Shortening your cranks

[S13]

Bit the bullet ordered, the 165 Atlas with 30x 83mm spindle, dual bearing 30mm BB, 30mm lock ring and switching away from magpeds going back to Oneup pedals as the magpeds are rather thick.

That should do it

 

[A06]

PSA for owners with the 24mm cranks (RF Ride).

The cranks are decent enough despite being 170mm.

The BB that the lower tier powerplays with the 24mm spindles are complete garbage. Regardless of if you upgrade to shorten your cranks or not you really should plan to upgrade the BB as a top priority.

The cups are somewhat pliable, cant tell if its a soft plastic or hard rubber but there is play between the bearing and the BB shell as observed while removing the BB. Not a confidence inspiring design for a heavy bike with a motor.

 

[S13]

I was thinking the same when i removed the old 24mm BB. Plastic crap...

 

[A06]

Got the BB, Cranks and Pedals installed last night.

Not that there was any question but confirming once more that the 83mm spindle length version of the Atlas is a direct fit for this application.

No spacer needed there is a little take up on the non drive side which the preload ring will take care of with a few turns.

The double row BB mentioned in one of the first posts is a bit stiff initially but works itself out quickly.

 

[Bad Mechanic]

Not that there was any question but confirming once more that the 83mm spindle length version of the Atlas is a direct fit for this application.

Race Face shows the Atlas comes in DH136 and 151. Which one did you use?

 

[S13]

Race Face shows the Atlas comes in DH136 and 151. Which one did you use?

83mm = DH151.

 

[Bad Mechanic]

83mm = DH151.

I'm not trying to be a pain, but the RaceFace website shows the options are either "151" or "DH136".

 

[S13]

Its confusing, but what RaceFace calls DH151 or 151, is also referred to as "83mm" by webshops:

Race Face Atlas Cinch 83 mm Crank

Technical Information:Application:MTB, Freeride, DownhillCrank Arm Material:OPTIM aluminium (20 % stronger than aluminium 7050)Bottom Bracket:BSA83, PF30/83 (optional other bottom bracket widths are possible using a spindle kit)Axle Diameter:30 mmCra

www.bike-components.de

Its all the same thing.

I think it has to do with RaceFace specifying the entire spindle length tip to tip (151mm) whereas some webshops specify the bottom bracket width instead (which would be 83mm).

For RM powerplay you need the DH151 / 151 / 83mm (again, all the same thing), but not the DH136 (this is too short).

 

[A06]

I'll make it easy this is exactly what I ordered and they fit perfectly.

 

[cody311]

Hey guys,
Made a quick video on the install of the 165mm DH151 Atlas Cranks on my 2022 A30. It was pretty straight forward but does require some tooling. The most difficult part in all this was just getting the 30mm lock ring for the sprag clutch. It's really just as straight forward as a basic setup. Hope this is helpful and gives some of you the confidence to do it yourself.

 

[A06]

Hey guys,
Made a quick video on the install of the 165mm DH151 Atlas Cranks on my 2022 A30. It was pretty straight forward but does require some tooling. The most difficult part in all this was just getting the 30mm lock ring for the sprag clutch. It's really just as straight forward as a basic setup. Hope this is helpful and gives some of you the confidence to do it yourself.

Thanks for doing that I thought about it after the fact. There's very little info out there on this outside of this forum so I think you will save people a lot of frustration.

Now what are the details on that tool roll with the T-hex wrenches...I need that set!

 

[cody311]

Now what are the details on that tool roll with the T-hex wrenches...I need that set!

It's from a company called Silica. I don't know if I would recommend them. I've had the T25 torque tips snap on both ends, but to their credit, they did send a new one when I emailed them about it. The surface finish was different on the one they sent and it was more like a "seconds" replacement. Whatever, brand loyalty kind of a thing of the past now it feels. They are all cutting corners.

 

[ILykeBykes]

Anybody made any progress on more solutions to getting shorter cranks on this bike? 170 SUCKS on this bike!

 

[Bad Mechanic]

I just installed my 165 Atlas cranks. I barely had to turn the adjuster, so the crank lengths are really close.

 

[Bad Mechanic]

Anybody made any progress on more solutions to getting shorter cranks on this bike? 170 SUCKS on this bike!

You're kind of stuck with method already listed since the cranks need a Cinch interface, and only Race Face makes those.

Remember, if you have the Ride cranks they're actually a 175!

 

[Bad Mechanic]

Here is a potential new option for 155mm and 160mm cranks:

Talon Crankset

Our new enduro and downhill crank is precision machined from 7075 T6 aluminum in our Whistler machine shop. Available in four lengths from 155mm to 170mm and two axle widths; one for 73mm bottom brackets and one for 83mm.

northshorebillet.com

 

[S13]

Here is a potential new option for 155mm and 160mm cranks:

Talon Crankset

Our new enduro and downhill crank is precision machined from 7075 T6 aluminum in our Whistler machine shop. Available in four lengths from 155mm to 170mm and two axle widths; one for 73mm bottom brackets and one for 83mm.

northshorebillet.com

Hmmm, doesnt mention Cinch on the website, but it does kinda look like it... Maybe indeed a valid option? They do mention "RF chainring mount", perhaps their way of avoiding the proprietary cinch name?
Interesting!
The price however...

 

[Bad Mechanic]

Hmmm, doesnt mention Cinch on the website, but it does kinda look like it... Maybe indeed a valid option? They do mention "RF chainring mount", perhaps their way of avoiding the proprietary cinch name?
Interesting!
The price however...

The Pinkbike article says it's Cinch:

North Shore Billet Announces New Canadian-Made Talon Cranks - Pinkbike

Machined from 7075 aluminum in Whistler, and available in 155mm–170mm lengths.

www.pinkbike.com

The product page says, "RF chainring mount".

 

[ILykeBykes]

YES!!! Now I can get rid of those RF Ride kickstand cranks

 

[Rideit]

The Pinkbike article says it's Cinch:

North Shore Billet Announces New Canadian-Made Talon Cranks - Pinkbike

Machined from 7075 aluminum in Whistler, and available in 155mm–170mm lengths.

www.pinkbike.com

The product page says, "RF chainring mount".

NSB is not entirely sure yet whether the sprag clutch will work with their ‘Cinch’ threads, they are researching it ASAP. Technically their spindle is also 1mm too short, but that may or may not be an issue in actual use. They did not coordinate with Rocky on this, so there are still some ‘known unknowns’. I’ll update as soon as I have more info from them.

 

[Bad Mechanic]

NSB is not entirely sure yet whether the sprag clutch will work with their ‘Cinch’ threads, they are researching it ASAP. Technically their spindle is also 1mm too short, but that may or may not be an issue in actual use. They did not coordinate with Rocky on this, so there are still some ‘known unknowns’. I’ll update as soon as I have more info from them.

I appreciate that NSB recognizes this as a potential marketing, and is working to figure things out.

 

[Rideit]

Yes, they have reached out to Rocky directly. It also wouldn't surprise me if Race Face comes out with some shorty Atlases to get ahead of this as well. It certainly is trending.

 

[Bad Mechanic]

Had my first off road ride with my Atlas 165 cranks. OOOOOH MYYYYYY GOODNESS. It is so much better.

 

[S13]

Yeah 165 does make a huge difference!

 

[A06]

I agree the 165 are a definite improvement however at this point yeah if a drop in 155 were available right now I would jump on them without hesitation.

 

[Bad Mechanic]

I agree the 165 are a definite improvement however at this point yeah if a drop in 155 were available right now I would jump on them without hesitation.

Same, or at least a 160.

Hopefully the new cranks from NSB prove to be compatible.

 

[philipshaw]

Ok, i can now confirm that Atlas cranks in the "83mm" variation (in other words with a RF151DH spindle pre-fitted) will directly fit the Powerplay models.

So basically i first upgraded my bottom bracket to a 30mm variant: BB92 Double Row CINCH 30mm | Bottom Bracket BB| Raceface
I got the 30mm locking ring from Rocky Mountain, part nr 1347006 (€45,-).
Also got the Atlas cranks in 165mm length, "83mm" variant, color black (jeez that was hard to find!).
Then i installed the old spider clutch on to the Atlas cranks with the new locking ring.
Finally installed the cranks in the new bottom bracket and hey presto: you have shorter cranks.

I did not use any spacers (even non that came supplied with the bottom bracket). You are left with a tiny gap of ~1mm on the non drive side which you can easily adjust for with the adjustment collar that comes standard on the Atlas crank.

So thankful for all the detailed info here. I just bought an Altitude Powerplay, and bent the stock 170 Aeffect crank on ride 2.

I will have all the necessary components for the swap to 165s within days. The setup will be the same as you describe. I don’t understand how/why the 2 mm difference vs the 149 spindle length doesn’t throw off the chain line and require a spacer placement somewhere (presumably on the non drive side)

Since my bottom bracket comes with a 1.5 mm spacer, I’m inclined to place this on the non-drive side as I’m installing the crank. But reading your post, I’m concerned that that will bring the chain line too far inboard. Your thoughts?

 

[Bad Mechanic]

So thankful for all the detailed info here. I just bought an Altitude Powerplay, and bent the stock 170 Aeffect crank on ride 2.

I will have all the necessary components for the swap to 165s within days. The setup will be the same as you describe. I don’t understand how/why the 2 mm difference vs the 149 spindle length doesn’t throw off the chain line and require a spacer placement somewhere (presumably on the non drive side)

Since my bottom bracket comes with a 1.5 mm spacer, I’m inclined to place this on the non-drive side as I’m installing the crank. But reading your post, I’m concerned that that will bring the chain line too far inboard. Your thoughts?

The chainring is located against the bottom bracket by the chainring lock ring, so the extra couple millimeters of crank axle end up on the non-drive side where the adjustment collar has plenty of travel to take up the extra length. In theory the left crank arm is spaced further out by a couple millimeters from stock, but it's not noticable.

 

[philipshaw]

Thanks. I'm sure this will become clearer on installation. So the chainring inboard location is limited by abutting against the bottom bracket, not by running into the maximum depth on the spindle?

 

[Bad Mechanic]

Thanks. I'm sure this will become clearer on installation. So the chainring inboard location is limited by abutting against the bottom bracket, not by running into the maximum depth on the spindle?

Correct.