Shimano Dura-Ace FC-9000 11-Speed Crankset
11-speeds? Absolutely. Lighter weight? You got it. The marriage between a standard and compact crankset? Amen. The Shimano Dura-Ace FC-9000 11-Speed Crankset has once again revolutionized the market through common sense design that, for one reason or another, no one else has attempted. Finally, we can run either compact or standard rings on one spider, and even better, FC-9000 hasn't compromised a thing. In fact, it's lighter, just as stiff, and sleeker than 7900. Beauty and intelligence -- the total package. Easily, Dura-Ace 9000's most striking and recognizable feature is the FC-9000 crankset -- and this is for good reason. On the surface, the FC-9000 is a complete departure from the traditional aesthetics of Dura-Ace. Gone are the days of the five-arm spider, and the necessity for a separate compact crankset has also fallen by the wayside. Instead, 9000 features a shift to a new four-arm spider design. This occured for many reasons, but most notably, it's because the four-arm spider matches rigidity with 7900 while shaving around 52 grams. However, 9000 has more than meets the eye. Like 7900, you'll find the continuation of Shimano's Hollowtech II construction. Over the past few iterations of Dura-Ace, this manufacturing methodology has played an integral role in attaining weight reduction without sacrificing Dura-Ace's superior stiffness. It's this balance of Shimano practicing tried-and-true forging methods, while still treading into unknown waters, that makes Dura-Ace more of a continuation than an innovation. We mean this in the best possible way. Shimano has learned what works, and over the years, has continually added to, and improved, the ideology of Dura-Ace. Hollowtech II and Hollowglide are prime examples of this. Strategic placement of hollow aluminum throughout the crankset and chainrings allows more structural material to be used, and when coupled with Shimano's integrated bottom bracket, creates an unrivaled weight-to-stiffness ratio. The four-ar...