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EB16: Praxis Works introduces Micro Compact 48/32t road crank, Direct Mount CX rings, new chain guides, more

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Whatever the reason, sometimes you just need lower gears. In the past that has meant either fitting a larger cassette which isn’t always an option, or fitting a compact, typically 50/34t crank. If you’ve already exhausted those options and still find yourself wanting lower gearing, it looks like Praxis Works will soon have an option for you. Available on the Alba M30 solid forged crankset and the Zayante hollow forged crankset, they will be offering a new compact spider that takes micro gearing to a new level.

Not only that, but their cranksets are becoming much more modular to fit a number of different gearing options…

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In order to fit an incredibly small 32t chainring on the inboard position, the Micro Compact spider has two tricks up its sleeve. First, the spider itself has a small shelf machined onto the tip of each arm. This allows the ring to sit lower and provides clearance for the chain as it rides over the teeth. The other trick is that the chainring bolt actually threads into the inner ring rather than using a threaded nut. The result is a 48/32t micro compact that will get you up some of the steepest hills.

The micro compact spider will also fit standard 110 BCD chainrings but the 32t inner ring will only work on the Praxis Micro Compact Spider. That spider is also cross compatible on various Praxis cranks with removable spiders, but only cranks that are labeled Praxis, not the early Turn cranks. Available now, the micro compact rings will be the same price as their other rings.

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Thanks to the removable spider on their cranks, Praxis can offer direct mount CX rings to take advantage of their partnership with MRP for the Wave tooth profile. Initially available this fall in 40/42t only, additional sizes of the cold forged aluminum rings will be available later.

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Direct Mount spiders also opens up the cranks for power meter options like the one from Power2Max.

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DM CX chainrings gives Praxis an excuse to introduce a new chainguide with their Cross Guide. Meant for road, gravel, or cross bikes with braze on front derailleur mounts, the Cross Guide should fit just about everything with a two bolt mounting position and an adjustable upper guide and a 38-46t capacity.

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For the standard guides, Praxis’ ISCG05 guides are available now, but they will have a new High Direct Mount Guide available this fall as well.

praxiscycles.com

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kt
kt
7 years ago

Seems pretty fitting that Praxis names that crankset after one of the most brutal climbs in Santa Cruz!

Andrew Dasilva
7 years ago

Sold.

Currently running a 48/33t 110BCD x 11-23/25 (depending on terrain and fitness) and love it.

I’d love to be able to use a 11-23 with the 48/30 non-stop. I could almost run a straight 11-21 and have it be like a 50/34 with a 12-25.

http://www.gear-calculator.com/?GR=DERS&KB=30,48&RZ=11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,21&UF=2150&TF=90&SL=2.6&UN=KMH&GR2=DERS&KB2=34,50&RZ2=11,12,13,14,15,17,19,21,23,25&UF2=2240

Andrew Dasilva
7 years ago
Reply to  Zach Overholt

Yeah, I don’t know how to read. I just went on their site and was slightly disappointed, but still satisfied. Their Alu cranks are pretty “cheap” 🙂

Dinger
Dinger
7 years ago
Reply to  Andrew Dasilva

FSA offers several of their cranks in 48/32 and 46/30. Look for the SL-K Adventure. The lower end Omega is listed with these options, too.

Heffe
Heffe
7 years ago

These guys seem to make really well thought out and quality products from top to bottom, from function and durability to price and even graphics.

Morten Knudsen
Morten Knudsen
7 years ago

48/32t – damm

i just bought (another) Chorus 50/34 crank for a new gravel/adventure bike – even looked seriously at the Zayante 50/34 but opted for a slightly used Chorus because it was cheaper while i dreamt about a 46/30t middelburn RO x2

Allan
Allan
7 years ago

48/32 that’s perfect for my girlfriend and probably a lot of other ladies as well. Not saying women aren’t strong, but having an even more compact crank option would allow more people to get up the toughest climbs without mashing.

One small correction, I think the Zayante is the hollow version and Alba the solid version… Not the other way around

Allan
Allan
7 years ago
Reply to  Allan

Oh, and another cool aspect to this is it’s the anti “dinner-plate-cassette” route that seems to be all too popular these days. Everyone wants to shave grams, but going with an even bigger cassette doesn’t make sense to me. The logical approach to me is reduce the size of the chainrings, then you can run a normal sized cassette! I’d love to build up a 48/32, 11-21 drivetrain, that’d be the sweetest, cleanest looking drivetrain ever.

typevertigo
typevertigo
7 years ago
Reply to  Allan

A 48 or 46 big ring is surprisingly useful for most urban riding. Back when my TCX still had its stock 46/36 CX crank I could genuinely use all gear combinations offered by pairing it with a 12-30T cassette while riding around and commuting.

What Praxis (and FSA) have done is to offer the same usable general big ring range but improve low-end. Negotiating very steep slopes on a 36T small ring can be pretty hard for riders who aren’t good climbers, and every tooth difference counts on a small chainring.

When I swapped out the 46/36 for a more typical 50/34, climbing improved, but I find I can’t really push anything harder than 50×15 in general riding and commuting – the top end only comes in handy in race situations and downhill stretches.

Gef
Gef
7 years ago

At first glance of reading the headline I was hoping for a 94 bcd road crank. No tricky engineering required, plenty of rings available, but with a road q factor. Oh well, maybe shimano will re-introduce what they had on RSX in the 90s.

Andy Rae
7 years ago

For a couple of years now I’ve been running a Sugino OX601D 46/30 with a 12/32 cassette on 40mm / 36mm gravel / CX wheels / tyres (or 11/30 cassette on 28mm road / wheels tyres)
Wouldn’t go back to 50/34 ever. Only issue is getting hold of affordable replacement chain-rings…. grrr.

RC Speed
RC Speed
7 years ago

48/32 is old news….FSA and others have been making this “micro compact” combo for a few years now for CX, gravel bikes.

No denying Praxis make some quality goods…but what message does a company send to the consumer when they make chain guides for rings that they forge and machine? A small conflict going on there for sure….

lop
lop
7 years ago
Reply to  RC Speed

No, this is incorrect. FSA just introduced this at the Taipei bike show this winter, and it is literally just now rolling out of bike factories.

typevertigo
typevertigo
7 years ago
Reply to  RC Speed

They’ve been making 46/36T cross cranks “for years”, not 48/32. I had one stock on my TCX.

FSA’s version of the 48/32 is just a recent development, one that coincided with their proprietary four-arm spider design.

Going even lower, Planet X offered the Pickenflick in 2014 with a 42/28T crank from SRAM.

Timothy M.
Timothy M.
7 years ago

That crank is going on my touring rig. I run a SRAM set up, which allows me to go 11-42 in the rear, but I would much rather have an 11-36 which a lower crank. That is a great piece of hardware!

bbb
bbb
7 years ago

46-48T should really be a standard big ring on road bikes. Too many weekend warriors are fooling themselves.

drosser
drosser
7 years ago
Reply to  bbb

This new ‘sub-compact’ category will be dangerous! For years, I was immune to New Bike Disease because I refuse to buy a bike with a “compact” double. (Coming from a rider who rides a touring-triple as his every day bike)

wheelman
wheelman
7 years ago

Or run a 2x shimano XT crankset and get similar gearing?

Matt Pewthers
7 years ago
Reply to  wheelman

This will have a q factor that’s 24mm (I think; not certain) narrower than the XT crankset. My best guess for not just making rings for mtn cranksets.

Robert Franklin
7 years ago

I’ve looked at this, and the FSA Modular Adventure crankset. I’d love to get down to 46/30 oh my gravel bike, but I need a 24mm spindle to keep my EBB setup. Does anyone know of a 46/30 option that works with a normal Shimano-compatible BB?

drosser
drosser
7 years ago

FSA is releasing several new cranksets with roadie chainlines in 48/32 and 46/30 this year. Felt and Spez are even speccing a few on a couple lines.

Adem
Adem
7 years ago

Soooo… why bother with special machining on the rings and cranks? If people want smaller chainrings, why not run a 94mm BCD, like on mountain bikes – either a classic 5-bolt, or a more modern 4-bolt? You can get all the way down to 30T on the inner ring with a 94mm BCD crank, and a 46/30 is really nice for mountain climbing without a dinner plate cassette. An 11-25 works great for me with that crank setup.

Marin
Marin
7 years ago

You can run a 33t on any compact. All this “engineering” for a 1t difference?

Phil Randall
7 years ago

I have been running 46 x29 and 32 for 15 years on an old 94 bcd five arm crank. It works great.

Heffe
Heffe
6 years ago

It seems they never did release the direct mount CX rings.

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