes and other impacts. For g outs it would be better to reinforce the crank with carbon

 Yes they do. I rarely get rock strikes. But when I have my the Sixc cranks I run on my DH and Enduro and the Sram carbon I run on my gravel bike have come out unscathed and look fresh as the day they were bought.

For the record, I ran crank boots on aluminium RaceFace cranks so that when it came to selling them on they were in mint condition.

I just like looking after my shizz

 @emptybox: Not with carbon, but with aramid (kevlar) or/and titanium mesh. Cost of added material would be marginal considerig the price of the carbon cranks. Production would be a little bit more expensive, though.

 @pakleni:
Yes a titanium matrix would probably
Be the best compromise for this application. But doesn't that need a completely different production process because the titanium needs to be casted around the fibre ?

 @brianpark: there's little light to be shed, the layup around the pedal insert is a tough thing to do and I bet many failures come from voids and horrific wrinkling. Then comes the problem of bonding carbon with metal insert. Similar failures can be seen on wraps around frame pivots - hit tubing (crank arm) 2-3cm further down and it's fine, but amount of shennenigans that have to go into wrapping cloth around a small orifice is what causes the problem in the first place. Same issue with all sharper edges on any carbon component. It may be done well on small produce under strict QC, but in massive production it's a probram. Just visit @luescherteknik on instagram to see nice pics of how best in the business can fail with the layup of simplier frames/ components.

 @WAKIdesigns: There is already a solution to this problem it’s called pouring resources into better forged cranks or machined cranks.

 only 9:34pm in California ;-)

 as opposed to 5 am in the evening?

 I suggest you a visit to any workshop in town tgat works a lot with MTBs and ask them about Srams record on pedal inserts

 No. SRAM = Truvative, worst crank company in history of the sport. SRAM has slowly managed to make Truvative tech suck less w/ each new iteration, but there is a reason why Race Face has been eating SRAM's breakfast for over half a decade now.

 Google sram x01dh cranks and you'll find plenty snapped. I snapped a set near the bb axle off an average drop and scary to see what's inside them. Won't use for dh anymore. Race face next sl's weak as shit too.

 @Veloscente: RF carbon cranks suck like all the other ones, some of their alu cranks used to peel ankles and their BBs are absolutely worst in the business. They have great components and apparel but cranks are just good looking. X9/X1 and recent GX cranks from Sram are not bad at all.

It’s hard to beat Shimano at making cranksets. When considered as a sum of all points for Weight & price & durability they are the best by a big margin. I love the looks too. XtR 980 is possibly the best crankset ever made or considering the price the SLX 660. The crank arms on that one costed under 100$, weighed 550g and lasted me 7 years until I sold them with a bike.

 @WAKIdesigns: I have been running RF SixC for a couple of years WAKI, mostly downhill...including a 10 / 15 foot drop on our local trail and sessions in Morzine. I promise you, they (or at least mine) don't suck, they don't blow neither

I agree with you about the BBs they DO suck, badly so have always run mine with a Hope BB which seem to be able to take anything.

A set of Saints would be better value for money but, they are not as stiff or as light and I prefer using direct mount to chain-rings and chain-ring bolts.

By the way, I had a mate bend a pair of 2017 XTR cranks in a crash that I would say they should have survived and another mate managed to warp (twist) the axle on a set of SLX cranks just through hard riding (he's a big fella but I don't see that as good enough excuse)

Shimano make great crank but I wouldn't have said they are the best by a big margin.

 I mean i guess i agree with everyone that says Raceface BB's suck, maybe mine was the only good one.

 @kennyken1015: how often do you hit your SixC against the rocks? Because NexT SL would possibly survive Rampage. Strength and Durability are different things and whole “carbon component industry” feeds of lack of understanding of that issue. Also Saint not stiff enough, damn... that sounds insane sorry. XTR is stiff enough for me in 175. I weigh 75kg though.

I said all things considered. I didn’t say they are the strongest, most durable, and the lightest. If you set up a point chart where you give points in each category they would come out first. I can also bet you there are less warped SLXes than SixC with rattling pedal inserts. And yes weight plays a role when speaking of absolutes, because average person is 175-180cm tall and weighs 70-80kg also extremely few people are into 15ft hucks with best shaped landings. Meanwhile most people hit their crank arms on rocks more or less often and this is what kills carbon ones. You can ask any mechanic with few years experience about the stats on it.

We cannot talk about such things when it comes to extremes like yours, big dude on DH bike, huh, it takes a small dude on my rocky trails with 100m altitude difference to fk up carbon cranks again and again. He only needs to be a bit bad at pedal timing which is at least 80% of cycling populace.

 @WAKIdesigns: totally agree with you on Shimano cranks. In fact Shimano cranks are one of the few components that's safe to buy 2nd hand as they effectively don't wear out, plus they're compatible with the cheaper chainrings and bb's. It seems like a bonus that they're also among the lightest and stiffest.
Their only downside is they're not super trendy or available in anodised purple/orange. Boohoo

 @WAKIdesigns: Semantics, I didn't say Saint aren't stiff enough, they are plenty stiff, I merely pointed out that SixC are stiffer, a difference I noticed after running RF Atlas, Shimano - SLX, XT, Saint over the years and then moving to SixC. A feel I prefer but that's me, some would like that, some wouldn't and some wouldn't give two hoots.

Like I said I don't get rock strikes often but I've had a few. Probably not hard enough to wreck my cranks but also like I said, I like to look after my shizz (odd given the amount of abuse my bikes take when I ride).

I don't see carbon as some sort of god send to cycling mind you...I run carbon rims on my endure but am planning to go back to aluminium ones as I find them a little to stiff for my current set up.

"RF carbon cranks suck like all the other ones" I just found that a bit of a broad brush fella, nothing personal dude!

 @kennyken1015:

I just sold my latest waranty set of Sixc (third set)- no faith in them any more - they just break around the pedal insert. Friend has had the same thing happen too. I'll never use them again - thankfully they haven't broken on a landing or anything like that. Hope yours continue to last, but for me, they're the only cranks I've ever had problems with.

 @WAKIdesigns: tru'dat about the meat around the pedal. Crank lengths will be part of the argument for strikes as well though. Only a handful of unlucky crank strikes on my DH because I run 165 arms ...I run 175 on the Enduro because I have a tendency to push big gears and like the leverage so guess which bike I've had the most strikes on!

I wouldn't run XO on either Enduro or DH, I've also seen and heard to many horror stories

 @kennyken1015: hah! so there are people pushing big gears on long cranks! I'm not the only one as many PB commenters would suggest I run 170 now because I do feel that for longer rides it works a bit better for me overall (and I needed a new crank and wanted to mix it up a bit...) , but 165 is barely acceptable for trail riding, I would need to go down a chainring size and it's hard for pedal timing between rocks as well as power modulation = grip. I do love short cranks for pumptrack though, much better for pumping. I'd love 155-160 cranks for that. Cheers!

 @honourablegeorge: that is unfortunate! I'm willing to expect things to break given the type of riding I do and I'm nowhere near as smooth as the pro's.

I'll keep running mine for as long as they'll last and it'll depend on how and where they break that decides if I get another pair.

That being said, I personally have never had any issues with cranks, just RF BB bearings...I must be getting smoother

Sorry you've not had much luck with 'em though dude. Get some Crane creek cranks on your ride! :/

 @WAKIdesigns: Yeah, bad habit pushing them gears...I need to spin more but my brain won't let me. Does make for damned strong legs though!

What do the commentators know, there's always method in the madness

 @kennyken1015: why bad habit? It's a matter of genetics/ upbringing (until you started riding) as well as training off course (balance of slow vs fast twitch muscles and everything in between) I have no probs cranking miles and miles on lower cadences (around 80, while the dogma is 90-110) and on punchy technical climbs they are a must. We aren't competing in road races or MTB marathons aren't we? There are science articles about this and about that bladi bla. Not so long ago my former boss who is an iron man competitor, does all sorts of sht, fed me a few supposedly scientific articles on how 80RPM is best for time trials. Same crap about the pedal stroke, how you should pedal, just look up some TDF dudes on tough climbs nearing the end of the race, how "even" is their pedal stroke. Majority of they stomp as they shouldn't, because maybe - it's hard to go around evolution and the fact that our quads and glutes are MUCH bigger than hamstrings and using hamstrings robs you off initial push over the top. I can have problems keeping higher pace on flat behind a roadie, but I will fk him up on steep sht, especially requiring modulating power on hard gear, slippery surface, rock steps, sprints, which fun part of climbing MTB tends to consist of. I rode with triathletes, I suffered on fireroad, they suffered in terrain, they were done after 3 punchy climbs. High pulse and necessity to deliver power at low cadence kills them. Give them 2ply tyres for climbing and they fade rather quickly. They are like F1 drivetrains while they should have 4x4 offroad power. So, well, you and me are probably quite fine missing out while the rest is obviously for the Eagles of the sport

 Or just make sure u get 170 if ur bike prefers it...

 the material on that is way too soft i bought a few that i sold, and run the original sram ones witch are way better

 That day glow vomit may match that special fox fork!

 With the raceface you still got ripped off

 If you're suffering from frequent ground strikes, you may like to revise your dance moves .

 I believe AMS advertises with us, but nobody paid us to put this up. We publish submissions to the homepage based on what we're stoked on and we think our readers will be interested in. Sponsored posts are clearly labeled.

 @brianpark: why is it not part of the advertisement structure?