Here are the most popular bike components (derailleurs, cranks, wheels…and anything else you can bolt up to that mountain bike in your garage) and gear according to sales on Amazon.com.
Mountain Bike Cranksets
The Shimano SLX crankset won by a mile it looks like. I guess the price point matched with Shimano reliability really paid off with the new SLX lineup. The surprising part of this list is that the 180mm cranks seem to be selling really well. I would predict that the standard 175mm would suit most riders though.
- Shimano SLX Crankset 175mm
- Truvativ Stylo 3.3 Team 180mm ATB Crankset
- Shimano FC-M810 Saint Crankset 175mm 68/73mm BB w/o chainrings Black
- Shimano Deore XT M770 180mm 4 arm Crank 22-32-44 w/BB
- Gravity Light MegaExo 165mm 22-32-Bash with BB 68/73mm
Mountain Bike Brakes
The Avid Elixir R’s took the top spot (and Amazon needs to update their picture). This is no surprise given the solid performance of the Avid Elixir lineup and the R’s are a great value at that price. Close on their heals are the CR’s which at the carbon bling and and few other touches. Note: Remember that front and rear brakes are sold separately.
- Avid Elixir R Hydraulic Bicycle Disc Brake
- Avid BB5 MTB Ball Bearing Bicycle Disc Brake (160mm, Black, Front or Rear)
- Avid Elixir CR Hydraulic Bicycle Disc Brake
- Hayes Stroker Trail Hydraulic Disc Brake V6/ Rear Grey
- Hayes Stroker Gram Rear V6 Brake System, Blackw w/1500mm hose
Derailleurs for Mountain Bikes
I had a feeling that the SRAM X.9 and Shimano XT rear derailleurs would be competing for the top spot in this race. Pricepoint vs. performance is really on par with both lines and they actually perform so well that I wonder if XTR and X.0 are actually worth the money. The Shimano XT front derailleur is the best on the market for the money and that is why it is the only front derailleur on this list.
