I have heard KH cranks creak too, so you can't win. 😉
Profile cranks shouldn't creak if they are properly maintained. Some
of the older Profile cranks seemed to have a creaking problem, but the
new ones shouldn't (I suspect the keyways were actually the source of
the creaking on the old ones). I have never had a creaking problem
with my Profile cranks. I also lather them up with lots of
anti-seize.
Maintenance needs depend on the conditions your ride in. If it's a
muni that gets ridden in wet conditions you are going to have to
overhaul the cranks more often. If it's a trials uni that doesn't get
ridden through water or out in the rain it will be able to go longer
between overhauls.
I replace the bearings on my muni once per year. It's the winter time
riding in the wet that kills the bearings. I regrease the Profile
cranks when I replace the bearings. I'll also regrease the Profile
cranks a couple other times during the year. But that's for a muni
that gets ridden in the dirt.
Maintenance is easy. Lots of anti-seize. Put anti-seize anywhere
there is metal to metal contact. I put anti-seize between the
individual spacers, on the bolt threads, on the bolt shoulder and under
the bolt head, on the concave washer that goes under the bolt, on the
splines, everywhere and everywhere there is metal to metal contact.
Put it all back together. Tighten it up. Ride it around and then
tighten it up one more time. Then it's good. No creaking. Everything
is tight.
Same would apply to a KH hub.
The complete wheelsets at UDC are a bit on the expensive side for the
wheel building. If you know a good local shop that does good wheel
builds you can save some money by having the wheel built yourself. A
Profile hub with a KH rim would be a nice wheel.
Something I find interesting is that the Profile cranks are $99 versus
$125 for the KH cranks. It's cheaper to replace a bent Profile crank
than a KH crank.
I wouldn't rely on the Profile warranty too much. It's nice that it's
there, but there is a point where you just have to suck it up and
realize that things are going to break and you're going to need to pay
to replace them.
The advantage for KH cranks is that you can get them in 127mm and
140mm. The shortest Profile cranks you can get are 150mm. If you want
the shorter lengths you have to go KH or cut down the Profile cranks
and reweld them (which voids any warranty).
--
john_childs
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