I'm looking for recommendations for replacing the Truvative Elita crankset and GXP bottom bracket on my 2010 Specialized Tricross Comp. The bike is my all-surface ride - gravel roads, crushed stone rails-to-trails, pavement, etc.
The rest of the drivetrain is Shimano 105, and while its not exotic it is dang near bombproof and works great. But the Truvative crankset is absolutely junk, almost as bad as the Avid Elixer disc brakes that came on my 2009 Stumpjumper. The main problem is a horrible creaking with each and every single pedal stroke that is originating in the crappy fit of the spider to the shaft on the drive side. I had hoped it was a worn BB. But I replaced the BB, checked for any frame cracks, and totally degunked and re-greased everything and the problem remained. Digging around old bike forum posts from 2009 to 2011 I found quite a few mentions of this exact problem with these cranks. The shaft is press fit into the spider on the drive side and there is no apparent way to adjust it. So the spider is flexing with each pedal stroke and lets face it, life is just too darn short to ride a noisy bike.
The crank has 48/34 rings. There is a Shimano 105 double with 50/34s and that seems the obvious choice at first glance. I know the drill with a drivetrain that has miles on it - I'll replace the chain and cassette too so I'm not mixing new rings with a worn chain and cassette. Obviously a new BB will be in order also. But other than the 105 crank, there may be other good options out there that I'm missing that you could share. Thanks
The rest of the drivetrain is Shimano 105, and while its not exotic it is dang near bombproof and works great. But the Truvative crankset is absolutely junk, almost as bad as the Avid Elixer disc brakes that came on my 2009 Stumpjumper. The main problem is a horrible creaking with each and every single pedal stroke that is originating in the crappy fit of the spider to the shaft on the drive side. I had hoped it was a worn BB. But I replaced the BB, checked for any frame cracks, and totally degunked and re-greased everything and the problem remained. Digging around old bike forum posts from 2009 to 2011 I found quite a few mentions of this exact problem with these cranks. The shaft is press fit into the spider on the drive side and there is no apparent way to adjust it. So the spider is flexing with each pedal stroke and lets face it, life is just too darn short to ride a noisy bike.
The crank has 48/34 rings. There is a Shimano 105 double with 50/34s and that seems the obvious choice at first glance. I know the drill with a drivetrain that has miles on it - I'll replace the chain and cassette too so I'm not mixing new rings with a worn chain and cassette. Obviously a new BB will be in order also. But other than the 105 crank, there may be other good options out there that I'm missing that you could share. Thanks
