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Written by Alan Starrett
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Friday, 22 September 2006 |

 | | 2007 Shimano XTR FC-M970 Hollowtech II Crankset | Day eleven and the final day of the 2007 XTR component review and pricing preview. The new XTR crankset is the last of our top three favorite chnages for 2007. I hope I haven't said that 4 times already. Shimano has pulled out all the stops with this new crank. Can you believe carbon and titanium chainrings? Despite the wow factor of that what makes us really like this crank is the fact that it uses stand 4 bolt compact (4x104mm) chainrings. So now you can go crazy and buy whatever replacement rings you want. ETA is early October so we are keeping an eye out and will let you know as soon as we have them.
FC-M970: Hollowtech II Crankset
Incorporating the benefit of rigidity with minimal weight of the Hollowtech II combined bottom bracket and crankset system, the new FC-M970 manages to drop even more weight while increasing shifting performance and durability
• Patent-protected chain ring design means unmatched shifting performance: Market standard front shifting performance (when combined with a Shimano front derailleur) is taken even further by the precision molding and machining of the composite carbon fiber and titanium middle chainring and greater rigidity of the outer chainring.
• Enhanced durability The titanium teeth of the middle chainring along with Ni plated the double anodized chain interface surface of the outer ring combine to a conservative 100% increase in durability over prior generation XTR chainrings.
• More precise bearing adjustment The new left hand crank arm mounting system provides a higher integrity solution that creates more precise bottom bracket bearing adjustment, extending the bearing life while keeping rotating resistance to a minimum.
• Lighter weight and more versatile Even with all of the additional benefits over prior generations, the new FC-M970 shaves even more weight from the current model thanks to the composite carbon fiber / titanium middle chainring. The 44-32-22 rings also share the same bolt pattern as other popular Shimano cranksets such as XT and LX.
Shimano XTR FC-M970 Crankset 165mm, w/ BB, 44-32-22t - MSRP $319.95 Shimano XTR FD-M970-E Front Derailleur Dual-pull, E-type - MSRP $319.95 Shimano XTR FD-M971 Front Derailleur Traditional swing, Dual-pull, Multi-clamp - MSRP $334.95
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