Race Face Next R Crankset: Customer Review

Our awesome Customer William got himself a nice upgrade to some carbon Race Face Next R cranks. Sounds like it was a win-win. Check out his review to hear more!

Overview

I get it now. I get that I should have put my hands on a set of Race Face carbon cranks well before I ended up doing so. Certainly, I fouled that one up, let me help you not make the same mistake, go carbon and do it now.

I've been on a set of Race Face Next R cranks now for three months, and what a difference! No flexing, and perfectly stiff while still durable and light. I'll also admit there was high geek factor in my purchase of these cranks and let's be honest, if you're reading this then you probably think carbon fiber is cool too. I plugged the Next R's into my 2016 Santa Cruz Bronson CC along with a Chris King ThreadFit 30mm bottom bracket. It’s a great combination that pedals as smooth as butter even in the rough stuff. So far I've mashed the Rally offering from Race Face throughout my local trails and through trips to Moab, Gooseberry, and Sedona. They've also come through repetitive days at the Park City and Snow Summit bike parks with nary a scuff. As a bigger rider at over 6' and 200 pounds plus, I can put a whooping on carbon anything. However, with the Next R's you can count me as impressed with these crank's durability.

Installation

I installed the bottom bracket and cranks myself, although I'm no bike mechanic I find doing my own work very cathartic. This install was quick and easy with plenty of examples found on YouTube. With the ThreadFit BB and specific CK conversion kit from Worldwide Cyclery installed, I slid the spindle through and gave it a nip with the 8mm hex wrench. The final step was adjusting the bearing preload ring to suck up the play and then I used a 2mm hex to snug it up. Thankfully I paid attention to the various install videos and instruction and knew not to over tighten that little screw. I'll agree with other reviewers that it should be a bit more robust and maybe Torx instead of a hex head to prevent clogging up the head. 

Final Thoughts

So, as I said, 3 months in and so far absolute buttery perfect. I'm off for eight days in Whistler in the coming weeks and plan to expose these bad boys to as much abuse as my old bones will allow. If you're on the fence, BUY THEM, you won't regret it.