Would you credit it..?
I’m currently trying to finish a feature about cranks for this issue. Cranks are awkward things to review in a “which is best” stylee. Apart from a couple of models, all these modern external BB cranks seem to be much of a muchness when it comes to shifting, stiffness and bearing life performance. But how to put that in a review without sounding shoulder-shruggy?
I think I’m going to do what I usually do in these situations and credit the reader with a bit of intelligence. Hopefully from the descriptions of each one, a little bit of reviewy words, a decent “real world” (not-studio-glam) pic and details of the price and weight everyone will be able to shortlist a crank that looks good for their desires…
October 15th, 2007 at 5:42 pm
I’m not quite sure why you guys should bother doing cranks if that’s the case - perhaps literally a page and a brief mention at the top that most cranks work.
Or perhaps you should do an “unsung heroes” feature at some point instead - giving props to the products that just work, at a good price, and a reasonable weight and do an entire bike in ‘em.
Singletrack’s meant to be different from the other mtb mags, but it increasingly feels the same. And banging out meh tests is surely not going to help?
From your gear tests, I really like the real world tests of real world products not glam enough for other mags - sleeping bags, socks etc.
And another whinge - what is it with you guys missing out *the* product from your grouptests. Go on the forum and everyone loves X jacket or X shorts or X grips, read the mag grouptest and that one that everyone loves is missing. I think your grouptests should start and be led by that product, and then follow on with others, not the other way round!
Anyway, generally great mag, keep up good work etc.
Si M
October 15th, 2007 at 8:34 pm
The problem with today’s cranks is you don’t get to have a BB you leave alone for years and cranks you put on and off on a whim. you effectively commit to one style or another, and stay there until you pay the money to move off. So looking at switching costs/flexibility may be good…which BB/crank set will seem like a good decision in two years time, and which will be a disaster with no spare parts to see anywhere in the country.
You could maybe test bearing perf by holding them up to a pressure washer and see what gets in.
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:11 am
And another whinge - what is it with you guys missing out *the* product from your grouptests.
We’re at the mercy of what we get sent. The crank test, for example, didn’t have any of the new Race Face cranks because they’d not reached the UK yet. The Crank Bros cranks didn’t go in because they’d changed the design, but hadn’t delivered any yet. So what appears in the magazine isn’t always the total products we’ve asked for. After three emails and a phone call per product, we stop asking.
Another example would be something like the carbon Stumpjumper from last year. We asked to test one before they were even available, but never got one to test because Specialized UK sold all the ones they received. Yet you could perceive that as us shunning a particular bike or product. It’s never as simple as it appears.
Likewise, people expect reviews of products like cranks now and again (twice in 38 issues isn’t thatmaintream.) We’ll admit that we don’t have super-duper test lab facilities here, so we won’t pretend to do a scientific test. We can still review how well cranks have performed on bikes, how easy they were to fit and how well they’ve weathered. Our last crank test WAS done with dial gauges and static stress through a chain - and so on, by Paul Smith - who is a pretty thorough, science-based guy, yet our test still came under criticism by the technical guy from the CTC. You can’t win…