So I’m at the club ride Tuesday night and I’m showing off my new S-Works hollow carbon fiber crankset and spider and a friend smirks and asks, “Does it make you any faster?”
Let me put it this way: I went from an FSA Gossamer crankset to the S-Works and dropped 3/4’s of a pound – and I didn’t even have to go with the S-Works chain rings. I was able to use the rings off of my old set:
In a rare stroke of genius, a bicycle manufacturer made their proprietary top-end piece of awesomeness compatible with other products… They saved me $265 and made it so going this route was cheaper than virtually any other high-end carbon crank set I could have bought. It took a couple of extra spacers for the bolts that hold the chain rings to the spider, but that’s so minor, it hardly requires mention. They’ll eventually make the sale on the chainrings, of course. They have a relatively short lifespan, maybe three chain lifetimes (call it 10,000 or 15,000 miles at the most) – or at least that’s as I understand it.
So, discarding the presentation, which was exceptional (opening the box was like when they opened the lid on the Ark of the Covenant in Raiders of the Lost Ark [but without all of the people melting]), and skipping to after the installation (which was anything but simple – two special tools are needed to install the crank – and that assumes you won’t need new bottom bracket cups, if that’s the case, prepare for an additional $50 worth of epoxy), the fit and finish are obviously awesome:
Where this gets cool is that the chainrings appear to be just a little bit closer together with the S-Works crank than the FSA. What this means is that I get a better range of gears in the back without the chain hitting the cage for the front derailleur. It’s quite an excellent little bonus.
Folks, I’m not going to kid you here. This a no-blowin’-smoke-up-yer-butt post. I could have bought an entire high-end entry-level mountain bike for less than what I paid for that crank. One should expect, for that kind of cash, a crank to work flawlessly and this one did not disappoint. It’s quiet, clean, light and excellent.
But did it make me faster, and if you buy one, will it make you faster?
Seriously? Of course it didn’t make me, and won’t make you, faster. But you gotta admit… It looks frickin’ awesome on my bike! One important point though, is the weight. 3/4 of a pound is a lot of weight to drop in one component. I can feel the difference climbing.
Still, that’s a style watt upgrade right there… And it worked.
Style Watt Bonus: Engaged
UPDATE: After something like 600-700 miles on the S-Works crank, it was worth every penny. And technically it did make me faster… Climbing hills. The weight was enough to notice – but keep in mind, I have 10,000 miles on that bike, or close to it. I know that bike like the back of my hand.
UPDATE Deux: Another year on the S-Works crankset and I can confidently say it’s the best upgrade I’ve ever bought. Given the need, I’d buy another without batting an eye.
Congrats on the upgrade!
Thanks man.
Reblogged this on A Girl, Her Bike, and Their Journey and commented:
Thanks for the information, always a pleasure.
Sweet. It is now one pimped out ride! Happy riding my friend.
Thanks brother, she’s sexy… No doubt about it!
But remember, she will never replace your lovely wife! lol
😎
Nice upgrade. What’s next? 🙂
One day I’m sure I’ll get a set of Enve wheels for her. Other than that – one day, far off in the future, if I ever have too much money “thing”… I’m done. I love it just the way it is. 😎
That’s a happy place to be.
Ssssssccchhhhweeeeet ssssccchhhhwuuu. She’s. Sexy.
Gracias! I do dig her.
It cracks me up that I read this whole thing & I don’t even know what a crank is! 😂
LOL! 👊🏻
Looks like you made similar upgrades to what I have done. I picked up an aerofly bar last year, and have the crankset on order.
You’re going to LOVE the S-Works crank. Of all of the upgrades I made on my Venge, that one (as expensive as it is) was the one I am happiest with. The aerobar looks cool but the crankset is a big improvement on how the bike rides. Do me a favor when it’s done, send me a couple of photos and I’ll post it on my Venge Corner page. Simply email them to BDJ.fitrecovery(at)gmail(dot)com
I hope you love your Venge as I do mine.
I just bought an S works crank for my venge too! Haven’t installed yet. Glad to hear it’s so awesome.
You’ll dig it. They’re fantastic.
I’m also hoping to get the same handle bars as you. They look sick and would be more comfortable on my forearms in Aero position than the stock ones.
Enjoy, Chris. Your bike’s gonna look awesome. I still can’t believe how cool mine is. Be aware, on the Aerofly bars, though; If you can find one with the S-Works lettering on them, by them immediately. Don’t wait. A friend of mine tried to pick up the same bars I’ve got but they don’t make them anymore. Now they’re flat black without the big “S-Works”.