Limited Edition: Black RH Cranks, Brakes
To celebrate the 15th anniversary of our Rene Herse cranks, we’re offering them in black for the first time. To go with the cranks, we’re also making a Limited Edition run of black cantilever and centerpull brakes. All will be available only by pre-order.
In late 2011, we introduced our iconic 3-arm cranks. Back then, most cranks had 5 arms and large bolt circles to allow for greater manufacturing tolerances. For us, the reduced weight and free choice of chainrings was worth the extra care needed to make these cranks run round and true.
The small bolt circle allows running chainrings between 24 and 50 teeth. With just three arms, Rene Herse cranks are among the lightest square-taper cranks ever made: A set of 171 mm arms weighs just 375 g, and a complete 42×26 double comes in below 500 g.
Thanks to net-shape forging and proprietary manufacturing techniques, Rene Herse cranks are ultra-strong: They are the only ‘classic’ cranks that pass the most stringent EN ‘Racing Bike’ test for fatigue resistance. That’s especially important if you are a strong rider, ride long distances, and/or ride on gravel where the vibrations increase the stress on the cranks.
Rene Herse cranks have proven themselves in races and bikepacking FKTs: The photo shows Tony Krupicka testing a prototype of the one-by version during Unbound XL.
Since introducing the cranks in 2011, we’ve continually updated them, with even stronger arms and additional lengths. We spent more than two years developing 12-speed-compatible chainrings. The paired chainrings use computer-optimized ramps and pins—that’s how they rival the shifting of the best cranks on the market today. (Made by the big ‘S’ in Japan.) Our one-by rings are compatible with modern drivetrains all the way up to 13-speed. (We offer chainrings for 5-11-speed drivetrains, too.)
To celebrate the 15th anniversary of our cranks, we offer a Limited Edition run with black crankarms. The arms are anodized with a semi-gloss finish to match modern and classic components. They are available in 165, 171 and 177 mm lengths, with one-by, double and triple chainrings, and also as singlespeed/track cranks. (And if you want to convert later from one version to another, it’s easy: The arms are interchangeable.)
To match the black cranks, we offer our brakes in black as Limited Editions as well. The Rene Herse cantilevers are among the lightest brakes in the world, while offering superior stopping to most cantis. Our centerpull brakes take modulation and power of rim brakes to the next level, but you need a frame that’s is equipped with direct-mount centerpull pivots for them. (They don’t fit on cantilever bosses.)
The photo shows the anodized brake arms without bushings and hardware. (The prototypes just came back from the anodizing shop, and we haven’t had time to press in the bushings and assemble the brakes yet.) The brakes will feature black brake pad holders and polished bolts and nuts.
The black components are available by pre-order only. We are taking pre-orders until Nov. 30, 2026. Delivery will be in January 2027.
More Information:
Photo credit: Marc Arjol Rodriguez (@velophoto.tx): Tony at Unbound XL
