been looking and can’t find any new pics of the SLX double with the steel ringe threaded inserts.

has it been discontinued?

would that put you off using it for bike park/DH use?

ah.. just seen that the new SLX range doesn’t have a double set up…. 😕

SLX double with the steel ringe threaded inserts

If you’re talking about the steel pedal thread inserts on the cranks, then only the SLX M665 9 speed double has these.

There’s no 10 speed version of the SLX double, only the XT M785 10 speed double crankset, but it doesn’t have a bash guard or steel pedal inserts, so its not really equivalent to the SLX double IMHO.

Just another reason to stay 9 speed….

I hope the 9 spd double remains in production…

Are Shimano mentalists?

its a big shame if that crankset has been dropped by Shimano

easily the best value, very tough crankset for 68mm/73mm bottom brackets ever made!

I had 2 pairs of these cranks on a number of different bikes and beat the absolute sh*t out of these cranks with no issues at all

did stuff like this, on my 100mm travel 4X bike with the SLX cranks

Might have to buy another set of the 9 speed double for future use if they’re going to discontinue it. Easily best value cranks.

Have they switched the thread to alloy for 2012 then??

Shimano are probably just keen to push people towards pricier saint cranks for rougher use?

TBH how many people really need the steel inserts?

Have they switched the thread to alloy for 2012 then??

You can still buy the 9 speed double & bash with the inserts, but its just that they haven’t released a 10 speed version of the double, like they have with the triple.

TBH how many people really need the steel inserts?

True, but it wasn’t just the pedal inserts the M665 had going for it – it also had a bashguard, and beefed up axle and cranks that Shimano themselves claimed made it “100% stronger than the XT”.

It was basically tough-as, and for someone like me who regularly bashed rocks and logs, it was perfect – and at about half the price of the Saint.

I run the SLX double on two bikes, and tucked a spare away over Xmas while CRC were doing them cheap, just in case Shimano stop producing them sometime soon…

Was the double actually more beefed up than the triple? Thought they were the same crank arms, just the double came with a bash.

Aren’t they bringing out a replacement for the old Hone groupset this year called the Zee? Probably priced a bit more than the SLX but weighs the same hence why they’re dropping the SLX double. I’m intrigued to see what it looks like as my Hone cranks are still going strong but i’m in need of a new set purely for aesthetic reasons 😀

Thought they were the same crank arms, just the double came with a bash.

… and the steel pedal inserts (where this thread started). Suspect you’re right about that, which means theoretically you could cobble together a nice tough ten speed double & bash by using SLX M660-10 cranks, 26 & 38T chainrings from an XT M785 crankset (if they’re available separately – haven’t seen them yet), and a 3rd party bash large enough for a 38T middle!

Still, it’d be easier if Shimano would just bring out a pucker 10 speed SLX double & bash…

Just been reading up on the ‘Zee’ apparently it’s part of the 2013 lineup – will be the Saint’s little brother, so Shimano have probably dropped the SLX double as it’ll be near identical to where they see the Zee lineup taking.

I would imagine the 9 speed crank will work fine on a 10 speed set up.

Just been reading up on the ‘Zee’

Be interested in that – linky?

When does new Shimano stuff generally turn up. Presumably 2013 will appear in ’12 but any specific point in the year?

Perth – Bit here…

http://www.bicycling.com/mountainbikecom/bikes-gear/2013-mountain-bike-gear-news-and-rumors?page=0,1

the SLX double works fine with 10 speed anyway. Just won’t have the chainline of the proper XT double which is different arms to the XT triple.

I do like the idea of steel inserts (having come across arms where people have knackered the aluminium threads) but it does shift the failure point somewhere else – ie the insert can come loose. But I think there is not much worry of that as they are built very well.

The old Hone stuff was just LX in black I think, unless they also beefed up the pedal inserts in that too. I thought SLX replaced both LX and Hone with LX going to the touring market. Maybe they are ditching SLX when Zee comes out as Deore is now getting pretty good?

edit: just read the link above. Seems not, SLX going to be ‘Junior XTR’ – so I wonder where that leaves XT? XC groupset? Touring like LX went? They already do an XT touring crankset.

SLX might be the one to go to for the rear mech with the dual mode like XTR.

I would imagine the 9 speed crank will work fine on a 10 speed set up

the SLX double works fine with 10 speed anyway

Yep, it works, but the gear ratios are all wrong – you’ve got 22/36 up front, and the 10 speed 11/36 on the back. You could of course use a closer spaced 10 speed cassette, like an 11/32, but then you’ve lost about the only advantage of going ten speed anyway (36 rear), so might as well stay all 9 speed – which is what I’m doing!

@Gotama – thanks for the link… seems like the SLX double will live on in a proper ten speed version – “The SLX 2x cranks will come in the following chainring combos: 24/38, 26/38 and 28/40 tooth”. It’s almost enough to make me consider going ten speed 😉

Looks like the forthcoming Zee is single ring only.

SLX cranks absolutely rock, even though they now costs almost double their 2008 price. Looking back through some old magazines, I saw ads offering SLX cranks for less than £70. Even so, they’re still terrific. I’ve a double and bash and a triple on the AM and XC bikes respectively. The double and bash is noticably stiffer underfoot but both sets are lasting extremely well.

Looks like the forthcoming Zee is single ring only.

Good, good, 1×9 ftw!