Brand new from Race Face is the Era crankset. Designed to cover everything from XC riding through to enduro racing, the Era is a premium crankset that represents the next generation in carbon technology from the Canadian component creators.
Further bolstering durability is the addition of stainless steel scuff guards on the outside of each arm, while thick rubber crank boots provide added rock strike protection.
Despite its strength-forward design, the Race Face Era crankset is still bloody light. Including a 32T chainring, our test cranks came in at just 491g, which is lighter than Shimano XTR and barely 20g heavier than a Next SL crankset.
The Race Face Era crankset is available in a number of different variations. We went for 165mm crank arms, though 170 and 175mm lengths are also available. You’ll then need to purchase a chainring, which comes in a standard direct mount (52mm chainline) and a direct mount wide (55mm chainline). The chainring attaches to the crankarm via the Cinch system.
As with most Race Face cranks, the Era is built around a hollow 30mm spindle made from 7055 alloy. Race Face makes a variety of bottom brackets to suit, and in our case we went with the BSA threaded option. The sealing is substantial, and after installing the crankset, a threaded preload collar is used to snug up the bearings as needed.
We’ve been impressed with the fit and finish of the Era crankset, though that’s to be expected given the premium price tag. As to how they perform? Thanks to their modular construction, we’ll be able to test the Era cranks across a variety of bikes over the coming season to see how they fare, and whether those durability claims hold true.
