# New 500gm Race Face crankset



## rockyuphill (Nov 28, 2004)

Wow, new Race Face single ring crankset at 500gms with a direct mount wide/narrow ring and BB.

Singletrack Magazine | Race Face break the 500g barrier with Canadian-made crankset


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## swan lee (May 20, 2006)

Likey.

Wanty.

Pricey?!


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## padrefan1982 (Mar 2, 2005)

This is what I've been waiting for from RF forever--a crank with options. Love that there will be an option to run a double up front, as I don't have the legs to run a single.

And I'm hoping for a Turbine option for those of us without Next SL money


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## rockyuphill (Nov 28, 2004)

I imagine the pricing will appear at Eurobike/Interbike.


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## 006_007 (Jan 12, 2004)

Interesting - Looks like another new spindle/chainset interface for raceface - I have not been a fan of any of their "add moar spacers for pre-load" nonsense. Perhaps this is has more promise.

Hoping you can use aftermarket BB for them as well due to the history of absolute crap BB they have in the past.

500g with bb is a superb weight though. I honestly will hold off on acquiring xx1 cranks til I get a bit more info on these. Would love to support another Canadian company if possible.



When did they move their stuff back to Canada? I thought they had packed up and moved overseas a few years back? I gotta stop living under a rock!


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## RaceFace-suit (Jun 29, 2011)

006_007 said:


> Hoping you can use aftermarket BB for them as well due to the history of absolute crap BB they have in the past.


This crankset will play nice with 30mm BB's currently on the market. That said, we put a lot of time and energy into improving our BB's and are proud to say they have been among the best in the business for the past 4-5 seasons. If you had issues with your last Race Face BB then it has likely been a very long time since you last rode one.



006_007 said:


> When did they move their stuff back to Canada? I thought they had packed up and moved overseas a few years back? I gotta stop living under a rock!


Rock indeed. Every carbon crank Race Face has ever made has been designed, tested and manufactured in British Columbia Canada.

Thanks for riding Race Face!


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## 006_007 (Jan 12, 2004)

RaceFace-suit said:


> This crankset will play nice with 30mm BB's currently on the market. That said, we put a lot of time and energy into improving our BB's and are proud to say they been among the best in the business for the past 4-5 seasons. If you had issues with your last Race Face BB then it has likely been a very long time since you last rode one.


Yup, stopped using the raceface BB as I was having to replace the bearings every 3-4 months. "Problem" disappeared when I switched to a Shimano BB.



RaceFace-suit said:


> Rock indeed. Every carbon crank Race Face has ever made has been designed, tested and manufactured in British Columbia Canada.
> 
> Thanks for riding Race Face!


Ahhh, so it is the machined stuff that is no longer in Canada. Got it.

I will say Race Face CS is awesome - I have had 2 pairs of cranks wear out at the spindle interface, and they supplied me with new parts both times. One of the main reasons I am going to wait and see what this new product looks like before I get my next set of cranks.

Fingers crossed.


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## sfer1 (Feb 22, 2009)

RaceFace-suit said:


> This crankset will play nice with 30mm BB's currently on the market.


But not so nicely with BB92 frames. The BB would need to have really small bearings in order to fit. Smaller bearings mean less durability.

You should offer a 24mm spindle option.

With the proper BB adapter, 24mm spindles are compatible with all frames without sacrificing durability. 30mm spindles aren't.

That's why SRAM offers both options: BB30 (30mm spindle) and GXP (24mm spindle).


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## RaceFace-suit (Jun 29, 2011)

sfer1 said:


> But not so nicely with BB92 frames.


Our 30mm BB92 BB rolls on 19 3.175mm balls. Depending on the manufacturer a standard 6805 (used with 24mm spindles) uses 15 or 16 3.175mm balls.

More of the same sized balls = increased durability.


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## sfer1 (Feb 22, 2009)

I don't see how 3.175mm balls (including the inner and outer races and aluminum caps) would fit.

41mm hole - 30mm spindle - (2 x 3.175mm balls) = 4.65mm left (for the bearings inner and outer races and the caps)

It doesn't seem enough.

Unless you're doing it the same way as THM Carbones.









They use bearings without outer races. It's not a good solution. The balls will damage the caps after a while.

Your Next SL cranks were always compatible with the Shimano HTII standard. Even if your BB's weren't the best, there were plenty of other options one could use. It seems unwise to completely abandon that standard. If people are forced to use your proprietary BB92 bottom bracket and it doesn't turn out to be very good (I doubt it will based on other manufacturer's experiences), it will affect the reputation of your new cranks as a whole. Again, I suggest you to offer both spindle options, like SRAM does.


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## limba (Jan 9, 2004)

Why no 38 tooth single ring and why does it have to say RACEFACE the entire circumference of the ring? One logo is plenty.


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## sfer1 (Feb 22, 2009)

+1 on the 38T single ring. The 36T ring might be too small for some people on 26" or 27.5" bikes.


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## limba (Jan 9, 2004)

Yup. I ride a 26" with a 38 ring and it's perfect for me.


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## rockyuphill (Nov 28, 2004)

You can tell you're not in marketing.  With only one logo it might not be visible in the race photos, with logos all the way around the odds are good that the entire name will be visible in any single camera shot. These are pretty subtle compared to the previous white or silver logos.



limba said:


> Why no 38 tooth single ring and why does it have to say RACEFACE the entire circumference of the ring? One logo is plenty.


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## limba (Jan 9, 2004)

I know why Pros have logos slapped on everything they ride and wear but Joes (speaking for myself) hate it. Enough with the logos.


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## rockyuphill (Nov 28, 2004)

That's what black Sharpies are for  They used to make the Pro and Team rings and the only difference was the maxed out logos on the Team rings, but now they just make one version.



limba said:


> I know why Pros have logos slapped on everything they ride and wear but Joes (speaking for myself) hate it. Enough with the logos.


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## RaceFace-suit (Jun 29, 2011)

More info...

First Look: Race Face 2014 - Next SL Cranks and Turbine Wheelset - Pinkbike


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## MarkMass (Sep 10, 2006)

(Sigh) I wish I had known these were coming out! I bought and installed a set of XTRs for my new Blur LTc a few weeks back.

My LTa might need lightening up, though. I was looking at buying one of the narrow-wide chainrings and going 1x in the front.

I already have the old NextSL on my HT and SixC cranks on my MojoSL.


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## padrefan1982 (Mar 2, 2005)

Drool... Want with 38/24, please!


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## moefosho (Apr 30, 2013)

RaceFace-suit said:


> More info...
> 
> First Look: Race Face 2014 - Next SL Cranks and Turbine Wheelset - Pinkbike


Great article!

I have a question. Can you give me a couple of reasons why I should pay more for the race face crankset compared to the XX1 crankset by sram? Obviously 1 reason is the 150g weight savings. But what else? What Differentiates this new crankset?

Thanks!


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## rockyuphill (Nov 28, 2004)

$1/gm is a pretty good cost for weight saving: $150 = -150gms = good bargain.


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## RaceFace-suit (Jun 29, 2011)

moefosho said:


> Great article!
> 
> But what else? What Differentiates this new crankset?
> 
> Thanks!


Bikerumor does a good job of walking through the advantages here:

Next Gen Race Face Next SL Crankset Unveiled, 495 Grams All In ? Plus Pedals & Wheels!


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## sfer1 (Feb 22, 2009)

I knew it.









=









As I mentioned before, it's not a good solution. The balls will damage the caps after a while.

I have Next SL cranks on 3 of my bikes, but I won't get these new ones unless you offer a 24mm spindle version and larger single rings.


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## RaceFace-suit (Jun 29, 2011)

sfer1 said:


> As I mentioned before, it's not a good solution. The balls will damage the caps after a while.
> 
> I have Next SL cranks on 3 of my bikes, but I won't get these new ones unless you offer a 24mm spindle version and larger single rings.


sfer1 - Thanks for riding Race Face!

Please note we will continue to offer standard bolt on rings up to 40T for use with a 104 spider for trails where a 36T just wont cut it.

Also I am unclear what caps you expect to wear out on our BB92 setup. The outer races are steel just like any other bearing. We have a ton of field hours on these and believe that combined with our unique inner sleeve it is an excellent solution.


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## recitio (Dec 22, 2011)

RaceFace-suit said:


> sfer1 - Thanks for riding Race Face!
> 
> Please note we will continue to offer standard bolt on rings up to 40T for use with a 104 spider for trails where a 36T just wont cut it.
> 
> Also I am unclear what caps you expect to wear out on our BB92 setup. The outer races are steel just like any other bearing. We have a ton of field hours on these and believe that combined with our unique inner sleeve it is an excellent solution.


When will the SL cranks be available?


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## rockyuphill (Nov 28, 2004)

Rocky already has them on bikes at Eurobike.


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## GRAVELBIKE (Oct 7, 2006)

@RaceFace-suit -- Pls check your PMs.


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## RaceFace-suit (Jun 29, 2011)

recitio said:


> When will the SL cranks be available?


Shipping Oct 1... Get your orders in with your LBS.



MileHighMark said:


> @RaceFace-suit -- Pls check your PMs.


@MileHighMark - Sorry for the delay I forwarded your inquire to [email protected] as that is the department to answer your question. Perhaps you can contact that e-mail directly as I know they are slammed.

Thanks for riding Race Face...


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## recitio (Dec 22, 2011)

Thanks for the info!


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## Davide (Jan 29, 2004)

RaceFace-suit said:


> Shipping Oct 1... Get your orders in with your LBS.
> 
> Thanks for riding Race Face...


Finally! Time to upgrade my (1997? can't even remember) Race Face LP Aluminum square taper Cranks. Still running strong but it is time to move them on my city bike :thumbsup:


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## conrad (Jan 27, 2004)

mmmmmmmmm would love a set if they come in 180mm lengths


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## slashy (Dec 7, 2005)

sfer1 said:


> I don't see how 3.175mm balls (including the inner and outer races and aluminum caps) would fit.
> 
> 41mm hole - 30mm spindle - (2 x 3.175mm balls) = 4.65mm left (for the bearings inner and outer races and the caps)
> 
> ...


I'm a 200% with sfer on this one.


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## spsoon (Jul 28, 2008)

conrad said:


> mmmmmmmmm would love a set if they come in 180mm lengths


+1


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## BJF (Apr 11, 2005)

So what will these cost?

I assume they will work on my Rocky 999.


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## pssaenz (Jan 21, 2007)

*HELP! How to install Direct Mount ring on crank arm*

Hi. I can't install a Direct Mount ring on the crank arm of a NEXT SL (fat bike) since I can't separate the inner fastening ring from the crank arm. That's probably a bad description so let me elaborate. There's an aluminum black ring (RaceFace logo and 40Nm torque spec on it) that seems to be pressed into the outer, big star of the crank arm. The ring has to go in between that ring and the crank arm but I can't separate those two pieces.

Should I just using a screw driver or something like that as a lever? I tried that without applying too much force and it's not budging one bit. Any advice?

Thanks!


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## RaceFace-suit (Jun 29, 2011)

You need to use a Park tool BBT-22 bottom bracket tool. Any bike shop and most home kits will have this tool. 

I hope that helps.


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## Singlespeed McGee (Jun 14, 2009)

A standard bottom bracket cup tool is what you need. It is normal right hand thread as well, so lefty loosey righty tighty.


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## shupack (Nov 28, 2012)

pssaenz said:


> ......
> Should I just using a screw driver or something like that as a lever?.......
> 
> Thanks!


NOOOOO!!!!!!!! it's threaded, it unscrews, it is not pressed on.


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## pssaenz (Jan 21, 2007)

Thank you for the info. I have that tool and already installed the ring.

Now I'm having trouble getting a wrench or tool that fits the BB. Is there a standard tool that fits the diameter and notches on this BB? Or do I need to get the Race Face Next SL Wrench Crank Tool? Also, it looks that for tightening the NDS crank arm I need a 16mm hex key. I can't find that anywhere either (park tool, lowes, home depot, etc.).

I love these cranks but the need for specific/hard to find tools is a bit of a turn off. It's already a bit of a pain to have to buy these specific tools to be able to install the crankset properly, but what's really annoying is that there's no info/warning/recommendation about the need to do this when one buys the cranks, or even after getting the BB, for example (no instruction or notice about the proper tool to install them in the box). So one only learns about this when trying to install. I'm hoping the LBS can help me tomorrow otherwise it'll be a dew days until I can ride my bike because of this.


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## RaceFace-suit (Jun 29, 2011)

Hello. I'm sorry you are having trouble with this install. We have tried to make the tools required as generic and available as possible. You are correct that the lack of full tear down instructions is inconvenient. For that we are sorry it is something we are working to complete.

Regarding your issues, this info should help.

Ring. Use Park BBT-22. 
BSA30 BB. Use Raceface BB wrench or tools by Rotor, Enduro, or Zipp. 
NDS bolt. It uses a 16mm wrench or a 5/8" (more ready available). If there is currently a spindle installed use the same wrench to remove the DS puller cap and use the puller cap assembly to pull the existing spindle. Fat bike spindles are currently shipping with a new puller cap assembly.

I hope this helps. As always you can contact [email protected] for more info.


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## MarkMass (Sep 10, 2006)

I have the previous generation NextSLs and SixC cranks. I've been eye-balling the new NextSL since they were announced. It looks like the BSA30 BBs are finally getting out to the distributors so I was >< this close to pulling the trigger on a set. I think I need to hold off for a bit longer.

pssaenz: Thanks for posting! Please continue posting so we can all learn from your experiences. Sorry that I can't help you. I generally don't guinea pig things so I wait until others have figured it out and then I switch. 

RF Suit: Thanks for responding to this thread. We all understand technology changes and gets better, but there's little more frustrating than waiting months, spending $$$, and essentially having a paper weight.

What is the complete list of tools required for an install?

I have the Park BBT-22 tool and all sorts of wrenches. Does the RF BB wrench come with the BB? The splining on the BB doesn't look like a 24mm external BB wrench/socket would work.


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## pssaenz (Jan 21, 2007)

Hi. Thank you for the info. I did my first ride with this cranks. The whole bike was new (and my first fatty) so I can't still do proper review but they felt great. I rode through a lot of technical sections and I really appreciated the crank arm boots.

What I can speak about is the installation (w/ the proper tools). It was a breeze. I put these (NEXT SL for 170mm back spacing) in my 907 with 190mm rear spacing and the cinch system was great to adjust the chain line.


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## RaceFace-suit (Jun 29, 2011)

MarkMass said:


> RF Suit: Thanks for responding to this thread. We all understand technology changes and gets better, but there's little more frustrating than waiting months, spending $$$, and essentially having a paper weight.
> 
> What is the complete list of tools required for an install?
> 
> I have the Park BBT-22 tool and all sorts of wrenches. Does the RF BB wrench come with the BB? The splining on the BB doesn't look like a 24mm external BB wrench/socket would work.


Tools required for BB install:

BSA30 - RF, Rotor, Enduro or Zipp BSA30 BB wrench. This does not come with the BB but is readily available at most shops and from us.

All pressfit standards - bearing or headset press (the same as any other press fit BB)

Tools required for a standard crank install:

8mm hex - This is in the DS arm and is used for install and removal

Tools required for advanced crank installations:

Park BBT-22 - used to remove the spider lockring
16mm or 5/8" hex key - Used to remove/install the NDS bolt and DS puller cap. An 8mm to 16mm adapter from Race Face is coming soon.
8mm hex - This is in the DS arm and is used for install and removal.

If you have any more questions please contact [email protected]

I hope this helps,
RF


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## MarkMass (Sep 10, 2006)

Many thanks for your feedback and responding to our questions!

I ordered a set of the new Next SL cranks. I got tired of waiting for the 32t x 175mm to become available so I ordered a triple (in-stock) and a separate 32t chainring. That gives me options if I want to switch things around.

I had to place three separate orders at different vendors for the cranks+BB, 32t chainring, and BB wrench which was annoying. The RF BB wrench was hard to locate or out of stock so I ordered one from RWC/Enduro. 



RaceFace-suit said:


> Tools required for BB install:
> 
> BSA30 - RF, Rotor, Enduro or Zipp BSA30 BB wrench. This does not come with the BB but is readily available at most shops and from us.
> 
> ...


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