In all honesty, this is hands down the cycling world's quickest review of a product. Let me start by saying that the bike I just built probably needs an exorcism....Either somebody died while welding this frame or the materials were mined from an Indian burial ground. Some of the events that have led up to this point have been delayed parts due to a train derailment, several parts on what can be deemed only as "eternal backorder", a theoretically impossible to press headset due to a distorted head tube and now a set of cranks that lasted less than 7 minutes. Yes, you heard me right...7 minutes, and that is stretching it.

Like any true cyclist, I was excited to install all my shiny new wonder gizmos and take them for a maiden, shake-down run. But I never really got running or shaking, more like fuming, cursing and walking. After my fourth drop my left crank arm felt like a week old ripe banana upon landing. Much to my dismay, my left arm on my shiny new cranks twisted to the point that my foot wiggled side to side as I pedaled....so badly I might add, that I actually went back and did the drop with the other foot forward in order to land a re-twist the arm back towards straight just so I could pedal out of the woods. I then proceeded right to a local shop that called FSA direct to discuss my options. Although they were in utter disbelief, FSA/Gravity promised a speedy inquiry and remedy for this hella lame situation. They seemed eager to get the crankset back....a recurring problem perhaps? Now this should be in no way construed as a bad review and I am giving FSA the full benefit of the doubt and chalk it up to a manufacturers defect and not a garbage product. I currently ride several FSA and Gravity products, both road and mountain, with no major problems.

This drama is to be continued........

Features

• Street Price of $150.00
• AL6061 Forged Arms
• Cro-Mo Pedal Inserts and Chainring Bolts
• MegaExo Bottom Bracket
• 24mm Heat Treated Cro-Mo Spindle
• Double Pinch Bolts on Left Arm
• Polycarbonate Bash Guard

Update

I usually don't trash companies but I will throw this out there for everyone to ponder....

After contacting FSA, which by the way is a nightmare in itself, the customer service rep at FSA didn't believe they were twisted and it was that the pedals were cross threaded or possibly bent. He then proceeded to say that these weren't "North Shore or DH" style cranks. That's funny...why the "Gravity" name and the focus on DH products then? He was in total disbelief and adament that they weren't bent. We assured him that after wrenching on bikes for 25 years that I know how to install pedals and could properly determine a bent pedal spindle. Our response was that the Gravity moniker and the fact they are advertised as freeride /all mountain worthy is false advertising.

Stay tuned.....

Update - May 7

After roughly 3 weeks, FSA/Gravity finally sent back a shiny new set of cranks. On top of that they upgraded me to the next model up with the forged 7000 series aluminum and quad bearing bottom bracket(Gravity Gap). First thing I noticed is that these cranks also exhibit the deep cavity on the cranks backside that the Moto-X had. What's with that? Seeing how they are designed for DH I would think that the little bit of weight they lose wouldn't be worth jeapordizing the strength....I guessed wrong. I am considering offing these because I don't want to send another pair back and they would probably question another tweaked set. Unfortunately for me, FSA discontinued their chro-moly DH set....maybe a set of Profiles are in my future.

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