The bonded aluminium cranks are claimed to weigh less than 400g
Garbaruk’s new XC Crankset takes a different path from conventional lightweight crank arms, opting for aluminium rather than carbon fibre.
Designed for cross-country racing, Garbaruk claims the new crankset is as light as carbon cranksets but keeps the stiffness and reliability of aluminium designs.
While aluminium cranks are often considered a budget option, the XC Crankset costs £459/$420 for the bare crank arms.
I have a Garbaruk XC Crankset with 170mm arms and a matching 34-tooth oval chainring to see how they perform on the trail.
Garbaruk XC Crankset
The Garbaruk XC Crankset weighs a claimed 400g without chainring. That in itself is not unusual. Race Face and E13 offer crank arms under this weight. However, this is still impressive given that Garbaruk’s cranks use aluminium.
Garbaruk uses a two-piece hollow body design for the crank arms. The two sides of each crank arm are machined from aluminium and are then bonded together.
The crank arms are broad, which should keep stiffness high. Perhaps as a consequence of this, though, the Q-factor is 170mm. This is wider than the 162mm of Shimano’s XTR M9100, but in between the 168mm or 174mm of SRAM’s XX SL cranks.
Using aluminium means Garbaruk can anodise the XC Crankset and offer it in several colours, much like its cassettes. Riders can choose from one of eight colours for the crank arms and lockrings.
My test set features silver arms and black lockrings. Silver may be plain, but it should withstand heel rub better than the other colours.
The construction of the arms is unusual, but the rest of the crankset is fairly standard.
The aluminium spindle is 30mm in diameter and 136mm long for a 52mm chainline. This means it’s not fully compatible with SRAM’s new T-Type Transmissions. Garbaruk claims its chainrings are compatible with T-Type chains, so I will try and see how this setup works.
Garbaruk DM MTB Chainring
Garbaruk’s DM MTB Chainring pairs with the crank arms. The chainring is offered in a range of sizes from 26-36T. Like the crank arms, you can choose from eight colours.
Unusually, Garbaruk uses Cannondale’s Hollowgram fitment for its chainring. While many brands use SRAM’s 3-bolt standard, Garbaruk’s use of Cannondale’s fitment means your chainring options will be more limited. Even so, the direct mount design means changes should be easy.
The lockring is a finely machined piece that looks to keep the weight down.
Garbaruk offers 3mm (boost) or 6mm (standard) offsets and round or oval profiles. I have the 34T oval 3mm offset chainring.
Garbaruk uses a 108-degree clocking on the oval chainring. Garbaruk claims this provides even pedalling torque at the wheel.
This should minimise dead spots in your pedal stroke and make riding uphill easier, particularly on soft or slippery terrain.
As with most single chainrings used in 1x drivetrains, Garbaruk uses an alternating narrow-wide tooth profile. This creates a tighter contact patch between the teeth and the chain to help keep the chain in place.
Garbaruk says it has increased the height of the teeth to further improve chain retention.
Chamfered edges and wider mud gaps between the teeth should help reduce mud build-up in wet conditions.
I will use the XC Crankset and DM MTB chainring on my Transition Spur to see how they deal with winter riding – so keep an eye out for a full review in the coming months.
Garbaruk XC Crankset Drivetrain Pricing & Specification
- Crank Arms: £459/$420
- Chainring: £81.99/$72
- Crank Arms: 391g claimed weight (170mm arms without chainring – claimed)
- Chainring: 68g (34T Oval)
- Colour options: Black, Blue, Gold, Green, Orange, Red, Silver, Violet