Race Face breaks 500g chainset barrier

…well, it might be would be more accurate to say that they’ve nudged up against the 500g barrier- but that just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

In the first piece of what we understand to be a whole lot of interesting news from the recently-reborn Canadian firm, Race Face have announced a new Next SL crankset that – including a chainring, bottom bracket, and all hardware – weighs in right at 500g.  Granted, the shift to a single chainring [see what we did there?] doesn’t hurt- but for comparison, SRAM’s single-ring’d XX1 crankset weighs 650g with its BB.  That means that pulling on your Race Face could shave 1/3lb in one fell swoop.

In order to offer virtually unlimited spider and chainring options, Race Face have introduced what they’re calling their “Cinch” system.  In short, it’s a removable spider that is attached to the right crank arm via a proprietary spline and fastened with a lockring and a standard bottom bracket tool.  In order to hit the headline 500g mark, riders will have to go with the company’s direct-mount Fat Skinny Narrow Wide (XX1-style) chainring, which is 9-, 10-, and 11-speed compatible and offered in even sizes from 26-36t.

The Next SL arms themselves look to be no slouch:  built in Race Face’s Canadian facility from US-sourced carbon fibre and aluminum, they are among only a handful of carbon components built in a first-world country.  While details are scarce, it sounds as though Race Face have gone the e*Thirteen route with a 30mm aluminum spindle.  BSA fans need not fear: compatibility “across all relevant frame standards” will be offered, as will different spindle lengths.

While we all pretend that we don’t dote over our bikes and carefully evaluate prospective purchases on how they fit in with out bike’s aesthetics, well… we do.  The green may be on-trend, but that blue looks rather nice, doesn’t it?  Stay tuned for pricing and availability details as we get them.