This week's Product Preview focuses on the world's finest lightweight carbon cranks - THM's Clavicula and M3 cranksets. Striving to create designs inspired by nature, THM's organic shapes and incredible performance make them a very special carbon producer of cranks, brakes, forks and more.

The bottom line is this: THM cranks deliver insanely low weights, gorgeous hand-made aesthetics, solid stiffness, and interchangeability with multiple BB standards. With a 2-year warranty plus THM's 40%-off crash-replacement policy, these are hardly art pieces, but instead premium products that are meant to be ridden hard.   THM's original Clavicula basically set the mark for high-end carbon cranksets, demonstrating some of the highest strength-to-weight ratios of any crankset on the market, with a unique spider artfully formed with the input of skilled German design firm "Formagic".

The Clavivula has been described by Bikeradar.com as "the ultimate chainset...stiff compared to most of the other cranks - you can really feel the weight-saving that fitting such a chainset makes when you lift the bike. The bearings are uncannily smooth when you turn the cranks and the general standard of engineering expertise here is undeniable..." As reported several months ago THM's new M3 basically ups the ante by lowering barriers to entry for those looking to get into the high-end crank market. How do they do so?

1. Lower price compared the the Clavicula, 2. Interchangeable spider means you can later switch between compact and standard, 3. Solid alloy axle should be more durable (upon installation) than the Clavicula's carbon spline, 4. SRM compatible for those who crave power info, 4. Slightly narrower Q-factor for people sensitive to that sort of thing. At $850 for the M3 and $1199 for the Clavicula (plus cups and chainrings), the THM cranksets are certainly a major upgrade, but also lend a touch of class, technology and detail to any high-end rig.  With pretty much every BB standard covered by THM's vast collection of cups and adapters, in both ceramic and steel, nearly any combination is possible!

We place orders with THM monthly, so your dream crankset in any length (and in matte or glossy finish) can be had in about 4-5 weeks time! Email info@blacksmithcycle.com to place your order.