Must be Shimano BB.
Obvious is a Deore 1x.
I run 32t – I’m also aware some replacement rings are daft money.
Are there any other bargains out there?

My go to crankset is the RaceFace AEffect. 24mm spindle, direct mount chainring but you can get a spider to fit 104BCD rings.

Are the 170 and 165mm Aeffect cranks still the same length?

New shimano xt or slx direct mount?

Shimano XT M8100 and SLX M7100 – complete price, spec & weight lists

Merlin are still doing M7000 for £69

^^^ nailed it with the slx

definitely SLX. The finish is much more durable than XT. The logos on my XT crank were gone after 1 ride.

I’ve got the new 12 speed XT, running an 11 speed setup for now.

I like that I’ve got some chance of putting smaller chainrings on if I need to.

The older m7000 and m8000 had that daft 94bcd thing going on.

How small do you need to go on the chainring?

The old SLX one is a nice item but 30t minimum.

Got RF Aefect on my FS bikes so I can go down to 28t (as I can’t afford mega wide-range 12sp yet).

+1 for Raceface Aeffect!

Good price and sales service from Vanilla Bikes with all the options. I got XT for £300.

https://www.vanillabikes.com/collections/components-groupsets/shimano

How small do you need to go on the chainring?

I use 32t and it’s fine.

I’ve got a barely used non-boost 170mm SLX here if that’s any use? No ring on it though.