Race Face Announce the Next SL G4 Crankset

Apr 14, 2016
by Race Face  
Race Face Next SL G4
The champ is back for another round with a few new tricks and some classic moves to keep challengers on the ropes.

Race Face Next SL G4
Refined crank arm design integrates seamlessly with composite direct mount chainring.

Building on the lightest, most versatile production carbon crankset on the planet, the Next generation G4 couples Race Face CINCH compatibility with an elegant arm profile that seamlessly integrates the crank arm with the new Next Direct Mount composite chainring.

Race Face Next SL G4
Next direct mount composite ring (patent pending) features an optimized CNC tooth design and carbon fibre spider with alloy interface technology unique to Race Face.

G4 is lighter weight (430g – 32T Direct Mount) with improved lateral chainring stiffness; a critical advantage when the chain is under tension at extreme angles, like those resulting from a 1x system setup.

Race Face Next SL G4
New 30mm super light spindle design CNC'd from an aluminum super alloy, 20% stronger than regular alloys.

If weight and stiffness are not enough of a one-two punch, then futureproofing your setup with the versatility of the CINCH system should be the knock-out blow.

Race Face Next SL G4
Ready for the weigh-in.

NEXT SL G4:

- Hollow carbon crank arms for maximum weight savings.
- Refined crank arm design integrates seamlessly with the composite direct mount chainring.
- 30mm spline interface CNC’d from commercialized super alloy, 20% stronger than 7050 aluminum.
- Removable spider offers the ability to convert between existing chainring standards while remaining flexible to future developments.

Colour: Silver, Stealth, Red Blue and Orange
Built For: XC Race/Trail/Enduro
Spindle Size: 30mm
Weight: 430g (32T Direct Mount, without BB)
BB Options: BB92/107/124/144, 68/73/83/100/120 BSA, 68/73/83/100/120 PF30 - Compatible with 135/142mm, Boost 148, 150/157mm, 165/170/177mm, and 190/197mm hub standards
Size: 170, 175
MSRP: USD $479.99 (arms only) / USD $549.99 (w/ Direct Mount composite ring)


NEXT SL COMPOSITE RING:

- Next direct mount composite ring (patent pending) features an optimized CNC tooth design and carbon fibre spider with alloy interface technology unique to Race Face.
- Utilizes proven Race Face Next carbon composite technology.
- 3D composite spider design provides lateral stiffness; a critical advantage when the chain is under tension at extreme angles, like those resulting from a 1x system setup.
- Compatible with all Race Face CINCH cranks.

Colour: Carbon
Built For: XC Race/Trail/Enduro
Compatible with: Race Face CINCH cranks
Size: 28T, 30T, 32T, 34T
MSRP: USD $89.99

Availability:
Crank arms available now
Composite ring (32T, 34T) available in June
Composite ring (28T, 30T) available in the fall

MENTIONS: @raceface


Posted In:
Press Releases First Looks Race Face


Author Info:
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111 Comments
  • 69 9
 90USD for a chainring. Where the dentists at?
  • 29 0
 Sram are $100, and don't come with carbon. Although this doesn't mention 11/12/13 speed compatibility.
  • 155 11
 "Where the dentists at?" If only more people in the U.K. asked that question...
  • 19 46
flag marcsb95c (Apr 14, 2016 at 14:05) (Below Threshold)
 @ReXTless: YESSSSS!!!!! HAHAHA! F*cking Limeys!
  • 15 0
 Pinkbike hates dentists
  • 21 1
 Who cares what dentists ride. Does Chester ride these?
  • 2 0
 @kleinblake: unless u have a PPO.
  • 30 19
 @ReXTless: if only Americans learned how to stop eating all the time.
  • 5 2
 90$ for a chainring seems semi reasonable compared with 90$ for a single 42t cog...
  • 13 35
flag weebleswobbles (Apr 14, 2016 at 19:41) (Below Threshold)
 @ReXTless: you sir are an embarrassment to the human race and make us americans seem like arrogant pieces of shit..making cheap shots at other nationalities? Grow up and Please find the quickest way to commit suicide and quit sucking up our oxygen because you are a piece of shit
  • 11 4
 @seanryan: That's funny coming from you since Ireland has the highest obesity rate in all of Europe
  • 12 3
 @seanryan: The funniest part of this is that obesity rates in Ireland are WAY higher than they are in America. Like 40-50% higher.
  • 6 1
 @Alias530: seems unlikely: obesity.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=004371#II

Also, we're number 3! Go Canada! Eat eat eat!
  • 2 0
 @powderturns: But with the cog you get more teeth per dollar Wink
  • 2 0
 @ReXTless: haha I shit myself after I read this comment!
  • 2 0
 @weebleswobbles: Simma down now... breathe... enjoy some cowbell... aaaahhhhhh vein in head residing....
  • 1 1
 @powderturns: www.irishtimes.com/news/health/ireland-set-to-be-most-obese-country-in-europe-who-says-1.2201731

"In terms of obesity alone, the estimates show a big jump for women in the Irish Republic, soaring from 23 per cent to 57 per cent. The proportion of obese Irish men was expected to increase from 26 per cent to 48 per cent, while the figure for those either overweight or obese rises from 74 per cent to 89 per cent."
  • 1 0
 @manchvegas: yes I feel better thanks manchvegas
  • 1 0
 @Alias530: yay
  • 17 1
 www.sicklines.com/gallery/data/529/raceface-next-sl-crankset-175mm-32t.jpg

Maybe these old ones with a 16.9 gram difference will go on sale now? Big Grin
  • 23 1
 No reason to even pick the old ones up. 16.9 grams is just too much
  • 26 0
 @ibishreddin: the real problem is no water bottle mounts
  • 1 2
 @ibishreddin: My guess is the old ones will be discontinued to force you into the new more expensive ones
  • 12 1
 The year is 2035, my 2016 race face next cranks are now suffering from severe parkinson's disease.
  • 46 3
 who are you, bike tyson?
  • 3 4
 @rocky-mtn-gman: you win the internet today
  • 15 1
 kickstander holyfield?
  • 6 0
 shit these are hard, i quit.
  • 4 0
 @rocky-mtn-gman: Bob Johnson... Oh wait
  • 2 0
 How are the e-bikes in 2035?
  • 19 9
 lost me at Aluminum super alloy. Not a thing. I'll give you aircraft grade and military grade, but those are both a stretch.
  • 19 1
 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superalloy
  • 5 0
 Superalloys are nickel or cobalt based, not aluminum...
  • 7 3
 @Sky-hi: savage
  • 2 3
 @Arnoodles:

Microstructure of superalloys[edit]

In pure Ni3Al phase atoms of aluminium are placed at the vertices of the cubic cell and form the sublattice
  • 17 0
 @TheOriginalTwoTone: that's nickel aluminide, not an aluminum alloy. Completely different things. Aluminum alloys are designated with a xxxx number such as the 7050 mentioned in the article. There are aluminum alloys as strong as they're claiming, but they're not super alloys in the technical sense, just in the marketing bs sense.
  • 4 0
 All bike parts manufacturer should just give the material number and stop giving bullshit commercial names So we can make an objective comparison
  • 4 1
 @Sylvain-F: well that's not possible Frown I agree that FACTS are always nice and help comparisons. But giving just the aluminium grade doesn't help much.
We know that : 7XXX and 2XXX can be made stronger than 6XXX. So often high end components are some 7075 or 2014. Same as we know that butted tubes can save weight while being strong enough.
What we don't know (and what makes the grade information nearly irrelevant) : how the material has been hardened.

It's useless for manufacturers to declare "we heated up the material to 300°C for 76 minutes, then put it into 22°C oil, and then 150°C for 3 hours". They always do things like this, but it's a secret/magical/scientific recipe that they won't give away and which we can't translate into results.

Although they could give the material's final properties (not just yield strength etc), but then they sould also give the exact proportions. Or they could give us directly the CAD files so we can judge if there's enough material where we think there needs to be...


All I'm trying to say is that any grade can be shit, or the design can be shit, we won't know before we bend some crank arm or at least feel its deflection under load. And unfortunately, some "it's 7075 aircraft grade al !" doesn't prove anything, except that the manufacturer wants to make us feel good.
  • 2 0
 @Uuno: they'll almost always use a regular heat treatment like t6, which they could just say. These people are bike designers, not metallurgists. They're not devising their own proprietary heat treatments.

But sure, even providing the exact alloy and heat treatment wouldn't be that meaningful on it's own. Their target audience for marketing isn't engineers.
  • 2 0
 @Sky-hi: Did you read it? I'm not saying there is no such thing as a super alloy. I work with them fairly regular basis, but they are not an aluminum alloy.
  • 1 1
 @riffratt: nah. I dont read. Just wanted to point out that "Not a thing" was completely incorrect.
  • 2 0
 @Sky-hi: he specified aluminum super alloy as not being a thing, which is completely correct.
  • 9 0
 For sale: SRAM XO carbon crankset
  • 10 4
 So we get rid of 104 BCD and implement direct mount, but now we take a step back and reintroduce the spider. WTF industry. REgardless, swicked product
  • 19 0
 blame 1by for needing increased angular stresses. Next they'll bring out a crazy contraption that lets you have 2 gears in the front! i'll be darned!
  • 14 2
 It's not a spider... It's just a carbon/alloy direct mount ring.
  • 4 1
 @aristotlepeters: oh, thanks for the clarification hehe (ps. it does say spider)
  • 6 0
 Looks like direct mount to me. The centre of the DM ring is carbon.
  • 2 0
 @Sky-hi:
NEXT SL G4:

- Hollow carbon crank arms for maximum weight savings.
- Refined crank arm design integrates seamlessly with the composite spider.
- 30mm spline interface CNC’d from commercialized super alloy, 20% stronger than 7050 aluminum.
- Removable spider offers the ability to convert between existing chainring standards while remaining flexible to future developments.

comes down to the "spider" definition i'd imagine.
  • 2 0
 @aristotlepeters: I can't wait till someone revolutionises the carbon direct mount apparatus so that I can just replace the wearable sprocket.......
  • 1 0
 @BoneDog: Maybe they can make one that has a replaceable ring for the chain that attaches with four bolts? Someday...
  • 6 2
 Looks awesome! I really wish they would get ride of those little CNC'd dirt shelves below the teeth. There's no reason that they can't chamfer that edge a bit to make it shed crud better and make it easier to clean.
  • 3 3
 OneUp did the same and it works alright...
  • 4 1
 The only carbon crankset worth attention in my worthless opinion because it is the only one actually shaving some more weight compared to aluminium cranks like SLX, which cost waaaay less.
  • 6 1
 Race Face: Sponsored by Everlast?
  • 8 0
 @brusmaster: this is an "un.boxing" article.
  • 3 0
 No shots of the back of the arm? Looks to me like they kept the same geometry for the front and possibly just changed the back geometry.
  • 1 0
 Edit: Didnt look close enough, there seems to be new geo around the spindle end.
  • 6 4
 Snaps right . Just snapped a race face next sl. All 4 bolt holes separated from the chainring while cranking down into a climb. Hope the new generation is better than the next...well...or last one.
  • 6 3
 www.pinkbike.com/photo/13379910
  • 4 3
 @MelvieD: They probably won't warranty them now that you sold them out on pinkbike. Haha. Derp.
  • 3 3
 @dualsuspensiondave: they offered me 30% off a new set plus chainring and bb. I've been big supporters, my other bike has a Sixc on it. That was a total failure, could have cost me, you know...my life. A bit of drama there, but come on, that's a 600$ piece of plastic, should be able to drop it out of a plane. I didn't expect a freebie, it had 3200 miles on it, but obviously a manufacturers defect. 30% off, they were only knocking the wholesaler out of the equation. They were going to make theres.
  • 4 1
 @MelvieD: I was just joking around. They should've replaced yours for free. I hope they offer me more than 30% off new ones. My pedal insert broke out of my Next SL cranks.
  • 3 3
 @dualsuspensiondave: Good luck. There a conglomeration now. That means no accountability. We could get x'd, just for talking about this
  • 8 5
 You bought the lightest mtb crankset and then expect it to be impossible to break after 3200 miles? 30% off seems reasonable after 3200 miles. If you want forever cranks, don't buy the lightest cranks on the market.
  • 2 1
 @MelvieD: Did you check the mounting directions? I'm sure I recollect somewhere that your older generation next sl cranks needed washers between the bolts.

Might be barking up the wrong tree though.
  • 3 4
 @dfiler: A; 3200 miles is not forever, it's less than a season, you need to get out more
B; 30% is slightly less than you can buy the cinch system at Jenson. There industry pro forms are way more off than that.
C; that was a total failure, not a crash replacement, and
D; if this had happened to you, you might feel otherwise
  • 1 2
 @MelvieD: Its worth noting that the crankset that failed on you was made back in the old facility of Raceface. Their carbon crank products have improved many, many times over since then. Breaking a 1st gen Next crank at the tabs like you did isn't unheard of in the slightest. A combination the fact that is the easiest place to impact on the crank along with the thin profile of the tabs made them fail frequently when pushed too hard. In fact, it was one of the main reasons to break away from carbon molded tabs into direct mount with Next V2. That's why Next V2 is sold as a more durable product (XC Race/Trail) rather than just XC (Next V1).
  • 1 2
 @Terrafire: again, this was not impact related, simply snapped during an uphill transition. The new design is obviously better, and an evolutionary step forward due to the previous issues of the v1 you stated. problem is, if Race Face doesn't stand behind there product now, they are not going to stand behind it later. We have opportunities now, thanks to sites like Pinkbike, to voice our opinions, and hopefully force an industry that is moving further away from customer service and time proven product manufacturing, to become more liable for inferior product. Yes, I bought a lightweight carbon crankset, and road it many a mile. It should still, in my opinion, not break under the load of my 170lb weight. I own and have owned many carbon mountain bikes, are they to expected to beak under normal riding conditions? Where is the line drawn. I bought a new crankset, and have moved on. I just thought it ironic this review came up 3 days after my incident.The 600+ people that have viewed the picture I posted may chose to go another route
  • 2 1
 @MelvieD: while that may be, I doubt that those many, many miles left your cranks with no damage. By the sounds of things Raceface offered to step you up to a v3 crank and a significantly lower price. If I rode a set of any other cranks into the ground I'm doubtful that any other manufacturer would replace them for free either.
  • 2 2
 @Terrafire: since when is 3200 miles into the ground. I ride approximately 32 miles a day. In 100 days your there. Are we now supposed to throw our bikes away and get new ones 3 times a year. I had an iron horse mkiii I rode for 9 years. It had about 15000 miles on it, and all I did was change tires, chains, cassettes, and chai rings, never even serviced the bomber fork on it. It's last year in service, I road the entrance to horse thief canyon on it. I've been around son, and broke plenty of parts and frames. I'm fortunate enough to be able to buy pretty much whatever I want now, so this is not about money. It's about owning up and taking responsibility, a problem our society is severely deficient in these days. They didn't offer me shit, they were still profiting immensely at 30% off, which is probably 30% more than chain reaction pays for them. I know your like 12 and you don't understand the world very well, but when you get a little older, and a lot more sinacle, you will understand that not everyone has your best interest in mind.
  • 3 1
 @MelvieD: So how long ago did you buy these cranks then? Sounds like it should have been 100 days ago. Did you get a deal on some NOS ones, or did you pick up a used set. I don't expect parts to just break, but these are like at least 3 or 4 years old. Did you have them on your bike for at least 3 or 4 years, regardless of how many miles you put on them? Just wondering how you could have such old cranks, and purportedly ride so much (32 miles a day) and yet still have only 3200 miles on these.
  • 2 2
 @TucsonDon: I have several bikes. Cranks were installed less than 2 years ago, and the last year has been a busy one for me. The year before I rode about 5800 miles between road(cross), xc/am, and downhill. I road 18 states and 2 Canadian provinces in 2014. I even road in your town, at the ranch, with two guys in a yellow Wv rabbit truck. Had crankset installed in Tahoe that year by South Shore Bikes. I have 2 of the same bike, one with a Sixc on it. I ride, I'm legit!
  • 2 1
 @MelvieD: Yep. I'm obviously 12 and have no idea what I'm talking about. Its not like I worked for Raceface managing their carbon crank production for two years or anything...

Good luck with your cynicism.
  • 2 2
 @Terrafire: that's the problem! 12 year olds are managing production at Race Face. No wonder they have issues!
  • 6 1
 28T, 30T, 32T, and 34T are not metric! That's it - it's not compatible!
  • 1 1
 So, did anyone notice the number of BB and hub standards they list as being compatible with! This is what frustrates me most about the bike industry! They are creating ways to make our current bikes incompatible and therefore obsolete, forcing customers to "upgrade" to the latest and "greatest"! Rant over.
  • 5 1
 BMX have direct mount more than 15 years as well as axels
  • 1 0
 Damn it. Literally just got some Next SL on my new bike last week. That's alright, they're freaking awesome so far. Hardly any weight advantage to the new ones, and I run Wolftooth chainrings anyway.
  • 1 1
 Race face currently has the worst customer service I have ever experienced. Every time I call in to check on a wheel that they are partially warrantying either no one answers the phone or I get different answer, every time. They have had the rim now 4 weeks, claimed they shipped it two weeks ago but they have no tracking number. The rim has been paid for and nothing in the mail. Just felt this was the right opportunity to vent, although I like their products they really need to step up their customer service game.
  • 4 1
 But will it fly like an Eagle?
  • 2 0
 So: how much weight is gained in respect to the previous NEXT SL? 430 grams with 32 seems around 15 grams less, is that so?
  • 1 0
 And don't forget when purchasing this $549 dream that you can't live without, you'll also need a new bottom bracket, might aswell go big on that to!
  • 2 1
 They don't tell us how much the new ring weighs??? Maybe because that is where only weight saving is?!? bahahaha
  • 1 0
 I was thinking the same thing. If weight savings is only 16 grams, I'd hope some of that is in those fancy-looking, expensive chainrings...
  • 3 1
 no 165mm crank arms so I'll never own one
  • 5 0
 SIXC is your avenue.
  • 3 1
 No 180mm arms so I'll never own them.
  • 2 0
 FAIL, not Pinion Gbox compatible, if so I would b jizzed
  • 3 1
 Very sexy!
  • 1 1
 it's not bad....I guess. Wink
  • 1 2
 @RobRoberts Your opinion doesn't count....
  • 2 0
 12 speed compatible?
  • 2 1
 Holy shit that price, you can buy a fucking power meter for that much.
  • 1 1
 Hmmm. Pricey....but looks good.
  • 1 1
 Are they boxing ring certified?
  • 3 2
 Snap!
  • 3 3
 all nice , but sad. no 24 mm spindle version.
  • 3 0
 they don't need to be, theyre cinch. they still fit in regular frames, just with a special bottom bracket
  • 2 2
 Does it still have a terrible chainline?
  • 2 0
 Which one is terrible?

www.raceface.com/media/Crank_Q-factors_and_chainlines.pdf
  • 1 0
 I have Wolftooth chainrings on mine. 49mm chainline. Works great. There's good deals on just the arms anyway.
  • 1 1
 I like it a lot and that axle shape is so crazy
  • 1 0
 Sexy
  • 1 1
 Is the new SRAM eagle not lighter? (and way cheaper.....)
  • 1 0
 Definitely not lighter
  • 1 1
 Is carbon fibre lighter than carbon fiber?
  • 2 2
 And they're metric!!!
  • 1 3
 Carbon is making its way into some places that I would much rather not see carbon on a bicycle..
  • 1 3
 I'm sure MEC will sell tons of them :p

silly RaceFace







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