2016 Sea Otter Classic

The Next SL Cranks come in Yeti blue, KTM Orange, Honda Red, and Henry Ford Black.

The Next SL Cranks come in Yeti blue, KTM Orange, Honda Red, and Henry Ford Black (click to enlarge).​

While Race Face already had some of the lightest enduro rated cranks on the market in the form of the Next SL cranks, the brand went back to the drawing board to find news ways to help reduce weight and increase stiffness.

Weight for the crankset, with a 32 t chainring was 438 g.

Weight for the crankset, with a 32t chainring is 438g (click to enlarge).​

Their new model, the Next SL G4, is 16g lighter. The crank arm is also 20% stronger in the pedal insert area and the chainrings are 13% stiffer in terms of deflection.

Even the crank booties went on a diet.

Even the crank booties went on a diet (click to enlarge).​

The secret to the weight loss comes largely from refining the shape of the crank arms. Everything down to the crank booties are sleeker and lighter. Using a carbon spider for the chainring and drilling out the spindle also helped reduce the overall weight.

Did you know that Race Face produces the Next SL cranks at their headquarters in Vancouver?

Did you know that Race Face produces the Next SL cranks at their headquarters in Vancouver? (click to enlarge)​

Despite all the changes, the crank arms still use the Cinch chainring system, so you can swap easily between 1x or dual chainrings, not to mention a plethora of aftermarket offerings. The crank arms are available now for $479 and the new chainrings will ship this summer.

For more info, visit www.raceface.com.

This article is part of Mtbr's coverage of the 2016 Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California. For more from Sea Otter CLICK HERE.