Only a couple months again we noticed German machined aluminum specialists Actofive add a 1/2-price, extra-strong Signature X crankset, and now they’re again with a good decrease value crankset improve for riders with Pinion gearbox bikes. Final week, we took a fast peek into Actofive’s Dresden workshop to see how the Signature X Pinion cranks went from prototype to batch manufacturing…
Actofive Signature X Pinion machined gearbox bike crankset
The explanation why Actofive created a Signature X Pinion improve possibility for gearbox riders basically boiled all the way down to… why not!
An increasing number of efficiency mountain bikers are transferring to Pinion gearboxes for his or her added sturdiness, safety from the weather, and distinctive weight stability on the middle of the bike. However there aren’t actually many alternatives for personalisation. And everyone knows that the sort of people that purchase a really area of interest Pinion gearbox mountain bike, are in all probability additionally the kind who need their bike to be dripping with customized bits.
Pinion’s inventory solid 6061 alloy cranks are fairly boring. And their black anodized CNC 7075 improve cranks are that a lot cooler trying.
And Simon Metzner of Actofive knew he might merely adapt his latest Signature X cranks for one thing with extra shiny bling. In fact, they’re additionally constructed powerful, are lighter than both Pinion possibility, and may be had in a number of fairly colours, too.
Tech particulars
Actofive CNC-machines the brand new Signature X Pinion crankset from 7075-T6 aluminum. And checks them to ASTM F2043-13 / EN 17406 CAT 4 requirements – for gravel, XC, path, and enduro use.
Like the usual Signature X (which shares the very same profiling), the brand new Pinion crankarms characteristic a one-piece design with a machined out bottom. Meaning low weight however excessive energy and affect resistance. Plus, there are non-compulsory crank boots if you wish to preserve rock strike scratches at bay.
Actofive says the brand new crankset weigh 420g (left & proper arms, together with clamping screws). That’s a 55g financial savings over the inventory solid Pinion crankset. And even 20g lighter than the upgraded Pinion CNC crankset.
The Signature X Pinion crankarms every use a single M6 titanium clamping bolt as an alternative of two M5 metal bolts on the Pinion arms. Metzner says it offers a cleaner look (nearly invisible when the cranks are horizontal) and stable spline clamping. Q-factor is 174mm with Pinion P-line gearboxes or simply 166mm with C-line fashions.
Actofive can even supply compatibility with Pinion’s Sensible.Shift digital shifting system, and mixed ON.E Motor.Gearbox.Unit e-drive system for the longer term.
Actofive Signature X Pinion cranks – Prototyping, pricing, choices & availability
Curiously, once we popped out heads into Actofive’s workshop, we received to see the transition from prototype improvement to manufacturing manufacturing. What’s particularly distinctive about Actofive is that they manufacture all the pieces in-house out of 7075 aluminum on one sensible CNC mill and lots of inventive tooling. Every thing is machined from one facet out of alloy blanks. Then it will get machined on the second facet with customized fixtures that maintain the elements in place.
To refine the design and machining course of, Simon makes use of leftover materials from mountain bike body manufacturing to work on prototypes. Reuse, earlier than that extra materials can be in any other case despatched for recycling. At numerous steps, he go 2 or 3 crank arms out of 1 off-cut from an MTB entrance triangle scrap.
Then, we noticed him make the swap to manufacturing, machining 30 cranksets, tightly nested from one 1m x 1m block of aluminum.
(We’ll dive a bit deeper into Actofive manufacturing within the close to future.)
The brand new Signature X Pinion cranks have simply began their first machining manufacturing step now and are open for pre-orders. Initially , Actofive plans to only produce the Signature X Pinion cranks in 170mm size. But when there’s actual purchaser demand, he might engineer options for different lengths, as effectively.
The Pinion-specific improve crankset sells for 369€. Then, decide from 4 customary anodized finishes: silver, black, blue, or gray, plus the further shiny & deeper uncooked possibility. Actofive opens pre-order now for the restricted run of Signature X Pinion cranksets. After which the primary completed batch of cranks ships in March 2024.