TruVativ Stylo 6K Eagle Aluminum Boost Crankset [Rider Review]

Our "Rider Review" article series features the honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for.

TruVativ is a company that comes to mind when thinking about reliable gravity oriented components. They offer a budget friendly crankset that our friend, Christopher, has been riding. Check out what they think! 

Overview

I chose the Truvativ Stylo 6K Eagle Aluminum Boost Crankset for my recent frame-up build of a Santa Cruz Hightower. I bought this cranks mostly due to a combination of fitment constraints and budget. I wanted to keep the overall cost of the build down as low as possible, while still getting high quality components in the areas I consider most important (frame, suspension, wheels, and shifting components). As much as I would have loved to put on a sleek Chris King bottom bracket, I opted for the SRAM DUB bottom bracket, which meant I was constrained to DUB-fitting cranks due to the unique spindle diameter. I also limited myself to aluminum cranks. I have ridden a few sets of nice carbon cranks, and while they are light and stiff, I do not believe their incremental performance gains come close to justifying their price difference compared to aluminum cranks. So with these criteria, I was essentially choosing between the lower end SRAM and Truvativ offerings. I think the subtle branding on these cranks looks a bit nicer than the equivalent SRAM GX cranks, so I went with them.

Install

These cranks install just like any other DUB cranks; Worldwide Cyclery’s instructional article on installing them makes it easy to do if you are not familiar with the process. I would definitely recommend using a large torque wrench that goes above the 54 Nm torque; it will make generating the required leverage a lot easier. My biggest gripe with the DUB cranks is the design of the preload adjuster. I hate that godforsaken plastic ring with a passion. I have broken so many of them and stripped so many of the little locking screws that I have just bought a few extra preload adjuster assemblies to have laying around, because I know I will break more. Yeah, I know not to overtighten it, but that little screw head is just so easy to strip. Also, I frequently find that the preload adjuster tops out of its range before it can apply enough preload sometimes. For that reason, I keep a few extra DUB spindle spacers from Wheels Manufacturing around. If you are planning on getting these or any dub cranks, I would recommend having some of these spacers and an extra preload adjuster on hand. If you break a reload collar or need spacers, it’ll save you time off the bike, and if you don’t end up needing them, it can’t hurt to have them around anyway (and they’re cheap).

Performance

These cranks do the job they are intended to do adequately, I can understand why they come spec’d on so many complete bikes. They transmit power from your legs to the chainring. I do notice a little bit of flex sometimes when I am really cranking on them (usually due to user error when climbing in too high of a gear). This could also be because I have been jaded by riding mostly carbon recently. I think their performance shortcomings and weight increase are marginal compared to carbon. The fact that they sit on the bottom of the bike, exposed to all kinds of rocks and gnar, along with their significantly cheaper price tag, makes me plan to use cranks like these indefinitely.

I feel comfortable sending these things into chunky rock gardens without worrying too much about damaging them.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I would recommend these cranks if you need something to get you on the trail, or want to experiment with crank arm length or something. They are not the flashiest, lightest, or stiffest, but they certainly get the job done.