This chunky unit from FSA’s downhill division has been around for a while but we’ve found it’s not as strong as its weight might suggest.
The hollow aluminium arms and spider are forged in one piece, the steel axle is matched with steel pedal inserts, and there’s a thick polycarbonate bashring included.
There’s a spacer ring for the inner chainring, and long upshift bulges with steel ‘helper’ pins move the chain up reasonably easily, if not as smoothly as on Shimano rings. FSA bottom brackets are good though, and the crankset comes in standard and BB30 versions.
While it’s still relatively ‘light’ in ‘gravity’ terms, we’ve had a few reports and experience of it bending more easily than other downhill-orientated setups, at which point the weight looks high.
