Kona Bulge - Stiffer than Year Old Bread

Author: Jeff White

So, you're just riding along, when all of a sudden you notice that something's weird with your pedal stroke. If you're lucky, you've only bent a pedal axle. If not, you may have wrecked your cranks. As riders go bigger and bigger, even the strongest of aluminum cranks - splined or not - will break. With me, it's not so much the bigness of it, but the many repeated hits that cumulatively destroyed my cranks.

Not wanting to go through the same issues that I had with my ISIS splined cranks (they would never stay tight), I decided to move up to a real old school product: 3 piece BMX style cromoly cranks. I chose the Kona Bulge, mainly for its price. At around $230, they are one of the least expensive cro-mo cranksets out there. The best of the breed Profiles will easily run you $500. Keep in mind that none of these prices include rings, bashguards or chain guides. Ouch!

First Impressions

When you pick up the box with the Bulge cranks, you better be prepared for just how heavy they are. These are probably one of the heaviest cranks on the market, and considering that they're in a segment already populated with heavy cranks, that's saying something. Weight weenies look elsewhere, because these puppies come in around three and a half pounds for the crank and bottom bracket.

One look at them tells you why they are so heavy, though. The crank arms themselves are a gorgeous, thick-chromed tubular piece. The splined bottom bracket spindle is quite heavy as well. The nicest piece in the kit, though, is the anodized, machined 5-bolt spider. It's really beefy and looks quite spectacular.

Installation Overview

Let's just say these are a bit harder to install than your average cranks. Let's also say that they come with NO instructions. It's not a job for someone without a fair bit of experience. I attempted the install, and while I got it mostly right, there was some nagging binding that I needed to get my LBS to work out of the system.

The main reason they are so complicated is that the bottom bracket comes in pieces. You have the spindle, bearing cups, reducer ring, lock ring and a bunch of spacers. It's not overly complicated, but there seems to be some real black art to getting them free-running. Start by having a bike shop re-face your BB shell. This will ensure that you have a nice smooth and plumb surface to work with. Put some anti-seize compound on the bearing cups and screw the drive side into the BB. Estimate which spacers you will need for the spindle and slide it into place, keeping the grooved end on the drive side. Screw in the non-drive side cup and lock it on with the included lock ring. Make sure the spindle is centered in the BB shell, and that it turns freely.

Now comes the fun part. Install your chainring(s) onto the spider, and the spider to the drive side crank arm. You may need to keep the spider screw a bit loose so that you can insert the silver reducer ring into the spider. Using the spacers provided, try to get the space on either side of the BB spindle even, so that just the splines are showing. Grease the splines and crank threads well and pop them onto the spindle. Using the supplied 8mm bolts, tighten the cranks onto the spindle until the arm comes up against the spacer. Check your chain line to make sure it is nice and straight with the middle cog. Do not over tighten this, as the 8mm bolts are not what hold the crank arm in place; that's the job of the pinch bolts. When you have both crank arms installed, check to make sure they rotate freely and that there is no side-to-side play. If there is, remove the cranks with a crank puller and try some different sized spacers. When you finally get it right, put some Loctite on the pinch bolts and torque those babies down hard. Install your pedals - make sure you grease the threads - and go ride.

The Ride

To say that these cranks are ultra strong is a major understatement. They are stiff beyond words. You never really realize just how much flex you are feeling with a set of aluminum cranks. They also have a very wide stance, putting your feet pretty far out, which provides a nice platform for landing drops and big airs. When correctly set up, the BB is sealed and very smooth. The extra stiffness makes it feel like every pedal stroke is getting the full power to the ground. The cranks are a bit on the heavy side, but when your bike is already over 35 pounds, who's counting?

These are great cranks for someone who is used to breaking or bending standard aluminum jobbies. The installation is not for the meek, but if you take your time, you can do it. The ride is exceptional, and you should never need to worry about bending your cranks again.

Posted by Craig Dobbin at June 17, 2003 09:28 PM

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