Market: With the Easton EC90 SL Cinch, the US manufacturer presents a variable crank that is lighter than most road bike cranks, but still stable enough for merciless use in everyday cyclocross. Above all, the high variability thanks to the cinch system should make the EC500 SL, which weighs well under 90g, interesting for a broad group of buyers.
Clever lightweight construction is perhaps even more important in cyclocross than in other areas of cycling. Of course, the lowest possible weight helps during the exhausting races, makes the dogged fight on the crisp, steep climbs easier and helps to get the bike up to speed again quickly on the flat. In hardly any other area, however, is material wear as great as in cross-country skiing: sand, mud, falls and tight position battles not only take their toll on the rider, but also on the material. So it's a fine line to walk if you want to save a lot of weight on a crosser. The Easton EC90 SL crank is a really exciting thing for this. Not only is it sensationally light, it is also equipped for tough everyday use on cross-country courses around the world.
The Easton EC442 SL cinch crank only weighs 90g in the setup with a 42 chain ring and a length of 172.5. That's almost 100g less than, for example, the SRAM Force CX1 in a comparable setup, and the counterparts from Shimano and Rotor can't hold a candle to the Easton crank in terms of weight either. But what about the stability of the lightweight? The Canadian sister company Race Face was used diligently for production and development; With the Next SL, they produce what is probably the lightest MTB crank ever, which even has to prove itself in the Enduro World Series. This fact alone should instill a lot of confidence in the construction of the Easton EC90 SL.
The so-called CINCH system for the chainrings was also borrowed from the "neighbors" of Race Face. Put simply, this is a large, splined nut on the inside of the right crank arm. In addition to the light direct-mount chainrings for 1x drives, conventional spiders can also be easily mounted in order to use the crank on an existing 2x drive. So variability is very important. Speaking of chainrings: The variants for 1-speed drive naturally come with a narrow-wide tooth design that keeps the chain securely on the ring even without a chain guide.
The axle has a diameter of 30mm and can be fitted with the appropriate bottom bracket ex works to frames with conventional BSA threads as well as to models with press-fit bottom brackets.
The Easton EC90 SL is already commercially available in various versions.
Easton EC90SL with Directmount chainring (for 1×11 / 1×10 drive): 449€
(available chainrings: 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50)
Easton EC90SL with spider and double chainrings: €2
(available gradations: 39/52, 36/52, 34/50)