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Race Face: what it makes and how it fits

Race Face is a Canadian component maker focused on mountain biking, best known for its Cinch crank system and the bottom brackets that support it.

About Race Face

Race Face is a Canadian component maker focused on mountain biking, best known for its Cinch crank system and the bottom brackets that support it.

The Race Face Cinch system uses a self-extracting spindle interface that lets the same crank arms run on different spindle lengths and spider or direct-mount chainrings. Cinch cranks are offered for 24 mm, 30 mm and pressfit fitments through the matching Cinch bottom bracket for the frame's shell.

What it makes for your frame

For fitment this means the crank interface is Cinch, but the bearing that carries it depends on the spindle chosen and the shell standard, so a Race Face bottom bracket is selected by shell first. The company also makes chainrings, bars and finishing kit.

Because Cinch spans multiple spindle sizes, confirm the exact spindle on your crank and the shell on your frame before ordering a bottom bracket.

Choosing the right part

With Race Face, as with any maker, the frame decides the fitment. Identify your bottom bracket shell and crank spindle, or your headset and seatpost standards, then choose the Race Face part built for that standard.

The fitment tool returns the exact bottom bracket for your shell and crank, including whether it drops in, needs a specific bearing or needs an adapter, so a brand choice never becomes a fitment gamble.

Before buying, measure the shell width face to face and confirm the crank spindle diameter, because a Race Face bottom bracket is chosen by both the shell standard and its road or mountain width. A part that suits one width will not seat correctly in the other, even when the standard name is the same.

Related

Sources: List of bicycle part manufacturing companies (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA) · Park Tool: Bottom Bracket Standards