FRM 2×9 cranks
by Rob Blue on October 21st, 2006
One of my self appointed jobs that I do for the Evomo Mountain Bike Team is product testing. This is more because I am a serious gear junkie than any kind of actual responsibility. I love new toys and getting a set of FRM’s sweet 2×9 cranks was like Christmas coming early.
There are a couple of things that interested me about the FRM cranks. First, they are a 2×9 setup. For those that are unfamiliar with the terminology, 2×9 means that there are only two chainrings on the cranks and opposed to the current mountain bike standard of three. You basically lose the “granny gear”. I almost never use the granny gear so I would rather take advantage of the weight savings that a 2×9 setup gives you.
As advertised on their website, the FRM 2×9 cranks with the bottom brackets cups weigh in at exactly 700 grams. That’s roughly a 1/4 pound lighter than the XTR 3×9 setup that I am replacing.
The quality of the workmanship that goes into the FRM cranks is fantastic. The Italian’s really take pride in making their parts look like artwork.
My buddy Monty at Helen’s Cycles recently accused me of being anti-Shimano. He is both right and wrong. I think Shimano makes some great stuff. I like other things better though. It seems that they frequently start a trend and others make it better. This is just my opinion so don’t flame me about it please.
I must tip my hat to Shimano for bringing back the integrated crank. On my first mountain bike I had a set of Sweet Wings cranks that were way ahead of their time.
The integrated cranks that everyone sells now are so easy to swap out. This makes life a whole lot easier if you do your own wrenching like me. The whole swap including changing the chain and adjusting everything in the drivetrain took me less than an hour.
With the right tools for the job. The steps are:
Loosen the cinch bolts on the left crank arm. Pull off the adjustment cap. Remove both cranks.
Remove the bearings. That’s it. The new FRM cranks go on in the reverse order. One suggestion I would like to make to the home mechanics out there. Get a torque wrench! With today’s superlight parts made out of exotic materials tightening the bolts to the proper torque is essential. Don’t mess around here. The last thing you want to do is break a part or worse, break yourself.
Once everything was adjusted, you must readjust your front derailleur for the 3×9 to 2×9 conversion, I headed out for a test ride. No better place to check out real world performance than to pre-ride the course for the last race in the California State Series. Check out my Google Earth file for the Castaic course:
127727_garmin_10_21_2006_1.kml
My first impressions of the FRM 2×9 cranks are that they shift flawlessly and seem stiff for my weight. I noticed no flexing at all. I also like the 44/29 gearing. Castaic has some really steep climbs and I never felt like I needed to reach for another gear. I am running a 11-32 in back by the way.
So far so good. I look forward to putting some more time on them.
October 25th, 2006 at 5:17 pm
I’ve run the C-Dale 2X9 in the past. It makes sense. Less shifting up front = fewer shifting probs, and less chain suck. I thought the gold bolts were flashy, but it actually works w/ the EggBeater 3Ti’s…plus hey it’s Italian.
October 25th, 2006 at 5:48 pm
Hey, the “Works” version has a gold spider too!
October 25th, 2006 at 5:49 pm
I love you Evomo! Can I pose naked with one of your super soft t-shirts.
October 25th, 2006 at 5:54 pm
Absolutely, if you are over 18! Hey, I guess you wouldn’t be technically “naked” if you were wearing the Evomo shirt. Did you plan on just holding it up strategically?
October 26th, 2006 at 10:02 pm
Rob’s car might get jealous, and start yelling at him in Spanish again…not pretty.
October 31st, 2006 at 1:40 pm
Hey nice mustache….Next time I want to see some vomit chunks in the mustache after are ride. Cha