It’s been a few years since Race Face released its Era crank, launching a new line of lightweight carbon fiber parts for the Vancouver-based company. Race Face seems to have spent the time since that 483g crank launched looking for ways to shave weight off it for an SL version.
The result? 61 grams.
The new Era SL crank comes in at a feathery 422g. That’s 61g lighter than the original Era.
That impressively low weight is for a 170mm cranks and includes a 32t chaining and hardware. Race Face also offers 160mm, 165mm and, for the old school types not buying into the short crank craze, 175mm.
How? Race Face moves to an integrated spindle, which cuts some weight from hardware. The stainless steel wear plate that made its debut on the Era crank, and which is surprisingly effective on that crank at reducing shoe-rub-related wear, shrinks.
Despite the wildly low weight, Race Face is still covering the Era SL with its lifetime warranty, which includes crashes. We remain impressed with how well the Era cranks have held up over years of abuse. Those are meant for much more aggressive riding, so its conceivable that shaving 61g off the Era will leave the SL version plenty durable for the “downcountry” intended purpose. Will the smaller wear plate be just as effective? Who knows.
The Era SL adds about as much to the cost of the crankset, compared to the original Era, as it shaves off. That is an eye watering $650 (USD 577). Not cheap. But not heavy, either. Race Face offers the Era SL in black, “Kashmoney” to match your Fox Factory parts, and “stealth.”