Shimano XT driveset gripe

On Fri, 18 Jun 2004 07:15:21 GMT, angotja
<[email hidden]> blathered:

Quoted message said:

It looks like my crankset might fail soon. I have put close to 500 miles
on them, and they have started creaking. This is obnoxious.

Apparently, my chain has stretched to .75%. It will need replacement in
a couple of weeks.

Nope, it needed replacing a couple of weeks ago - say hello to a
complete new drivetrain!

Quoted message said:

Truvativ and Race Face seem like excellent alternatives. I want to see
what others have to say...any recommendations for specific products
(comparable in price & performance concept of the XT line)?

There is nothing wrong with XT cranks - very good piece of kit. As far
as the consumables - Middleburn rings & SRAM chains/cassettes, but
sorry, they don't meet your criteria as they are cheaper than Shimano
stuff and last longer.

Pete Jones

"angotja" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

It looks like my crankset might fail soon. I have put close to 500 miles
on them, and they have started creaking. This is obnoxious.

Probably not. The crank/BB interface is most likely dirty/loose and requires
removal, cleaning and refitting.

Quoted message said:

Apparently, my chain has stretched to .75%. It will need replacement in
a couple of weeks.

Yes, that happens.

Quoted message said:

I am unable to achieve surefire shifting on the cassette. Upshifts &
downshifts skip gears. Upshifts are worse than downshifts (higher
instance of disengagement).

You are aware that cables need to be adjusted and lubricated on a regular
basis?

<snipped for brevity>

Quoted message said:

I want --this is intuitive-- durability, reliability, performance and
value. I expect nothing less for the price I pay to ride.

XT offers all these things.

Quoted message said:

**unnecessary pre-emptive rebuttal**

I understand this is not a perfect world, and we all experience
difficulty. I expect manufacturers to address our needs and improve
their products (Shimano has been doing this too long to give me poor
pruduct). I don't care to see any proposed criticism of my basic ethos.

That's a shame. You seem to be under the impression that a mountain bike is
like a car, requiring only periodic servicing to keep it sweet. This is not
true. With the exception of the chain (which should be considered a
consumable item irrespective of brand), 500 miles is very little mileage and
I seriously doubt that any of the other components are actually worn out.

All the symptoms you describe point to a bike that needs cleaning,
lubrication and adjustment, and without these any equipment will be as
crappy as you evidently think XT is. Have you actually had any maintainance
done since the bike was new? Have the control cables been cleaned and
adjusted recently?

If you want a bike you don't have to maintain, I recommend you go out and
buy a rigid steel singlespeed bike with an oil bath chaincase and drum
brakes. If you don't want one of these, then you need to accept that bike
maintainance happens and that you either need to pay a good spannerman
regularly or roll your sleeves up (www.sheldonbrown.com is a good place to
start).

Curb the ranting consumer angle and get educated. You'll be a lot happier.

Andy Chequer.

I just upgraded to all XT components. The model that I got was last
years, 2003. I have read in many, many reviews of the XT cranks that
they do start creaking as time goes on. This seems to be a problem with
their last year model (M-750, I think). This is due to the fact that the
spider is part of the crank arm. Notice that this year's model, has
remedied this problem and they have integrated the crank arm and the
spider - as it should be.

Mine hasn't started creaking yet, but I'm just waiting.

- Noel

angotja said:

It looks like my crankset might fail soon. I have put close to 500 miles
on them, and they have started creaking. This is obnoxious.

Apparently, my chain has stretched to .75%. It will need replacement in
a couple of weeks.

I am unable to achieve surefire shifting on the cassette. Upshifts &
downshifts skip gears. Upshifts are worse than downshifts (higher
instance of disengagement).

I feel this is a very short life for this equipment. I should not have
to replace this stuff so rapidly! Shimano has yet to earn my allegiance
as a customer...at this rate, they certainly won't...unless my crankset
is defective and is replaced by a solid, durable one. I am certainly not
going to stick with their line.

Truvativ and Race Face seem like excellent alternatives. I want to see
what others have to say...any recommendations for specific products
(comparable in price & performance concept of the XT line)? Are there
compatability issues to the extent that I must totally throw Shimano by
the wayside? I have never tried any other line of products, and I am
looking for any excuse to do so...

I want --this is intuitive-- durability, reliability, performance and
value. I expect nothing less for the price I pay to ride.

**unnecessary pre-emptive rebuttal**

I understand this is not a perfect world, and we all experience
difficulty. I expect manufacturers to address our needs and improve
their products (Shimano has been doing this too long to give me poor
pruduct). I don't care to see any proposed criticism of my basic ethos.
I should get what I pay for, and since I paid a lot, I should get a lot.
I try to give the manufacturer the opportunity to correct their
problems. If they are able to do so, I won't discontinue usage.

I appreciate input and constructive criticism.

--

I just upgraded to all XT components. The model that I got was last
years, 2003. I have read in many, many reviews of the XT cranks that
they do start creaking as time goes on. This seems to be a problem with
their last year model (M-752, I think). This is due to the fact that the
spider is part of the crank arm. Notice that this year's model, has
remedied this problem and they have integrated the crank arm and the
spider - as it should be.

Also, I've heard that the middle ring on this crank isn't very good
either. I don't know if they've fixed that for 2004 or not.

Mine hasn't started creaking yet, but I'm just waiting.

- Noel

angotja said:

It looks like my crankset might fail soon. I have put close to 500 miles
on them, and they have started creaking. This is obnoxious.

Apparently, my chain has stretched to .75%. It will need replacement in
a couple of weeks.

I am unable to achieve surefire shifting on the cassette. Upshifts &
downshifts skip gears. Upshifts are worse than downshifts (higher
instance of disengagement).

I feel this is a very short life for this equipment. I should not have
to replace this stuff so rapidly! Shimano has yet to earn my allegiance
as a customer...at this rate, they certainly won't...unless my crankset
is defective and is replaced by a solid, durable one. I am certainly not
going to stick with their line.

Truvativ and Race Face seem like excellent alternatives. I want to see
what others have to say...any recommendations for specific products
(comparable in price & performance concept of the XT line)? Are there
compatability issues to the extent that I must totally throw Shimano by
the wayside? I have never tried any other line of products, and I am
looking for any excuse to do so...

I want --this is intuitive-- durability, reliability, performance and
value. I expect nothing less for the price I pay to ride.

**unnecessary pre-emptive rebuttal**

I understand this is not a perfect world, and we all experience
difficulty. I expect manufacturers to address our needs and improve
their products (Shimano has been doing this too long to give me poor
pruduct). I don't care to see any proposed criticism of my basic ethos.
I should get what I pay for, and since I paid a lot, I should get a lot.
I try to give the manufacturer the opportunity to correct their
problems. If they are able to do so, I won't discontinue usage.

I appreciate input and constructive criticism.

--

angotja <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

It looks like my crankset might fail soon. I have put close to 500 miles
on them, and they have started creaking. This is obnoxious.

Disassemble, clean, lube, reassemble. Torque to proper
specifications. This includes the BB. Inspect BB shell and
associated welds for cracks. If it still creaks, you're probably
right. About the failure, that is.

Quoted message said:

Apparently, my chain has stretched to .75%. It will need replacement in
a couple of weeks.

Actually, it's past time. Hopefully, your cassette and chainrings are
still servicable.

Quoted message said:

I am unable to achieve surefire shifting on the cassette. Upshifts &
downshifts skip gears. Upshifts are worse than downshifts (higher
instance of disengagement).

When was the last time you maintained the cabling system? Have you
tried to adjust the RD to shift properly?

Quoted message said:

I feel this is a very short life for this equipment.

It depends on what is really wrong, and what is simply out of
adjustment.

Quoted message said:

I should not have
to replace this stuff so rapidly!

I'll bet not all of it is worn out.

Quoted message said:

Truvativ and Race Face seem like excellent alternatives. I want to see
what others have to say...any recommendations for specific products
(comparable in price & performance concept of the XT line)? Are there
compatability issues to the extent that I must totally throw Shimano by
the wayside? I have never tried any other line of products, and I am
looking for any excuse to do so...

Well, it's hard to beat the price/performance ratio of Shimano. But
those guys will be different, if you have the money to rplace it all.

Quoted message said:

I want --this is intuitive-- durability, reliability, performance and
value. I expect nothing less for the price I pay to ride.

My XT gear has been pretty good so far. But I set it up carefully to
start with, and maintain it properly. If you slap it on, and never do
anything else to it, pretty soon life will suck.

Quoted message said:

**unnecessary pre-emptive rebuttal**

I understand this is not a perfect world, and we all experience
difficulty. I expect manufacturers to address our needs and improve
their products (Shimano has been doing this too long to give me poor
pruduct). I don't care to see any proposed criticism of my basic ethos.
I should get what I pay for, and since I paid a lot, I should get a lot.
I try to give the manufacturer the opportunity to correct their
problems. If they are able to do so, I won't discontinue usage.

I appreciate input and constructive criticism.

If it is indeed actual equipment failure, I would tend to agree with
your commentary. But if it is lack of proper set-up and maintenace on
your part, it's not Shimano's fault. You can change out the who lot
of it, and have problems in 500 miles with non-Shimano gear, if you
just slap it on and don't do anything else.

There's not enough info to draw a conclusion, I'm afraid.
--
Jonesy

I just upgraded to all XT components. The model that I got was last
years, 2003. I have read in many, many reviews of the XT cranks that
they do start creaking as time goes on. This seems to be a problem with
their last year model (M-752, I think). This is due to the fact that the
spider is not part of the crank arm. Notice that this year's model, has
remedied this problem and they have integrated the crank arm and the
spider - as it should be.

Also, I've heard that the middle ring on this crank isn't very good
either. I don't know if they've fixed that for 2004 or not.

Mine hasn't started creaking yet, but I'm just waiting.

- Noel

angotja said:

It looks like my crankset might fail soon. I have put close to 500 miles
on them, and they have started creaking. This is obnoxious.

Apparently, my chain has stretched to .75%. It will need replacement in
a couple of weeks.

I am unable to achieve surefire shifting on the cassette. Upshifts &
downshifts skip gears. Upshifts are worse than downshifts (higher
instance of disengagement).

I feel this is a very short life for this equipment. I should not have
to replace this stuff so rapidly! Shimano has yet to earn my allegiance
as a customer...at this rate, they certainly won't...unless my crankset
is defective and is replaced by a solid, durable one. I am certainly not
going to stick with their line.

Truvativ and Race Face seem like excellent alternatives. I want to see
what others have to say...any recommendations for specific products
(comparable in price & performance concept of the XT line)? Are there
compatability issues to the extent that I must totally throw Shimano by
the wayside? I have never tried any other line of products, and I am
looking for any excuse to do so...

I want --this is intuitive-- durability, reliability, performance and
value. I expect nothing less for the price I pay to ride.

**unnecessary pre-emptive rebuttal**

I understand this is not a perfect world, and we all experience
difficulty. I expect manufacturers to address our needs and improve
their products (Shimano has been doing this too long to give me poor
pruduct). I don't care to see any proposed criticism of my basic ethos.
I should get what I pay for, and since I paid a lot, I should get a lot.
I try to give the manufacturer the opportunity to correct their
problems. If they are able to do so, I won't discontinue usage.

I appreciate input and constructive criticism.

--

I did a major servicing of cassette, chain, and cables. After having
removed some built-up gunk from the chain and cassette, I noticed
improved performance. My cables really needed little adjustment.

I hooked up the servicing last night, and rode 25 mi today (so far), and
so far so good. Performance is satisfactory, but crank still creaks
(less than before), and gears still slip (less frequently than before).

I am changing my service interval from once every 200 mi to once every
75-100 mi. Apparently this equipment needs more TLC than I expected!
Maybe it is more wise to service after every ride?

--

"angotja" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I did a major servicing of cassette, chain, and cables. After having
removed some built-up gunk from the chain and cassette, I noticed
improved performance. My cables really needed little adjustment.

I hooked up the servicing last night, and rode 25 mi today (so far), and
so far so good. Performance is satisfactory, but crank still creaks
(less than before), and gears still slip (less frequently than before).

I am changing my service interval from once every 200 mi to once every
75-100 mi. Apparently this equipment needs more TLC than I expected!
Maybe it is more wise to service after every ride?

I've been real lazy about service to my bike, but during racing season I
give everything a quick once over anytime anything feels off, and always
right before the weekly races. I haven't serviced my drivetrain in probably
the last 400 miles or so - but besides it sounding pretty dry, its working
great. Mostly XT components, raceface turbine LP crankset, WTB Laserdisc
Lite hub. I'm personally amazed i'm still able to shift! Of course, I did
build the entire bike by hand myself - and during the first couple months of
heavy use last summer I tore the bike down and rebuilt it
(bb/cassette/crankset all pulled and cleaned, derailleurs given a thorough
once over, cables checked and once changed) about 3 times, then threw it all
back together again myself. Granted I worked at a shop, so I had access to
everything I needed. You tend to take a little more care (and a lot more
time) when its YOU working on your bike, and not just some random mechanic
in a shop doing the "standard tuneup"! Bonus - we did it when business was
slow and the boss wasn't there, so I got paid to do it 🙂

Jon Bond