[Themadchemist]

Looking to replace my Ultegra 6800 crank/chainset on my S Works SL4. Replacing for 2 reasons.. going to 170 as it came with 172.5mm and all my other bikes are 170mm ,but also because I read more and more about breakages of these bonded cranks.
But what do I replace it with? I’d like to keep the 24mm bottom bracket as,so far,it isn’t creaking like some do in these frames.
I’ve looked at Rotor,which do 24mm axles and do like the look and the fact I can go for oval rings… but they ain’t cheap. Just thought I’d post to see if there are any other options.. or has anyone tried the new Shimano cranks.. have they sorted the problems?

Topic

[Daniel Norton]

I meant a second hand SRAM

I meant a second hand SRAM Red. I stuck a second hand one on my old cross bike and it cost me less than a new 105.  So it is a valid comparison: Lighter, stiffer, compatible crankset for less than a 105.  Also the OP said weight was a priority.

[tomascjenkins]

Yes that’s correct. And they
Yes that’s correct. And they wear through the bearings in no time. I’m going to swap to Rotor, better engineered

[Themadchemist]

Shimano Ultegra 6800 came
Shimano Ultegra 6800 came with the bike. ,so I’d guess its got the converter to 24mm. I would have preferred a 30mm SWorks chainset,but beggars can’t be choosers and I got the bike for a good price.

I’ve done a few miles on the crank and nothing creaks,so I’m happy with the BB,but it seems the 172.5mm arms aren’t for me. I have 170mm on my other bikes,which i was told to go for in the 80’s for my height etc. Didn’t expect the 2.5mm to make any difference, but my knees have been bad since. Then,when looking for crank prices I came across the reports of breakages..and when you delve further it just gets worse. Shimano replace the broken cranks,but not much use if you’ve crashed your bike when it breaks.. so I’ve lost confidence in them.A 170mm 6800 replacement might be fine,or it could break on a ride..I have no idea. If shimano had said they had a bad batch,or they can break under certain circumstances then I’d be fine with it.. but nope.. they say nothing and keep producing bonded cranks.. Hence looking for something else. Rotor were top due to being 24mm and the Q rings might help my knees. After that,its either down a groupset to 105 or (now I’ve been shown the 24-22 adaptor ) I could go for Sram Red..
Thanks for all the help and suggestions. It’ll now be down to price and what I can pick up. Easiest/cheapest is to get the 105,but I’m trying to get the bike lighter,so that wouldn’t be long term

[huntswheelers]

SL4 are BB30 so I guess you
SL4 are BB30 so I guess you are on reducers?… Unless you’ve used a Wheels or Hambini etc to change to a 24mm?….Sram/FSA go 30mm cranks ,Rotor too …. before you check Shimano alternative cranks … Check out what you really have. Pretty sure you are BB30….as all the Sworks SL’s my customers have are …

[Rendel Harris]

Daniel Norton wrote:

 SRAM Red is vastly superior to and far lighter than Shimano 105.

It’s also more than twice the price – bit of an odd comparison, don’t you think, given that Red is SRAM’s top end, Dura Ace rival groupset? Ultegra is superior to SRAM Apex, doesn’t mean much.

[Daniel Norton]

Don’t forget that you can

Don’t forget that you can still use oval (rotor) chainrings with SRAM Red cranksets.  SRAM Red is vastly superior to and far lighter than Shimano 105.

https://rotorbike.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Q-RINGS-ROAD-cranks-compatibility-chart-0.1.pdf

[Themadchemist]

That does look very nice ?
That does look very nice ?
If I went for Rotor it’d be either the Aldhu or Vegast 24.. there’s about £100 difference,but I’m struggling to find weights to see if its worth spending the extra… Unless I can find a 3D24 on ebay,as I’ve not seen any new ones anywhere.

[Themadchemist]

I have campag on another bike
I have campag on another bike and would go Campag except I have shimano di2 on the S Works,so not sure about compatibility, and I’ve heard the bb is terrible for creaking in that frame.

[Themadchemist]

Thanks for that link.. that
Thanks for that link.. that’ll be perfect if I go for Sram red. Need to look at prices,as that has widened my window. I had got it down to a 105,with Rotor as a possible depending on any comments.. which have all been good.

[wtjs]

I’m sure your dying words

I’m sure your dying words will be about lancs police failure to take action !

Lancashire Constabulary, like our loathsome, lying fat b****** prime minister, is on borrowed time

[SimoninSpalding]

Honestly I wouldn’t

Honestly I wouldn’t compromise your choice of cranks for the sake of not changing your BB. That is a wearing part and will need replacing at some point. Find a crank you like (I would always recommend Campag UltraTorque) and get the appropriate BB to go with it.

One of my reasons for liking Campag is that the cups and bearings are separate so replacement bearings can be bought from any reputable (and I’m sure many disreputable) bearing suppliers. 2/3 of my bikes now run ceramic BB bearings which set me back about the same as 2 sets of Ultegra cups. 3rd bike will probably go ceramic once the steel ones wear out.

[check12]

You’d just need 1 of these

You’d just need 1 of these (push it in to the none drive side (left) bearing) and a sram red gxp crankset – https://www.wychbearings.co.uk/gxp_adaptor_bush.html

[Hirsute]

I’m sure your dying words

I’m sure your dying words will be about lancs police failure to take action !

[wtjs]

I tried replacing my Ultegra

I tried replacing my Ultegra crank with a few strands of (uncooked) spaghetti held together with a bit of duck tape

A true Fellow in Spirit for me. Somebody who just can’t let things go!

[hawkinspeter]

wtjs wrote:

Ask HP, and stand back!

I tried replacing my Ultegra crank with a few strands of (uncooked) spaghetti held together with a bit of duck tape. It’s not ideal, but seems a lot stronger than Ultegra/Dura-Ace cranks.

[Author]

Replies