Shimano has the technical expertise and manufacturing prowess to create industry-leading shifting and stiffness to weight for the rings and crank arms, respectively. The latter property is owed to Shimano's Hollowtech II arm construction, a heavily guarded secret. Where other manufacturers drill the arms to reduce weight or create two sides and clam-shell them together, Shimano is able to forge the arms and still keep them hollow. As with the Dura-Ace 9100 series, Shimano adds some width to the R8000's arms and orients the spider to more efficiently transfer energy during important power phases throughout the pedal stroke. The asymmetric spider and chainring spacing allows Shimano to put two chainring bolts close to the wider arms, further adding rigidity to the rings for better shifting and power transfer.
The economical racer's crankset comes of age
Bold new lines signal an aggressive and improved crankset
Chainrings designed for larger cassettes and disc brake bikes
Spider accommodates all sizes of Shimano road double rings
Shimano's suite of Hollow technologies reduce weight without sacrificing durability or efficiency