This double crankset has been made for SRAM’s new 2x10 X5 drivetrain, which will be making its presence felt on mid-range bikes soon, but you can opt to run a nine-speed chain on it too.
As with most cranksets around this price, the inner ring is steel, but we’re not moaning as we’d rather carry a little extra weight than have the limited durability of low cost aluminium rings. Shifting is almost as good as with SRAM’s much more costly units.
Considering that a lot of top-end cranksets only weigh 100g or so less than this and are almost imperceptibly stiffer, this is a wise buying decision for most riders. The beauty of a crankset like this is that it’s equally good for beginners and experts alike.
Weight is reasonable and the price is so good that’s you’re probably better off replacing the whole unit when the rings wear. As is the norm with black cranksets it starts looking scruffy from ankle rub within a very short period of time, so go for the silver option if you're fussy.
Also consider: SRAM X7 double, £160. For a little more money you could save a little weight.
This article was originally published in What Mountain Bike magazine, available on Apple Newsstand and Zinio.