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TECH NEWS: ON TEST: FSA K FORCE LIGHT COMPACT CRANKSET
Philip Booth
November 11, 2009
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STORY
The FSA K Force Light Compact is designed for racers or weight conscious riders who spend most of their time in the hills. The K-Force Light Compact features the same crankarms and 110-millimeter chainring bolt diameter as a normal compact crankset, but is available with more conventional 52/38 chainrings.
TECH
The FSA K Force Light Compact features hollow monocoque carbon crankarms, mated to 7075 aluminum CNC-machined 10-speed, 52/38 or 50/34 chainrings. The crankarms spin on a 24-millimeter integrated chromoly spindle attached to a carbon fiber spider. The cranks include a MegaExo bottom bracket with oversized ceramic bearings. The K Force Light Compact Race comes in 170, 172.5 and 175-millimeter lengths and weighs 692-grams with a MegaEXO bottom bracket. They are also available in BB30. For 2010 FSA will only be offering the K Force Light cranks with a more conventual 50/34 compact ring setup and a standard 130-millimeter chainring bolt diameter with 53/39 rings. FSA will make the 52 and 38 tooth rings of the Race to be sold separately.
RBA SAYS:
Most Road Bike Action testers run a pretty standard 53/39 chainring setup, so the big question was how big of a difference would one less tooth make. Running a 11-25 rear cassette, no rider could tell the different on the top end, but then few if any of our testers can successfully turn a 53-11. On steep climbs is where the benefit of the smaller 38-tooth little ring was noticeable. While not a huge difference, the lower gear allowed for a slightly higher cadence on tough ascents without it feeling like a bailout gear. The crankarms were very stiff and provided solid power transfer. Shifting between chainrings was smooth and quick with the chainrings showing little wear after several months of riding. One of the best aspects of the K Force Light setup was the ceramic bearing bottom bracket. The smoothness and lack of friction is noticeable over conventual bearings. The bottom bracket also adds a bit of style to the bike with its red anodized finish.
The FSA K Force Light Compact with a 52/38 setup are a good choice for riders looking for a stiff, light weight crankset that provides a lower gear for tough climbs without giving up the speed of a standard chainring setup.
PRICE: $699.99
INFO: www.fullspeedahead.com |
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