Middleburn Compact Cranks

[dstepper]

After years of living with creaky XT cranks on the 5-Spot, I have replaced them.

The White Brothers Eno square taper cranks and a Phil Wood stainless steel bottom on my Niner sold be on the old square taper design cranks. I had been bidding and loosing E-Bay bids on old square taper cranks until I found a importer for Middleburn.

Also these Middleburn Cranks have a removable spider, so you can run 4 bolt, 5 bolt or singlespeed chainrings. I have set they up as the compact gearing 20x30x42. Yes I am cheating with a smaller grany gearand and a 180mm crank. Yes I have given up some clearance, but I got used to longer cranks when I started singlspeeding. The botttom bracket on my Niner is way lower than the 5-Spot.

First impersions are that the unramped Middleburn chainrings do not shift anywhere near as clean as Shimano. If it is someting I can't live with, I can replace them with ramped Race Face Chainrings. Finding old 5 bolt pattern chainrings is not a problem and usually cheaper than there 4 bolt counterparts.

The Middleburn and Phil Wood make for a silent combo....worth the loose of shifting ease.

[FoShizzle]

sweet....if i ever get a XC geared bike again, i will run the Middleburn DUO which is totally sweet with the 29t inner.

i love my middleburns!

[ShinKen]

thats some sweet bling bling eh!!

[dhshuttlemonkey]

The newer XT's with the outboard bearings don't squeak at all.

[dstepper]

Originally Posted by MTBRacer

The newer XT's with the outboard bearings don't squeak at all.

Yes I know, but you can not put a 20 tooth gear on a 4 bolt spider. You have to use the gearing that the bike manufactures think you should be using...no choices. Middleburns open up unlimited gearing options.

Did you ever ask yourself why Campagolo still uses square taper?

[CalEpic]

Originally Posted by dstepper

Did you ever ask yourself why Campagolo still uses square taper?

No. But I'd be interested in knowing why they insist on wearing Speedos to the beach

[dstepper]

Originally Posted by CalEpic

No. But I'd be interested in knowing why they insist on wearing Speedos to the beach

Dude stop going to South Laguna Beachs. You know that one just South of Aliso (*** Bay).

[dhshuttlemonkey]

Originally Posted by dstepper

Yes I know, but you can not put a 20 tooth gear on a 4 bolt spider. You have to use the gearing that the bike manufactures think you should be using...no choices. Middleburns open up unlimited gearing options.

Did you ever ask yourself why Campagolo still uses square taper?

Yeah but with XT's you get a quiet combo AND shifting ease.

[dstepper]

Originally Posted by MTBRacer

Yeah but with XT's you get a quiet combo AND shifting ease.

I give up Frank, you are right! From now on I will just buy what everbody else buys.

[dhshuttlemonkey]

Only if they are Homer approved.