Description:What's black, has four arms and is stronger than steel? The Diabolus crank - simply the stiffest, strongest freeride cranks out there. We've taken the same design philosophy that created the award winning Diabolus stem and applied it to these cranks. The result: a high performance freeride/dh specific crankset that's not a boat anchor. If you're looking to go hard and fast, look no further than the Diabolus.
The new standard for freeride cranks, set by the original freeride crank designer
Built in our BC manufacturing facility
Forged and fully CNC machined from one of the strongest, most fatigue resistant aluminum alloys available
Oversized crank arms for unparalleled stiffness and strength
Beefed up chainring spider to withstand hard impacts
Removable granny ring spider for improved chainguide clearance
Patented I-LOCK reinforced pedal interface features a secured chromoly pedal thread insert that WON'T strip out or come loose.
heavy walled, heat treated CrMo spindle
Also available in ISIS Drive
Built for: DH and Extreme Freeride
Size: 165,170, 175mm
Warranty: Lifetime
Colours: Bad Ass Black and Shiny Silver
I have heard all of these complaints about these and how hard they are to put on. Get tools!!! Thats all you need and the instructions. had my lead mech, at the shop I work at show me how to pt them on and if you use the wright tools and follow the included iknstructions then they will work perfectly. I any very content with the out come of these and they have no flex as others do!!! IF you do a lot of heavy riding then buy it and have a well know mech install them, don't try it your self with out proper tools.
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Submitted by
Josh M
a Downhiller
from San Diego Date Reviewed: February 18, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Teddy
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
I havent riden these cranks, but I think they must be VERY strong. I guess if you get them installed correctly then they will probably NEVER have problems.
Weaknesses:
There is one HUGH glairing problem with these cranks. Instalation. If you are going to have a shop install them and they can do it right, then you are pretty much good. But, if you are going to do it, or your shop is incompitent, then you are going to have a REALLY hard time. You have to put SO much torque into the cranks it is insane. I had to install 6 pairs of them last night. If you dont have 2 large breaker bars then you are really going to beat up your hands. Also, the quality is very suspect. Why when you install the crank on three of the same bike, do you need to use different spacers for the spindle? If every part is the same, the spacers should never change.
Similar Products Used:
Saint, XTR, XT. ALL these products are FAR better.
Bike Setup:
Haro thread 1 w/ saint crank.
Bottom Line:
Bottom line is this. If they somehow get installed right, they should be fine. If you have to install them, or take them off for some reason, I feel very sorry for you. I would NEVER put these on my bike. EVER!!! Not even for free. Worst install EVER!!! I will give them 2 chilis to be fair because they seem indistructable, but that is it. They need a maintanance rating. they would get a negative 5 chilis.
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Submitted by
Anthony Dale
a Downhiller
from London Date Reviewed: September 25, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Too many to list....
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$300.00
Purchased At:
UK Bike Store
Strengths:
Strong, Stiff, looks good (does what it says on the tin)
Weaknesses:
BB not so strong because you cannot grease it.
Similar Products Used:
Shimiano Saints/Hone
Bike Setup:
Intense M3 DH bike
Bottom Line:
These cranks are uber strong, you will not break them, Raceface have machined them from billet aluminium to make them last for a life time. They also use a steel pedal thread insert (I-lock) brilliant idea! The only downside is the BB do not last as long as the cranks, they cannot be greased because they are closed cups!! I would recommend these to any freerider/Downhiller who destroys the trails! - Fit and forget parts, awesome -
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Submitted by
cK
a Downhiller
from State College, PA. / North Jersey Date Reviewed: September 2, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Tempest @ Diablo
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
Came with bike
Strengths:
Bombproof.
These things are built like a tank. I've smashed em' off of rocks, boulders, curbs... geez - I need to get smoother... anyway, point being - they're still straight as an arrow. No bending or twisting. (Lots of scratches though)
Zero Flex. The stiffest cranks I've ever had.
Weaknesses:
Weight. For a set of 165mm cranks they are about 1085g with the Diabolus BB and no chainrings.
A similar set of SAINTS are about 1007g (only with BB and no chainrings)
Due to the over-engineered design of these cranks to take maximum abuse, they're practically boat anchors in the world of MTB cranks, but - they'll never give out on you.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano XT, Truvativ Holzfeller
Bike Setup:
165mm cranks w/ 83mm BB shell on an 06' Iron Horse Sunday Factory... too much stuff to list, but it's definitely been pimped out.
Bottom Line:
Thought I'd mention - I'm about 5'10" and probably weigh about 175lbs. with helmet and armor...
These cranks are bombproof. The norse god Thor could use one of these things as his mighty Hammer - it's completely ridiculous the amount of abuse they can take. If you can bend these things you're either dead or have bailed before letting your bike ghost-ride off a cliff.
But to get this kind of strength you also get the weight to go with it. But to me, it's one less thing to worry about - I know these cranks will never bend, break, or twist. Race Face has done some great work on these with their CNC machines - they look pretty sweet. Think of these as the American counterpart to SAINT cranks.
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Submitted by
Jason Pepper
a Downhiller
from canada Date Reviewed: August 27, 2007
Favorite Trail:
northshore, vancover
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$350.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
Awsome looking, pretty strong, its a raceface...
Weaknesses:
turned purple, a couple of bent teeth, crack on the bush gard, and I completely destroyed the chain tensor.
Similar Products Used:
hussefelt, evolve.. etc
Bike Setup:
My brand new aline, marzocchi drop off triple, manitou metel, race face, mag 30s etc etc etc
Bottom Line:
Sweet crank, well for riders that dont beat up there bikes like me, but like all things expect it to break, for some sooner than others.. buy it!
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Submitted by
Ahren
a Downhiller
from USA Date Reviewed: August 17, 2007
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
Strong and sexy looking
Weaknesses:
Won't stay tight for very long, Turned purple after 1 season. Have developed "Play" at the top of each pedal stroke.
Similar Products Used:
Saint, Truvativ stuff, DMR
Bottom Line:
This is a pretty darn good crankset. They very strong and I haven't had any major failures yet. However, I am only able to keem them tight for a while, but they always seem to work their way loose after some time. I just put new threadlock on every 2 rides and carry plenty of tools to keep them happy. On a side note, since they come loose every so often the teeth in the crankarm that mesh with the ones on the spindle are starting to wear. This has created a slightly annoying movement at the top of every pedal stroke. Oh yeah, they are no longer black but a funky looking purple. Overall I am relatively happy, but I just wish they would stay tight, not turn puple, and stop clicking every pedal stroke. Not bad fot almost 3 seasons of use, but I don't think I will buy another set to replace my existing ones.
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Submitted by
Big T
a Downhiller
from Canada Date Reviewed: July 10, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
This is by far the best crank I have ever owned. It is solid as a rock and runs very smooth. In 3 months takin' a beating and I have had no issues whatsoever.
Weaknesses:
Difficult to setup right if you don't know what you are doing...Heavy but I like that.
Similar Products Used:
Raceface Evolve......Hussefelts...
Bike Setup:
Banshee Scream....Diabolus......etc etc etc
Bottom Line:
Just what james james says below....what more can be said.
I do not understand all the complaints about this product. I weight 235lbs and abuse equipment and it is just fine so far.
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Submitted by
james james
a Downhiller
from north vancouver Date Reviewed: July 9, 2007
Favorite Trail:
your mom
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
ebay
Strengths:
Stiff,strong,looks
Weaknesses:
bearings
Similar Products Used:
Saint,Race Face Turbine,XTR hollow II
Bike Setup:
Santa Cruz V10, Boxxer WC,
Bottom Line:
If you know how to set up a bike or have worked in a shop then you will have no problem with these cranks. You need to use the correct amount, and type of spacers which are provided. You can't "back off" the drive side fix bolt to adjust bearing preload, if you do, the crank will fall off, it's not rocket science. If you are a hack like some people sound like on this site, take it to a shop, don't badmouth products just cause you don't know what you are doing. If you want a warranty, then pay full price at a dealer and quit whining.
These are stiff and strong cranks, they are a bit on the heavy side. They are not as simple to set up as saints and the bearing quality is not as good as shimano and some guys have had problems with that.
I would by them again no questions asked.
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Submitted by
Evan
a Weekend Warrior
from Edmonton, Alberta Date Reviewed: May 26, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Revolution Cycle
Strengths:
- Stiffest crank set ive ever used - looks cool - lifetime warrenty
Weaknesses:
- dont look as nice as new when their dirty....thats it...i have no clue what all these other people are talking about with the backing out and turning purple
Similar Products Used:
race face evolve dh isis, truvativ holzefeller (very flexy)
Bike Setup:
06 switch 3.0 with all stock except e-13 srs uide and .243 seat.
Bottom Line:
the best and stiffest crankset ive ever used, and im a big guy so thats nice for a change. i have had absolutely no problems with these so far. bit expensive to buy if they dont come on youre bike already.
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Submitted by
Dan
a Weekend Warrior
from AZ Date Reviewed: May 12, 2007
Favorite Trail:
National
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
Ebay
Strengths:
Really Stiff, Relatively light for what it is intended for, I like the looks of it. You don't need a puller to get this crank off. It's not shimano.
Weaknesses:
expensive
Similar Products Used:
just shimano xt
Bike Setup:
heckler with a lot of free ride parts
Bottom Line:
I bought this off ebay used and put it on myself. At first I was disappointed in the amount of drag when I tried to rotate them. I ignored it and just rode it for 7 or 8 months. Then I took everything apart and cleaned it really good just to help prevent any problems. When I lubed everything and put it back together, it spun great and I still haven't had any problems with the bearings coming loose. I like this crank and would buy it again for any freeride bike that I built up.
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Submitted by
daver
a Racer
from nova scotia canada Date Reviewed: May 10, 2007
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
strong, quiet, reliable
Weaknesses:
none
Similar Products Used:
northshores, evolve dh, hussefelts.....
Bike Setup:
06 faith-1, 07 66 rc2x, 729's, hadley hubs, ck headset, xo drivetrain, thomson seatpost and stem, juicy carbon brakes....
Bottom Line:
I do almost all my bike maintenance, but I had the shop install these and they have been flawless. they've taken a full year of abuse: big hucks, aggressive trails and DH.
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Submitted by
Joseph
a Cross Country Rider
from Seattle, WA, USA Date Reviewed: February 2, 2007
Favorite Trail:
BBTC Collonade
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Stiff crankarms, attractive bearing cups
Weaknesses:
drive side refuses to stay tight friction
Similar Products Used:
Truvativ, Shimano, you name it
Bike Setup:
Ellsworth Id, my favorite custom gruppo
Bottom Line:
Sorry, Race Face, this crank system just don't work.
Following installation instructions EXACTLY results in a ridiculously high friction setup. But don't bother backing off on the torque, because the drive side will automatically fall off on its own! I have been dinking with this crankset for the better part of 1 year, and i am convinced that the Race Face drive side master bolt is just a flawed design. The drive side comes loose after 1-3 rides no matter what i've tried.
Time to bite the bullet and buy good set of Stronglight cranks or XTR. I have no more patience for this Race Face sh!t.
Value: rings and cranks are great, BB locking is unacceptable Overall: don't even bother to buy them unless you need replacement rings and the store has a blowout sale.
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Submitted by
alex pflueger
a Downhiller
from trinity califorina Date Reviewed: August 5, 2006
Favorite Trail:
my own
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$250.00
Purchased At:
beyond bikes
Strengths:
stiff,unbreakable
Weaknesses:
none
Similar Products Used:
deore
Bike Setup:
heckler freeride set up
Bottom Line:
bad ass product!!! don't be a pennie pincher go have a bike shop install it for you and you won't have these problems that every one seems to be having. I have had no problems at all!!
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Submitted by
Josh
a Weekend Warrior
from Cleveland Ohio Date Reviewed: July 27, 2006
Favorite Trail:
something that flows
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Stiff arms, really welll built crank arms, no flex
Weaknesses:
I'm having the same issue as everyone else, driveside continually comes loose, and it won't tighten up all the way to where I can get it to not rock on me.
Similar Products Used:
Truvativ, other RF Stuff, Shimano
Bike Setup:
Giant Faith 1
Bottom Line:
Great cranks, sh!tty bb connection, if you get a good batch, your golden, if not, well...
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Trevor
a Downhiller
from Boise, ID USA Date Reviewed: July 20, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Zorro at Brundage Mountain
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
OEM off a Scott Voltage
Strengths:
Strong as hell, slick looking, and nice pedal interface.
Weaknesses:
Anodizing turns purple almost immediately. It's not just a tint of purple, but nasty blotchy coloration. Serious spline issues too. See below.
Similar Products Used:
Nothing really.
Bike Setup:
KHS FR1500 with a 5" Marzocchi DJII, and nice DH component setup.
Bottom Line:
As said before, defective drive side crank to spindle splie interface. They were properly installed. Since I bought these off a buddy brand new, I can't file a true warranty claim with them. I'm still trying to get in contact with them about replacing them anyways. I don't have a problem with them or their products, but they did something wrong with these cranks. Idea was great with these cranks, but it looks like the splines were out of specifications...
If there wasn't the spline problems, then they would have earned 5 chilli's from me, but it kinda ruins it for me when I can hardly ride them.
Also, the spline problems did not develop until owning them for about 3 months, so keep an eye on them if you do buy them, or already own them. Don't lose your reciept.
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Submitted by
Ted
a Downhiller
from Maine Date Reviewed: July 17, 2006
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$250.00
Purchased At:
Jenson USA
Strengths:
strong, attractive
Weaknesses:
very messy installation
Similar Products Used:
RF Evolve, XTs, Profiles
Bike Setup:
06 ASX, Diabolus cranks with E13 sts guide
Bottom Line:
I've had these cranks for about a year now, and enjoy them a lot. I've ridden them hard and taken them on and off several bikes without complaint; they continue to feel as solid and trustworthy as they were the day I bought them. However, these cranks can be hell to install, especially if you're using a chain guide. During muddy/sandy rides, grit also tends to get in between the bottom bracket cups and cranks, making a pretty ugly noise. I'm not sure if this noise affects anything, but it's not pleasant.
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Submitted by
Kevin Mihalik
a Weekend Warrior
from Edmond OK Date Reviewed: March 23, 2006
Favorite Trail:
?
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$219.98
Purchased At:
Price Point
Strengths:
looks cool, light
Weaknesses:
OK, I bought these from pricepoint and the spindle to arm where the splines mesh to come together was not right! the highest torque value is 60 ft lbs, I put 80, no luck. PricePoint told me to mallet the arm and slowly tighten, back off, repeat. OK, no real luck and I thought this was a bad idea to keep going. I used an old mechanic trick of heating one side and freezing the other. I got it on. Remember to use all 4 spacers and 3 (three) seals or you will get side to side movement with the arms across with the BB bottomed out (regardless what the directions say)!!!Here was the real fun part. After stripping my arm remover tool I had to put my bike on my 20 ton shop press to remove them, the press popped off the spindle once and drove the arm into the BB damaging the bearing and seal. (I came real close to cutting the arm off not to damage my $2G Frame). Well I got them off and I sent them back to PricePoint, they didn't seem to interested in exchanging them since I had installed them? I guess if there is a defect you have to know before installation of the product. They said, without seeing the product, it was instalation error????? I am a ASE certified Mechanic of 6 years, I think I can follow directions on intalling a crank. Seeing the review before this one makes me think it is from a bad batch, I called Race Face with no avail on admitance to ever being able to put out a product with a .001 inch of a machining tolerance defect, and they also said they could do nothing for me, I had to find a dealer to warranty them. I'll keep you posted on how PricePoint takes care of me as well as how the cranks work out. For now I am forced to leave the lowest amount of chilies.
Similar Products Used:
bent shimanos
Bike Setup:
wall-mart speacial
Bottom Line:
I guess take them to a machine shop and have them measured to ensure they will press together and not have side to side movement before you try assembly so race face, pricepoint, or your LBS will not automatically shout installation error!
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Submitted by
Dave
a Weekend Warrior
from Toronto/Truro Date Reviewed: March 16, 2006
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$400.00
Purchased At:
cyclesolutions
Strengths:
Looks/finish,Ease of maitinence, making RACEFACE rich!
Weaknesses:
Drive side arms are defective...driveside spline interface!..bolt bottoms out on axle before crank can get tight and causes fore and aft play in the arms which rapidly detiorates the fit betweem the arm and the axle! they should be recalled asap! Mine were also installed on a properly faced BB and cups/bolt torqe was exactly to recomended specifacations. This has become worse over time as expected. This occoured within 6 weeks of purchase and started with a quiet creek...if yours are doing the same file a warenty claim and request that they pay the shipping!This happend while using my freeride-hardtail for daily commuting to work on smooth paved streets in downtown Toronto..before they even hit drops/dirt!theese cranks are way too much money to crap out like that..WTF! It seems like this is not at all randomly occouring and accually is happening frequently..but still has high rating this review bored but read the reviews...its like 20% have failed or are showing the above mentioned symptoms IF YOU WORK FOR OR REPRESENT RACEFACE AND SEE THIS EMAIL ME!...SOLVE MY PROBLEM and I'l stop trashing your product! they claim that theese cranks have a liftime warenty, but in all truth all they have to do is fail to aknowledge that this is a defective product and deny u warrenty coverage, and claim it was because miss-use/improper istallaton and you'd still have to pay shipping!...by the way my finish is still mint, no major wear on the ano and just a couple scratches here and there but have still failed me horribly..oh yea the extractor caps fall out(they should come with locktite if they need it!)
Similar Products Used:
old LP's, Turbines, Husselfelts, various shimano,rhyno,sugino
Save your hard earned $money$....RACEFACE thinks your a sucker!!
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Submitted by
rich
a Downhiller
from sandwich mass Date Reviewed: March 9, 2006
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$220.00
Purchased At:
bike shope inploye
Strengths:
looks sick beef stiff as hell nice botum bracket ezey in stall
Weaknesses:
i dont understand the queshon
Similar Products Used:
holefisers suck
Bike Setup:
spechalized hared rock pro. pike front fork xt caset and deraler azonic hadel bars singal track whells you know all the good stuf for a free ride bike.
Bottom Line:
the botum line is that i had a set of holefisers given to me by a frend and they sanaped with in 24 hours of puting them on the bike they where good about the worenty but they broke agen. so just by race face no problums they are made like a tank. the things that will servive a nucler desaster are deablos crankes a twinky and a cokroch. and may be mikel jakson bekus he is a alen from another planit. they are ausom!
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Submitted by
Dom
a
from M0ntreal Date Reviewed: November 14, 2005
Favorite Trail:
the street
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$275.00
Strengths:
strong stiff bb seems well sealed big stainless pedal bosses
Weaknesses:
i had a creak develop in the spline, a bit of polylub-100 seesm to have cured that though. And the cap for the selfextracting system likes to back out, i almost lost it once. I tried a bit of red loctite, but i wasn't willing to use very much, i'll live. the machining on the arms leaves sharp edges, i've got the scars on my ankle to prove it. I hate loud graphics.
Similar Products Used:
it seems everyone who's hussefelts bugged out on them is trying these things, me included.
Bike Setup:
tight street hardtail (peyto), rear disc, front end off a 2001 norco 1hun.
Bottom Line:
good, but too flashy and a little rough around the edges in execution.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
chris
a Weekend Warrior
from joplin mo Date Reviewed: August 30, 2005
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$270.00
Purchased At:
i think price point
Strengths:
strong
Weaknesses:
mine is also coming loose. it's not a problem yet, but it has just a little
$
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