Fred at Wolfhound Cycles hooked me up with a set of sandblasted and powder coated XT cranks to go on the Terremoto. The black powder coat matches the frame exactly. I really couldn’t have asked for a better crankset for this frame.

I was having issues with the spacing of the Race Face Atlas set that I was using.  Something about the bottom out bold design with the small washer spacing just wasn’t meshing well with my frame.  On top of that, I am pretty sure that I bent the spindle and that was causing a horrible creek that continued no matter which bottom bracket I was using.

So far the XT’s have been perfect, and I am glad to say that the spacing and installation is much easier.  With the axle attached to the drive side and the simple load nut on the non-drive side, the cranks come on and off easier than any other set I have tried recently.  I had been using the cranks out of the Race Face stable ever since my move to external bearings years ago.  Now…I am wondering why I didn’t just start with Shimano to begin with. I tend to wrench a lot, sometimes even when I don’t need to, so the simplicity that these cranks display for install/removal is a huge plus for my needs. Some people may be a set and forget type rider, but that just isn’t my style.

These cranks also seem to be stiffer than the Atlas cranks they replaced. This may not be completely accurate due to the problems I was having with the previous set. Those symptoms might have caused the Atlas cranks to feel flexier when in fact they weren’t.

Complete Setup

• Blackspire SuperPro Rings 2×9 24T/34T
• Gamut 34T Bash Black
• Shimano XT Cranks
• Wicked Racin Dual Chain Guide (installation finishing this weekend.)

Coming soon…
The square taper vs. external bearing debate w/198′s thoughts…
Wicked Racin Dualrailleur Guide Review