Recently overshadowed by its younger, beefier 3D sibling, Rotor’s Agilis crankset has been redesigned for 2010 to make it stiffer in use and, importantly, simpler to service.
The previous Evo version of the Agilis design integrated the axle with the left-hand crank, the right-hand crank with chainrings being fitted once the axle was in place. Bearing free play was then taken up and adjusted using an Allen socket on the end of the left-hand crank, this in turn being held in place by a cap designed to be fitted or removed only by the factory.
Reliable in use, this design proved to be a little confusing for many mechanics unfamiliar with the layout. For servicing, they would occasionally attempt to remove the left-hand crank by unscrewing the cap and socket, which would require the unit to be returned to Rotor for reassembly.
The new design follows that of the 3D crankset and current convention by integrating the axle with the right-hand crank and using a cap on the left-hand crank to take up bearing free play before the crank is clamped to the axle to complete the assembly. According to Rotor, the updated interface and axle dramatically increases the stiffness of the crankset, which is now stiff enough to satisfy the demands of the Footon-Servetto-Fuji pro road team.
The clamp on the left-hand crank uses a single oversized Double Thread Technology bolt, which is claimed to provide the same force and security as two conventional bolts. Rotor puts a replaceable threaded insert between the crank and the bolt to give extra protection against product damage due to over-tightening.
The new cranks boasts an elegant laser intended to “harmonise perfectly with the crank arms’ fluid shape by mimicking their attractive organic curves and striking angles”. A further distinctive visual element is the crank spider; which will be manufactured exclusively in red for all Agilis variants (130 bcd, 110 bcd, XC2 and XC3).
Weight without rings & BB is a claimed 525g/517g for the compact road version with 175mm and 170mm cranks respectively.
The new Agilis crankset should be available in the UK by early June.
