It’s had a lot of its cost-effective thunder stolen by SLX, but Shimano’s XT crankset is still a great way to turn the chain on any bike.
The smoothly sculpted four-arm spider and forged Hollowtech II crank arms are similar to SLX’s but have a slightly more fluid shape. You get a hard-anodised alloy – rather than steel – inner ring too, which contributes to a 24g weight saving. The benchmark shifting performance from the precision-formed pocketed and shaped outer ring with reinforced steel pins is identical though, and you get the same BB70 external bottom bracket.
The black arms can look tired after just a single ride (it’s available in silver too). There’s no BB30 or single ring option, though aftermarket BB adaptors and rings are available.
