adamrice 

I was looking at White Industries' cranks—they sell them with numerous chainring combinations, and claim they can handle a spread of as much as 22 teeth. I've got to admit, a 50/30 setup sounds pretty sweet. I'm wondering if anyone has experience with these, specifically with this kind of wide-range setup, and how well they shift.

Polaris OBark

I have one, back when all I could get was square-taper. The R/M30 versions I think would be superior.

Briefly, the crank itself is great. I have only a boring 46/30T combination, but I see no reason why 50/30T won't work. Their $100+ square-taper bottom-bracket is a disaster, so if for some reason you want square taper, just get the better Shimano option.

I had one small problem that eventually developed with shifting. One of the pins protruded a bit too much, and the chain was getting hung up on shifting. A little squeeze with a vice grip solved that problem for good.

The fit and finish are quite nice.

I eventually put this on my touring bike, reasoning that it would be easy to get a lower gear if I needed it. (So far, with this and an 11-36T cassette, I have been fine).

It is definitely $$$ bling. A 46/30T GRX crankset by comparison is $150. (Shimano also makes a 48/31T, which kind of allows you to split the difference. BTW a 46/11 gear combination is essentially identical to a 50/12 combination, which means that a 46/30T crankset costs you only the 50/11 combination.)

cxwrench

Make sure your front derailleur will shift a 20t difference AND that your rear derailleur has the capacity to deal with it. Their stuff is top notch.

veganbikes

Have not used their cranks...yet...but everything else I have used is excellent. I have a set of hubs, a headset, two freewheels and all have been flawless.

FastJake

I have a 46/28 and a 44/24. They both shift fine, but don't expect rapid upshifts.

Those are both using the Rene Herse crank, which is the best crank in the world. I would never spend that much on that White Industries crank. For bikes on a budget I just use old Shimano square taper cranks.

shelbyfv

They certainly are attractive but with the advent of GRX 46/30 or 48/31, a hard sell. Maybe a specific situation like a precious/boutiquey bike or perceived Q sensitivity.

Koyote

With those GRX cranks, you need the matching FD. So, that's an extra expense, but it ensures reliable shifting.

adamrice 

I've already got 46/30. I'm actually looking for a little more top-end. The rest of my drivetrain is not GRX--how much does the wider chainline with GRX cranks affect the rest of the drivetrain?

shelbyfv

It's 2.5mm. I'm using a GRX 46/30 with a 10 speed 11-34 on a steel frame with 130 spacing. I do notice that big/big is noisier than I would prefer but it still shifts. FWIW, I'm using a regular road FD but I think I'll get a GRX, just because. I don't ride it much so I haven't tried to optimize everything. Parts bin except for the crank.

Polaris OBark

3mm.

I use mine with my previously existing Ultegra (Di2) drivetrain. I had to adjust the limit screw on my front derailleur. Also, the front derailleur is sliding-clamp mount, so I was able to lower it easily. I use this with an 11-36T cassette without any issue. (The rear derailleur is officially rated for 11-32T max.)

Conversely, I am using a mechanical GRX front derailleur with my White Industries crankset on a different bike. That, too, works fine, even though the White Industries chainline is conventional road.

If you want to experiment with gearing, the White Industries crankset will give you more options, but the rings are about $80 each, so it could get expensive.

If GRX fits, you also have the 48/31T option, and the worst-case scenario is you get a GRX front derailleur (cheap if it is mechanical, prohibitive if it is Di2.)

Polaris OBark

Officially they say this, but in my experience, you can mix and match (cf previous post). However, it is always important to check.

Koyote

ymmv. On my bike, the original Ultegra Di2 FD did not work with the GRX 48-31 crankset, so I had to add the GRX FD.

KerryIrons

This. It will be more likely a front derailleur issue than a chain ring difference issue. And 20t difference on the front eats up a lot of the rear derailleur's wrap capacity so the cassette range might be an issue.

adamrice 

Are there any front derailleurs that officially are supposed to shift a 20t difference in one step? 3x derailleurs, sure, but that seems different.

Polaris OBark

Ouch. Glad I dodged that bullet. Did that necessitate purchasing a matching GRX Di2 rear derailleur as well? If you have the old parts sitting around, are you interested in selling them? (I've got an extra set of Ultegra Di2 shifters who have no friends to play with.)

Polaris OBark

Not that I am aware of, but the "official" upper bound is in place, at least in part, to accommodate users who inadvertently or deliberately cross-chain at both extremes. So if you can avoid that, you are probably ok.

Koyote

No, it all worked fine with an Ultegra RX RD, and I don't have the old parts.

squirtdad

you should never have a bike set up that can't handle big/big (more of a problem) and small/small

No matter what you tell yourself, you will shift in to one of those, and if Big/big does not work, you will stop pretty fast, with the corresponding result depending on the speed you are going, from embarrassment to injury

Polaris OBark

The newer firmware versions of Di2 prevent you from doing this. That is why I haven't updated since 2015.

FastJake

I had/have several bikes that don't do small/small. I truly never use those combinations. And if I did, the worst thing that would happen is a slack chain and maybe a derailment if I'm really unlucky.

Absolutely right about big/big though.