Shimano’s Deore chainset may be heavy (998g), but at £75 it’s less than half the price of most of the competition.
It’s no surprise to see that Shimano have foregone their hollow-forging tech in favour of a design that’s simply pocketed at the back. They’ve had to use more metal, which is where a lot of the weight comes from, but it won’t let you down.
Fitting is idiot-proof, with a plastic preload nut that’ll fail before you overtighten it. There’s even a cunning pegged spacer on the left-hand arm that prevents you doing up the twin opposing pinch bolts until the crank is correctly positioned on the axle.
The black/grey finish is smart, and there’s a silver option. The shifting is very slick, and inner and middle rings are both made of hard-wearing steel.
