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Like the principal dancer in an elaborate ballet, the crankset stands as the pristine star of your drivetrain. Though it usually loses its original gleam after a day or two spent rallying through the dirt and mud, the crankset carries significant functional and aesthetic responsibilities. When Shimano overhauled its entire SLX groupset for this year, it showed an admirable attention to both, revealing a resplendent redesign that narrows the gap between SLX and its pricier siblings. If parting with your granny gear sends chills down your spine, the SLX FC M7000 2x Crankset makes one hell of an upgrade for your trail bike, without losing the affordability SLX has always delivered. Trickle down technology is the big story with the FC M7000, appearing in the form of Shimano's Dynamic Chain Engagement DCE tooth profile, shaped to grab onto your chain without slowing it down on its journey. Together with the 3D composite chainring profile, the design increases retention by 150% from older designs, and we can't help but note that it looks as clean as it functions. The crankset's aluminum construction blends low weight with durability, and Shimano worked to improve longevity with this latest iteration of SLX. It also shaved weight from the bottom bracket, and lessened the seal drag for a more efficient design overall. Shimano significantly raised the bar on what it means to be a workhorse groupset with the SLX overhaul, and we'd imagine yours won't be the only all new SLX drivetrain you're seeing on the trails pretty soon.
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