Review on SR Suntour XCT Jr. Crankset: 🚲 9-Speed 44/32/22T, 152mm Size with Capless Fixing by Roy Whetstone

I've had a quality crankset on one of my recumbents for a while, but the leverage is only 135mm. I like short cranks, but they're too short even for me. Experimentation has shown that 155mm arms in flex work best for me, so last year I decided to replace this crank this spring. This 152mm arm Suntour connecting rod has rings with the same number of teeth as the old connecting rod and was very inexpensive; I figured the worst that could happen is that I don't like it and it will only cost me $20-30, so I took a chance and ordered it. I also thought it unlikely that I would see a 3mm difference between my preference and the actual length of the levers on this system. The Suntour system was much heavier due to the steel chainrings. That's not a problem for me, the recumbent I mounted it on is very light and has a very strong weight transfer to the rear anyway, so a little extra weight in the front doesn't bother me. A small amount of weight can be saved by removing the guard, and the guard is easy to remove without even removing the crank from the bike. I'm not wearing it at the moment, it looks good and it's still cold enough (late March/early April here in NYC) so I wear regular jeans when riding so the impact protection protects the cuffs of my jeans. The rings are round and regular, everything from the aluminum arms and spider to the steel rings and even the screws look good and of good quality. The rings are bolted, not riveted, so can be easily replaced if necessary - surprising for such a cheap connecting rod. The spindle length of my square bottom bracket is 113mm and I get a 50mm chain line with this crank on that spindle length. , perfect for my bike. The description for this crank strangely states that it is not compatible with a 113mm bottom bracket axle; never mind, it's a really strange error in the description that I confirmed with the seller before ordering. If you want to show off $300 hollow cranks and lightweight oval rings to your friends, this crank isn't for you. If you don't mind the added weight of steel rings (or can replace them with aluminum rings) and just want a nice looking crankset that performs well at a great price for a 7, 8 or 9 speed drivetrain, it's hard To imagine a better solution than this Suntour. It's available in different shoulder length versions and different tooth count chainrings, so you can get exactly what you need without having to buy an assortment of crank parts that you can mix and match yourself. Great quality, beautiful and great value - if you're not a racer and aren't too concerned about the weight this is excellent value and will work for you as well as some other triple price cranks.