TruVativ Descendant Carbon Eagle 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 may just be another version of SRAM but there are some key differences with their products besides the naming. TruVativ is design to be a more rugged, abuse worthy option of SRAM components to keep up with the abuse of current Enduro and DH riding. The Descendant Cranks are probably their most popular items. Our buddy Kevin recently made the upgrade. Let's See what he thought.

Kevin's Review

At my last race I damaged my cranks so started looking for replacements. While searching I came across the TruVativ Descendants and I decided to give them a try. I have always been hesitant about carbon cranks, but broke down and said why not. I am really glad I did. The reason I have been hesitant is due to the fact I race downhill and enduro where trails are rocky and gnarly as well as big drops and jumps. Some days I may go hit some flow trail or dirt jumps and I need something that is going to hold up and not have to worry about breaking. My main concern with carbon is striking on rocks as I go through rock gardens or through a tech section on the trail. I was not disappointed with these. They have definitely lived up to my hopes and exceeded my expectations.

When they got here I opened the box and the first thought was the quality. The carbon was nice and the chainring that it came with had a very nice look as well. I loved the fact they were a 2 piece and have one bolt assembly.

I was a little disappointed that they didn't come with crank boots, but they are easily obtained and not overly expensive. The 32T chainring felt like the perfect size to give me the right feeling ratio in each gear.

Now performance. My first ride with them and I could instantly tell how stiff these cranks were. They must've slipped a blue pill into the formula while making them as they are stiff and can go all day long. They are light and smooth and will make you pedal faster as if you showed up in the new L.A. Gear light up shoes. You'll want to show these bad boys off to all your friends. You do gotta be careful though. They will give you a lot of confidence and with the fact they make you faster, you may overshoot the trail and end up dodging trees if you're lucky, and if not you'll catapult over the bars and Plinko your body the rest of the way down the trail. Don't worry though when you get back to your bike, they will still be in one piece if anything probably damaged whatever they bounced off of. They do have protective vinyl on them so scuffs are obsolete.

Conclusion

"I would definitely suggest these to someone as a replacement or even an upgrade. I have been very impressed and they have changed my opinion of carbon cranks. They look and perform like quality. They don't break the bank yet give big money performance. As someone who rides gravity (jumps, downhill, enduro, slalom), I can say they hold up to everything I've thrown at them so far. So if you want a good stiff crank that looks good and holds up, I would suggest the TruVativ Descendants." - Kevin