Whether floating down heavenly singletrack or charging up switchbacks like the climbing God you are, the Race Face Deus brings unearthly performance to your ride.Designed with a watchful eye on the gram scale, the Deus offers unparalleled strength and stiffness at a very reasonable weight, making it the stem of choice for XC riders in the know.
Machined from 7075 aluminum – one of the strongest, most fatigue resistant alloys available today. The one piece, large diameter construction of the Deus translates into strong performance in both fatigue and impact tests.
Features:
Designed for XC/Light Freeride Use
Interlocking U-shaped handlebar
Opposing bolts on steer tube clamp
Sizes: 70 90 100 110 120 130mm
Rises: 5 and 15 degrees
Colours: PC red and white
Anodized black and silver
*70mm only available in 15 degrees
130mm only available in 5 degrees
Submitted by
Jim Tremblay
a Weekend Warrior
from Vancouvcer
Date Reviewed: June 8, 2007
Strengths: Great looks. Locally made. Quality materials.
Weaknesses: Pinch bolts are too small and easily stripped when torqued to factory recommended specifications. I only use quality MAC Tools inch lbs torque wrench.
Bottom Line:
This product was purchased to complement a full XTR groupo with Easton carbon bars. Every part has been selected for top quality construction and materials. The pinch bolts started to strip when torqued for the third time, to Race Face specifications. I immediately removed the stem and took it plus my expensive MAC Tools micro torque wrench to Race Face for inspection as they are local manufactures. The warrantee department replaced the bolts, sent me away and threatened that my warrantee would be void if I returned the stem directly myself. They said warrantee claims would only be considered if sent be a dealer. The bolts failed when the dealer reinstalled the stem and Race Face denied any further claim. Buy a Thompson! I have had mine for quite some time and am extremely satisfied.
Strengths: Killer looks, strength and stiffness, solid clamping on both the handle bar and fork
Weaknesses: none unless your're an extreme weight weenie
Bottom Line:
Great quality product. Stiff, fairly light and looks awesome. I purchased a FSA OS-115 XC stem for my new Burner to shave some weight. But I decided to take the Race Face off the bike that I'll eventually sell and put it on the Burner because it just looks and feels better. I don't care that it weighs a little more because it's a marginal weight gain. Rode with the FSA stem for about 3 months and it performed fine. But the Race Face Deus is absolutely rock solid, inspires confidence and it just looks bad a$$. My stem is black, 120mm, 5deg rise. I have it inverted (5deg decline) for a lower riding profile. Works perfect for me.
Like most of the bolts on my bike I have replaced the steel bolts w/ Ti bolts on the stem. Better strength, less weight and best of all they won't rust like steel bolts. Don't forget the anti-seize compound on the threads if you use Ti bolts.
I hope to get many years of use out of this stem. Definitely a keeper!
I have to laugh at the guy a few thread down who paid over a $100 for the stem. I got it from ebay new for 40. He must have a lot of money to waste. I've used this stem as well as the RF system stems with no problems. Feels rigid, no noises. I think the weightweenies web site has it weighing around 185 grams which is less than thomsons 200. I don't think that I would want a lighter stem for the occassional jumps and drops. I would buy it again.
Similar Products Used: Race face system, Kore elite (threads stripped)
Bike Setup: Titus switchblade, RF next cranks, Marz forks, Mavic 3.1rims on Sh XT hubs, RF stem, Thomson seatpost, candy pedals, WTB saddle, Cane creek headset, Hutch spyder ust tires, Avid discs, Rogue lock on grips and some other stuff.
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Submitted by
Marcus
a Cross Country Rider
from Los Angeles, CA
Date Reviewed: November 26, 2004
Strengths: Cool Look, The rise (got the 15% one), reasonably light weight, the bar clamp design.
Weaknesses: The Bar Screws strip too easily? Its Canadian (not that it's bad)
Bottom Line:
Was looking for a longer stem to ease my back. The sales rep at my LBS suggested this over the Thompson Stems because of the bar clamp design prevent wear to the handlebars better than the thompson. I got the high rise one 15%. This has been fantastic so far, I feel much better on long rides. Its very durable in technical singletracks.
Only negative is one of the screws stripped, so I need to get replacement.
Similar Products Used: Generic Stock Stem on my Specialized Enduro
Bike Setup: Specialized Enduro pro w/ Mavic Crossmax XL wheels, Thompson Seatpost, WTB Saddle, Answer Carbon Protaper Handlebars and CB Mallet M Padels.
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Submitted by
Vince H.
a Weekend Warrior
from River Grove, IL
Date Reviewed: September 2, 2004
Strengths: good looks, lightweight, high strength to weight ratio, ingenius bar clamp, nice black color
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
initially, i was looking for a replacement system stem from race face in the 75x15degree size. As it turns out, this size was now impossible to find b/c it was a discontinued product. so i read on the website that the deus was capable of light freeride and bought it. to my suprise, it has been a great performer. it is very stiff when doing anything and i put it through all kinds of abuse- drops, dirt jumps, trials, you name it. so far no problems with anything. i would be hard pressed to run any other stem on any of my current or future bikes.
Similar Products Used: race face system, salsa SUL, cheapo stems
Bike Setup: '03 Azonic DS-1, XT drivetrain and hubs, rhynolite wheels, avid mechanicals, psylo SL, wtb motoraptors-2.4, raceface deus stem w/kore lite bars.
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Submitted by
Lance Thibault
a Cross Country Rider
from Coorado Springs, CO
Date Reviewed: August 19, 2004
Strengths: Looks and feels great
Weaknesses: Price and weight
Bottom Line:
I bought it because I kept reading that this was a light stem. Never could find an actual weight listed anywhere at the time. Now it seems to be everywhere. Anyway, as soon as I took off the Specialized stem and had it in my hand I could feel the weight difference. The stock Specialized stem that came on my Epic Comp was lighter then the Deuce. Still put it on the bike because of what I paid for it and because the thing looks so darn good in silver on a silver bike. I will replace it though as soon as I find another nice silver stem that actually is light and doesn't cost $200. ie Extralight UL2. I'll give the Duece 2 chilis for value, since it does look good and feel good, and 2 chilis overall since it didn't meet the main purpose I bought it for.
Bike Setup: Epic comp, Thompson Elite post, WTB Laser V Stealth seat, XTR hubs w/Mavic 717 Rims. Everything else is stock...for now
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Submitted by
Dirk Diggler
a Cross Country Rider
from Middle of California
Date Reviewed: June 18, 2004
Strengths: i hear the blue model has pfizer stamped on the side...
GREAT control, no slippage so far
Weaknesses: butter bolts
Bottom Line:
this thing is sweet. it's stiff as hell and looks sexy too... with this and a RF handlebar i get zero flex in the front end department.
main complaint is the butter bolts. i went down to the local hardware shop and bought some high grade, longer, allen bolts to throw in it since i have a knack for over torquing stuff, greased em up and haven't had a problem since. looks a little stupid, but i don't worry about slippage, do you?
overall this is a fantastic piece of gear, do your bike justice, buy it.
Submitted by
Stu Abuba
a Cross Country Rider
from Watford, UK
Date Reviewed: June 7, 2004
Strengths: Nice finish and light.
Weaknesses: Contantly loose on steerer. Easy to round bolts if pushed. Weak in crashes. ;-p
Bottom Line:
Have used Thomson stem since which is A1. Strangely on the same forks the cheap £13 Club Roost stem was fine (apart from the colour) Low durability I think esp. compared to the Thomson.
Similar Products Used: Thomson, Club roost I-beam, Specialized stock
Bike Setup: Specialized M5 HT. Fox Talas RLC's, Hope headset
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Submitted by
Gap Riderz
a Cross Country Rider
from San Jose
Date Reviewed: May 7, 2004
Strengths: Looks Quality Bling bling factor
Weaknesses: Price if you paid retail.
Bottom Line:
I don't know if it makes you ride better on DH or uphill, but I can assure you that the it makes your bike stand out more. You'll get a lot of comments like "dude, what kind of stem is that?" "so that's the deus" "sweet!" If you're still unsure, go buy it. Chicks dig it too.
Bike Setup: Yeti ARC - Race Face Deus is paired with Easton MonkeyLite CT2 carbon bar
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Submitted by
Samsun
a Cross Country Rider
from Wales, GB
Date Reviewed: January 2, 2004
Strengths: Very strong, looks very nice, Plenty of length choice. Low weight.
Weaknesses: None.
Bottom Line:
Price is in £. I have the 90 length. What makes this stem stand out is the the bolting method. To the stearer it has two bolts which oppose each other. The way the the bar clamp is designed is very strong, the clamp interlocks with stem which completly holds the bar with no gaps left at all. This makes sure there is even pressure all around the bar and leaves no weak points. This is also quite a light stem for its strengh. This stem is also the dogs doodles when put with Raceface Next Low Carbon Riser, a light yet super strong combination.
Bike Setup: Orange Sub-5, Raceface, Hope, Fox, XT.
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Submitted by
blatido
a Cross Country Rider
from Guadalajara, Jal., MEXICO
Date Reviewed: September 2, 2003
Strengths: Pretty nice looking!
Weaknesses: Haven't found any
Bottom Line:
This is a very good product right out-of-the-box. I cannot say it makes me a better rider, if it's better than Thomson or how to evaluate stiffness, but one thing is for sure: you put in on your bike and you forget about it! Well, at least until someone else looks at your bike and say "Wow! Your stem looks cool!". One of the best stems on the market. Nuff said.
Bike Setup: Specialized Epic (M4 Frame), Easton EA70 Handlebar, Avid Mech Disc Rear Brake, Avid SD7 Front V-Brake, Avid SD7 Levers, Michelin WG Hot-S tyres, Candy SL pedals.
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Submitted by
Fredog
a Cross Country Rider
from SoCAL
Date Reviewed: July 23, 2003
Strengths: Stiff, sleek, piece of art, great workmanship.
Weaknesses: Cheesy lightning bolt.
Bottom Line:
After two bad experiences with Thomson (stripped bolts, had to drill them out) stems, I decided to look at something different. Loved the Thomson, so I needed something comparable. Read the reviews here and gave the RF a shot.
I'm very impressed. Super stiff - same as Thomson. Even better looking. I didn't think I'd find something better, but I did. Give this stem a shot, you won't be disappointed.
Strengths: Light, great clamp for bars, bolts don't stick out that much so your knees feel a little safer.
Weaknesses: The black anodization is kind of weak compared to their cranks.
Bottom Line:
This stem is sweet. Lighter than my Thompson and best of all it doesn't mover around on the steer-tube like the Thompson did. Just as stiff as the Thompson, a little stiffer than the old Bontrager. The clamp for the handlebars is really nice, especially if you have carbon bars because the edges of the clamp mechanism won't dig into the bar when tightening. They did a good job with the placement of the bolts that clamp the steer-tube, they design is pretty smooth and they don't stick out like pungi-sticks. I am really happy with this stem so far, the only downer is the black anodization, it doesn't look as dark-black as the cranks - but then again I should be smacked for such a lame complaint! 4 Chili's for the price because I didn't pay retail, but it's on par with most high end stems.
No creaking or loosening of the allen bolts yet--this thing is tough, ultra-sexy looking, and light. I have the 5 degree 100mm stem, and it's served me well so far. Main competition would be the Thompson Elite, but this one's a bit cheaper than that
Bike Setup: '96 Kona Kula hardtail with XTR, Mavic, Race Face components
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Submitted by
Genital Apparatus
a Cross Country Rider
from Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: June 28, 2003
Strengths: Very cool looking, finishing is awesome, very light but also strong.
Weaknesses: Maybe price, but not for me because I got a really good deal on it...otherwise, no weaknesses
Bottom Line:
Probably the best component I own since I'm sort of a newbie to all of this. Cool looks, excellent manufacturing quality. I'll never forget the name Raceface ever again. Recommend for anyone who can afford it or who gets a good deal on it...Raceface is an excellent manufacturer.
I have a Raceface Deus Cranks (bought through clearance sale @ Jensen USA) installed on my 2001 Element Race and the bottom bracket is a 72 mm. I followed the instructions on the Read More »
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Hey guys,
Just purchased a 2009 Giant Trance X2 to replace my SC Chameleon I've been riding for that last few years... I recently upgraded the Chameleon w/ a SLX crankset and the Read More »
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Heya all,
I was wondering why did the nice Deus family of Raceface did not made it to the 2011 line up ?
As far as I know, I did not find it anywhere on the Raceface website Read More »
