Two Wheel Blogs

You may recall the pictures I posted regarding these new cranks I purchased. I installed them with a Phil bottom bracket that I also purchased new.

Here is a little background.
The White Industries Eno Cranks are very low q-factor, square taper cranks that use a proprietary chain ring that fixes to the right side crank arm via a spline and retaining nut. White Industries has been around since the earliest days of MTB that I can remember, and (as far as I am concerned) they have always produced the highest luster, and highest quality parts.

Phil Wood has made the ultimate in no-nonsense parts since I started BMX racing 25 years ago (probably even longer). Their parts typically are not as sparkley as White Industries or Chris King, but few would ever argue that the quality is not as good or better. The Phil BB that I am reviewing is a square tapered stainless steel spindle that rides on Phil's legendary bearings housed in an aluminum sleeve. This is what you would call a cartridge style BB.

Both the cranks and BB are based on old school design that is timeless. Technology for cranks and BBs have changed many times over my 25 year tenure in competitive cycling, but one could certainly argue that they had it right when they started making square taper. Sometimes simple is better. I suspect that as far as cranks and BBs go (at least on a SS bike), simple is better.

I will review these items together, because my findings are all related to both items and credit of improvement is probably best attributed to both products.

First off, I bought this stuff because I wanted it, and needed something better than what I had. I was not compensated in any way for anything, nor did I get any type of discount on the purchase in exchange for this review.

I say I needed something better. Here is why.

I broke my first set of cranks on my single speed, they were the old Shimano Avlevio model (square taper)....they literally snapped where the crank arm exited the chain ring attachment. Crossed a stream and felt like the pedal dropped off, but actually the crank arm snapped near the middle.

My second set of cranks on my SS was a set of FSAs. They were the kind that have the bearings that hang out of the BB shell and use a large diameter pipe style spindle (this is what you would call the latest technology in bottom brackets, similar to the new XTR or Dura-ace bearing configuration). I could not keep bearings in these things. I replaced them twice and each set lasted less than a 1000 miles of SS MTB riding.

My third set was a set of Shimano LX Octalink-I cranks and BB (This BB style is consistent with the design typical of the older XTR or Dura-ace 9 speed setups in the late 1990s through about 2002). This set worked fairly well, but seemed to loosen up frequently, and there was this constant tight/loose chain tension that I noticed when rotating the cranks backwards in a work stand. The chain was tight in spots and loose in other spots (crank positions). This could be temporarily adjusted out but loosening chain ring bolts and centering the chain ring, but would return the first time I applied a fair dose of power on my next ride. In all fairness this phenomena was apparent on every crank type I used that incorporated a spider, and chainring.

On with the review.

Out of the box:

Well, the crank arms came in no box, just wrapped in packing material and placed in a shipping carton. But upon removal of the packing materials, I and everyone else in the room was wowed by the amazing shine of the finish. Other notables, These cranks are VERY chunky looking (thick arms). The chain ring is not installed from the factory, and requires a special tool to install. I made my own tool in my shop. Changing chain rings or installing them will mean you will either have to buy a tool, or make your own.

The Phil bottom bracket was in a nice box and similarly impressed everyone around with its lustre. It too requires special tools to install, but I opted to purchase these when I ordered it.

Strong points: Both products looked better than anticipated
Weak point: Both products require special tools, but what cranks and BB don't?

Installation:

Not much to say here, for both products installation was easy. The BB had printed instructions that were easy to follow, and the crank arms....well they had no instructions, but if you require instructions to install crank arms, you should have a shop install them for you (it is self explanatory).

Performance on the bike

Flawless. The BB installation allows for exact chain line adjustment using the installation rings. The machine tolerance of the BB and/or cranks means that the chain tension is uniform throughout the stroke...that is really nice. If you have never experienced it, you are missing out.

Everything still feels butter smooth, and the stiffness is immediately noticeable. The drive train on this bike would be really hard to improve on at this point.

Final words

I would recommend these products to anyone that wants the best for their SS. If there is a better product for a SS MTB, I don't know of one. These items are not cheap (about 200 for the arms and about 100 for the BB), but according to the people I have talked to, I won't need to replace anything for a while. Phil claims the bearing seals are the same used in submersible pumps, and can be used underwater for upwards of 10 years.

So far I have only a few hundred miles on them, but they are some punishing miles (I scratched them up on the first ride and didn't hesitate to do so). I have never been one to hesitate on a bike in the name of protecting parts. I avoid hurting myself whenever possible, but I don't consider the adverse health affects of a ride on my bike...The bike either lives through it, or I replace what brakes.

I get the impression that these parts will live a long time on my bike.