Description:A trimmed down version of our original Turbine LP, the Deus crank is the lightest all-aluminum crank we've ever made. Designed specifically for cross country racing, this crank offers impressive strength and stiffness in an incredibly light package.
The lightest aluminum crank we've ever made
Built in our BC manufacturing facility
Manufactured from 7050 aluminum
Near net forged and fully CNC machined
Aggressive I-Beam profiling for improved stiffness and strength
Built in Spacers allows the use of shorter bolts, providing an additional weight savings.
X-Type version features super light, butted, heat treated NiCrMo spindle
Also available in ISIS Drive
Built for: XC Racing
Size: 170,175, 180mm
Warranty: Lifetime
Colours:
Anodized: Bad Ass Black and Shiny Silver
Powder Coated: Shred Red and Team White (175mm only)
Submitted by
adept1
a Cross Country Rider
from Singapore Date Reviewed: November 17, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Bukit Timah
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$220.00
Purchased At:
ebay seller
Strengths:
Lightweight, reasonable price, nice looking, good instructions (IF YOU READ THEM!)
Weaknesses:
Aluminum bolt is not suitable for the initial installation. It'll strip if you apply the necessary torque to get the bolt to bottom out all the way. I set my torque wrench to 50 ft/lbs and stripped it. Glad it was the bolt and not the spindle! Better to use a steel bolt for initial install, and replace with an aluminum or titanium one after if you want something lighter. I used an old steel bolt from a previous crankset and tightened it to 50 ft/lbs.
Similar Products Used:
Race Face Evolve XC
Bike Setup:
XC hardtail
Bottom Line:
I really like the cranks, and have not experienced any of the problems other people have mentioned here. You need to follow the instructions properly! I think many of the problems may be because the cranks aren't torqued down hard enough, and this could result in loosening, wobbling, and improper chainlines. I think Race Face should supply a steel bolt for the initial install, and people would not have these problems. I'm deducting 1 point for this.
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Submitted by
kevinchellew
a Cross Country Rider
from sudbury ontario Date Reviewed: October 16, 2008
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
great crank and BB. Light weight, durable
Bike Setup:
rocky mountain element 70 stock
Bottom Line:
this crank is just fine. I read alot of bad reviews about it. I ride in adverse conditions (rain, sand, mud, 3 ft. water holes) and after 5000 km. it still preforms like it was new. Let's all hear it for a great Canadian crankset.
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Submitted by
dgangi
a Weekend Warrior
from Phoenix, AZ Date Reviewed: October 13, 2008
XT outboard crankset, lots of ISIS stuff, old Race Face square taper
Bike Setup:
2007 Motolite, 2005 Giant NRS
Bottom Line:
I'm not sure why so many people here give these cranks a bad review. I have these mounted on 2 bikes, and after a year of abuse I haven't had an issue with either. A number of my friends use these with success as well.
First, and most importantly, installation is key to the success or failure of an outboard bearing crankset. Outboard systems, regardless of brand, are highly susceptible to frame tolerances. Any problems in the bottom bracket shell -- poor facing or misaligned (not parallel) faces caused by sloppy bike frame manufacturing -- will kill any crankset. Poor tolerances in the bottom bracket shell is more common than you think...
I mounted the cranks on both of my bikes myself. I followed the instructions carefully (which were relativley easy to read). I greased every surface, torqued the cups down very snug, and mounted the cranksets with the cinch bolt to where it fully bottomed out. You need a proper torque wrench to do this.
After successful installation, these things look great and perform well. Race Face chainrings are the best wearing chainrings out there (XT crap wears like butter)...and after a year of beating on these I hardly notice any wear. Shifting is smooth and crisp (XT front derailleur on both bikes). I've never had any chain suck problems on either bike.
I bought the shiny silver Aluminum crank arms, and after a year of AZ rock rash, the crankset still looks really nice. Shimano stuff looks horrible after just a year of use. I have no idea how well the black Race Face color would work...but the silver has been great.
These cranks are very stiff. I pound the hell out of these on my Motolite, and I have yet to feel any flex anywhere in the system.
As far as durability goes, the Deus cranks have been great. I frequently smash the end of a crank arm on a rock, and besides some nice gashes in the ends of the crank arms...nothing else has been affected.
Anyway, as I said in the opening of this review...as long as you are careful to mount these properly, I think these are some of the best cranks out there. And when you do wear out the bearings, any Shimano cups/bearings will fit (Race Face and Shimano use the exact same cups/bearings) - so finding replacement parts is a snap.
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Submitted by
Rapidtrax
a Cross Country Rider
from MA Date Reviewed: September 27, 2008
Favorite Trail:
They're all good
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$245.00
Purchased At:
Seasonal Outfitters
Strengths:
2008 eight Deus is redesigned, solid bolt, spline redesign
Weaknesses:
well, to early to tell. riden once so far
Similar Products Used:
earlier Deus Design
Bike Setup:
Intense
Bottom Line:
This is an update to my previous review. I was so displeased with the performance of the original Deus product I did some research. It appears the new Deus (2008 I guess) has a solid bolt design rather than the hollowed out bolt. Also the x-type spline appears to be redesigned. Gone are the large flat spline areas being replaced by more of the finer spline ridges( and grooves). I will say that this set appears to work much better so far. Installation was the same but I did notice that the setup tightened right up at 45 ft-lbs (the recommended torque). I will have to see how well this new version works. three chillis to start; I'll go up or down from here
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Submitted by
Yetidog2
a Cross Country Rider
from Michigan Date Reviewed: August 30, 2008
Absolute crap! I just installed my third crank in nearly 3-years. Fortunately Race Face has warrantied all. The first two cranks had to be cut off the bike because the crank halves froze together. Bearings seize around 1,000 miles. Must be very careful when servicing the BB because the dust covers easily crack requiring BB replacement. If you already have RF, don't accept a warranty replacement- just pony up for a new XT crank.
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Submitted by
steadite
a Weekend Warrior
from Erie, PA, USA Date Reviewed: August 21, 2008
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$260.00
Purchased At:
somewhere online
Strengths:
Light and gorgeous looking. Nice chainrings---good shifting.
Weaknesses:
Bottom bracket started creaking like crazy after ~100 miles. Tried to remove the crankarm and the extractor screw broke (with threads now stuck in the arm). Without success, tried every way possible to remove the crankarm (including a gear-puller and torch!) and ended up cutting the crankarm off with an angle grinder. One for the garbage bin.
Similar Products Used:
mid-range shimano and FSA.
Bike Setup:
Cannondale hardtail
Bottom Line:
Very bad design WRT arrachment of drive-side crank arm to the axle. The extractor screw simply does not have enough strength to pop the spline joint apart. Big waste of money for me.
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Submitted by
Rapidtrax
a Weekend Warrior
from Date Reviewed: August 19, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Sidewinder
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
Seasonal Outfitters
Strengths:
Light, fairly well priced, flexible installation capability, ringgear ratio set
Weaknesses:
Right hand cranck arm will not stay tight causing ring gear assemble to wobble, excessive wear, safety issue
Bike Setup:
Intense
Bottom Line:
I wish to warn you about purchasing this or any Race Face crank set. The current design is flawed and causes excessive wear of the shaft splines. Excessive or frequent torqueing of the mounting bolt and cap will not correct the problem. The wobbling of the RH crank set will worsen the wear issue and ulimately cause an unsafe condition.
Though Race Face is based in British Columbia I urge you to make this safety issue known by filing with the US Product Consumer Safety Division.
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Submitted by
Stefan Garcia
a Cross Country Rider
from Wooster, OH Date Reviewed: August 18, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Vulture's Knob
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Looks good, Light and stiff cranks arms
Weaknesses:
Chainrings don't shift well, bottom bracket is not durable
Similar Products Used:
Shimano products, Truvativ
Bike Setup:
XT front derailleur, SRAM X9 rear derailleur and shifters, SRAM cassette and chain
Bottom Line:
These cranks are not worth the money. I have used them for a year and the bottom bracket just seized up on me. It also never shifted well. I experienced chain suck from the beginning which did get a little better after break in, but kept happening way too much. I have never had that before. Shifting was loud and inexact from the start. My middle ring was a big part of the problem, I think. I could have just fixed the bracket and middle ring, but I have decided to order a Shimano XT crankset because I am not happy with this product. My LBS did contact Race Face about the chain suck and they were not very helpful. I also put a Race Face headset on this bike and even when tight it has some play, so I will not buy their products again.
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Submitted by
Beef Curtain Packaging
a Racer
from Walled Lake Date Reviewed: August 8, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Poto
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$230.00
Purchased At:
Green Fish
Strengths:
Cheaper the others...but that's it.
Weaknesses:
Constant Tightening needed to keep the drive-side crank stable. When it loosens, the chainrings move side to side as well causing chain slips and other unneccasry crap while trying to ride. Especially when you hammer out of the saddle, the performance is a crap-shoot.
Similar Products Used:
Older XT..not as stiff, but very very reliable.
Bike Setup:
Custom Fango, All XO, Carbon-Carbon, Hand-built 4.1s with 240s, (Total Gucci) light, fast and fun. I am now joining the FSA family...time to move on.
Bottom Line:
It was a nice fix originally, but after 20 hours of riding, the problems began. We Jimmy-Rigged it a bit, but it still loves to just loosen, especially after a hard ride. This is just unacceptable. I will never purchase a race-face product again. You do get what you pat for. I have found the FSA products (cranks) way more reliable, even stiffer and smoother spins, even when covered in muck!
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Submitted by
Jason Hodges
a Weekend Warrior
from Anybiketownusa Date Reviewed: July 22, 2008
Favorite Trail:
K3 Goat
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$275.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Please are you kidding? These cranks are junk, trust me.
Weaknesses:
Cranks continue to become loose. Customer Service blows!
Similar Products Used:
Shimano! Do not skimp or stray from Shimano you will be sorry.
Bike Setup:
Ibis Mojo full SRAM and Shimano, Notubes Olympics with WTB hubs, Hayes Disc
Bottom Line:
The cranks have been a huge disappointment. Any comparison to XTR is false advertisement. These cranks have been nothing but trouble and if you think you will get any satisfaction out of Race Face, forget it. They are in Canada and might as well not exist. Avoid unless you want to constantly tighten and make do with a piss poor sorry crank.
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Submitted by
Old Not Dead
a Weekend Warrior
from Johnson City TN USA Date Reviewed: February 8, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Dupont State Forest
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
Price Point
Strengths:
Reliability, Looks, Design,Durability, stiffness
Weaknesses:
Chainring bolts need periodic attention, at least the aluminum ones.
Similar Products Used:
Race Face Ride
Bike Setup:
Giant Reign, Fox 140RLC Pushed,Mavic Enduro, Hayes HFX-9, Kenda Nevegals w/Stans
Bottom Line:
First, BB's are different from cranksets, this is a rating on the crankset. My BB lasted about a year and I replaced it with the Diablo BB. For my use if a BB lasts a year I'm happy, geez it's a mountain bike.
As for the crankset I had reservations about going with Race Face due to the reviews here, but after a year plus, I can report NO problems. I have taken the crank apart several times for various reasons, fully expecting the crank to come loose, but it never has. I have hammered, and banged, and driven mine into rocks, creeks, etc, fully expecting to come out with a broken twisted, or bent crank arm and have yet to have the first issue. I wouldn't even try to guess the cause of the other guys problems, but I can say I have not had ANY trouble with mine. The chainring bolts worked loose once, my bad for not keeping up with them.
Four chilis, because perfection is sooooo hard to attain
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Submitted by
Sam Franczyk
a Cross Country Rider
from Oceanside Date Reviewed: February 5, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Everything
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$250.00
Purchased At:
Universal Cycles - Online
Strengths:
Semi-light, stiff cranks. Cool black color and chainring/bash guard. Not much else.
Weaknesses:
BB bearing wore out in less than a year and I didn't even get it dirty. Tried to follow up on warranty and Raceface would not even reply (x2). Universal cycles said they contacted them but since the seal was was probably compromised, there is probably nothing they can do (no reply from 2nd email). Removing the cranks seems to begin a stripping process on the crank bolt as I saw metal shavings. Garbage.
Similar Products Used:
Bontrager SS Race Lite
Bike Setup:
Fisher Rig, Bontrager XXX carbon stem, bar and post. Brooks Ti swift saddle. Rest is stock.
Bottom Line:
I will never buy from Raceface again. Cheesy product. Very poor customer service. No help, no dice. Universal Cycles was no advocate either. I ended up buying another BB ($50+) from a local store so I could continue to use the cranks. VERY dissappointed.
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Submitted by
Brian
a Cross Country Rider
from Bay Area, CA Date Reviewed: January 25, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Porcupine Rim
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
Shifting, Looks good, Stiff
Weaknesses:
BB Bearing
Similar Products Used:
XTR (Octalink), XT (Octalink), Coda
Bike Setup:
Turner Flux set up for XC and trail riding
Bottom Line:
The Deus crankset is a very good crankset. It is just as stiff as the Octalink XTR and shifts just as well. This crankset is also one of the sharpest looking cranksets out there.
I chose the Deus because I wanted to build a bike that did not have any Shimano parts. I came up short because I used an XTR front deraileur.
I did have a problem with the drive side bearing seizing after about 6 months of riding. I replaced it with an Enduro brand bearing and I must have installed it incorrectly. While riding around at the Sea Otter Classic, the crankset began to wobble. I rode over to the Raceface booth and the mechanic installed a new Raceface bottom bracket and adjusted my front deraileur in about 10 minutes! When I offered to pay for the parts and service he told me there was no Charge! I was very happy and gave the mechanic a gratuity.
A very good crankset from a great company that provided me with first class service.
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Submitted by
Marc
a Cross Country Rider
from Davis, CA USA Date Reviewed: January 2, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Northern CA
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$260.00
Strengths:
Looked great in the Box. Supercool holograpghic etchings on chainrings. The quality of the chainrings is superb.
Weaknesses:
Raceface made a basic design blunder when they placed the spline for the Bottom bracket spindle on the drive side instead of the non drive side as all other cranksets utilizing outboard bearings currently employ. Consequently, the spline cannot be secured circumferentially. The 8 MM bolt holds it in laterally. Over time the splines develop increasing wear and slop. In my case about 3 years or 3 lives of the small chainring. I have also had all the above mentioned bearing problems and have recently had Phil Wood bearings placed in the raceface casings. I have emailed raceface to urge a redesign of the spindle spline to the non-drive side and can only hope they take heed. I am moving to the Shimano 770 while I wait for warranty replacement from Raceface. Until they rethink their product, I strongly advise all to avoid all X type Raceface cranksets.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano
Bike Setup:
Ventana El Saltamontes with 5" rockers, Fox talus, Crossmax wheels,Gravity Dropper seatpost, Shimanodrivestrain other than crankset and chain.
Bottom Line:
Avoid
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Submitted by
Jason Evans
a Cross Country Rider
from Anybiketown USA Date Reviewed: December 9, 2007
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$280.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Not Applicable because they suck!
Weaknesses:
You name it they excel.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano - The best by far! Do not stray away unless you are stupid
Bike Setup:
Ellsworth Epiphany, Full SRAM, Mavic Crossmax SL's. High End bike with piss poor SORRY RACE FACE CRANKS
Bottom Line:
This is a follow up post to a few earlier ones. After over a year of attempting to get these RF turds to perform properly, I have given up. I sent in the cranks for warranty replacement because mine had a design flaw. Look at all the other posts here and you decide or you can take my word for it, these are junk. It would not be so bad, but RF took 4 MONTHS to replace these turds. I went ahead and bought some Shimano XTR 960's because I got sick of waiting. Like others I have used, Shimano rules! These cranks will be going onto Ebay in hopes someone else will have better luck with them. One Flaming Turd for value and overall rating!
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Submitted by
Sean Davidson
a Racer
from Richmond, ME Date Reviewed: November 23, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Downieville
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$189.00
Purchased At:
Online somewhere
Strengths:
Stong design, no noise.
Weaknesses:
no real issues to speak of
Similar Products Used:
Truvativ Shimano
Bike Setup:
Santa Cruz Superlight
Bottom Line:
I'd taken these cranks through a lot of crap, mud, water, 35 miles of tough downhill (in one day), 12 races, and total about 1200 miles on them without a squeek. Awesome cranks; if installed correctly. The sprocket are holding up pretty well which some considered weak but no issues yet.
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Submitted by
Jason Evans
a Weekend Warrior
from Anybiketown USA Date Reviewed: October 7, 2007
Favorite Trail:
The non work trail
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$280.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
So bad there are none
Weaknesses:
Well lets see, they won't stay tight, they have chain suck, the chainring bolts loosen up, slop in the BB, bearings wear quickly, name a bad quality and they excel at the bad quality. Junk
Similar Products Used:
Shimano, Truvativ
Bike Setup:
Ellworth Epiphany, Full SRAM with NEW SHIMANO XTR CRANKS!
Bottom Line:
This is a follow up to a previous post. Race Face has had my DEFECTIVE cranks for over 2 months now. I guess I will never get them back. Don't know what is going on with them. I guess they have taken my money and don't intend to warranty the sorry cranks or offer any sort of resolution. I have since installed Shimano XTR and could not be happier. The best cranks I have ever used. I installed them myself with the tool that came with the cranks (it took around 15 minutes). It was VERY easy and they work flawlessly. Did not have to go to any extreme measures or anything out of the ordinary (locktite, facing, torque wrench, praying) to install them properly and have them function like a $275 pair of cranks should. I wish I would have NEVER WASTED my time and money on Race Face. Do yourself a favor and buy Shimano and avoid Race Face unless you are a an idiot and a glutton for punishment!
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Submitted by
ej
a Cross Country Rider
from felton, CA, USA Date Reviewed: October 4, 2007
Favorite Trail:
TNT
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Purchased At:
$215.00 @ fullcycle.com
Strengths:
gorgeous finish, light, shifts well
Weaknesses:
setup takes some time...drive side can come loose
Similar Products Used:
most all
Bike Setup:
hunter w/fox x80
Bottom Line:
Ok whiners, here's the low-down for fixing the loose drive side issue: 1st (once BB is installed, and shell is FACED) assemble the cranks dry to get the driveline/bearing load issues resolved. Next, make sure all threaded surfaces are CLEAN. Carefully grease the spline/spindle, not getting any on the treads. Next, apply a coat of blue (removable) Loctite to the fixing bolt treads, then torque down. Now, apply Loctite to the threads on the cap nut and torque this (LH thread) realy tight. Mine haven't loosened up since (6+ mos...750mi). The cap nut is what keeps the crank from rocking on the spline...kinda dumb, but it works.
I've been running these almost 2yrs now and other than the loose drive issue have been fairly pleased. The bearings don't come loaded with enough grease...easy enough to handle, the chainrings lasted 1 1/2 yrs (great!)...I weigh in around 225# and ride the hell out of this bike...5 value chilis 'cause the price I paid, 4 overall due to having to experiment alot in order to get the right setup.
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Submitted by
Richard Hodges
a Weekend Warrior
from Atlanta Date Reviewed: September 21, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Chickopee
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$250.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Look great
Weaknesses:
The worst crank I have ever used
Similar Products Used:
shimano
Bike Setup:
Ibis Carbon, Full Sram, Mavic SLR wheelset, Hayes Disc
Bottom Line:
I always use high end components. I strayed from Shimano this time around to try something different. Big Mistake! Like many of the other reviewers have mentioned, my cranks come loose after a couple of good rides. I have tried everything but they continue to come loose. I have never been so dissatisfied with such an expensive, over hyped product. I am so frustrated with this product I am going to throw them in the garbage and go back to Shimano. Race Face should re-design this crank and alleviate all of the problems if they want to continue producing cranks for the cross country market. Do yourself a favor and avoid Race Face Cranks at all costs!
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Submitted by
Rich Leonardo
a Cross Country Rider
from Durango, CO Date Reviewed: September 13, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Flat Crack
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$250.00
Purchased At:
online
Strengths:
looks good. light weight
Weaknesses:
They don't work worth a damn
Similar Products Used:
Shimano XT, XTR.
Bike Setup:
Ellworth Truth, Full XTR except for the sorry Race Face Cranks.
Bottom Line:
Avoid these cranks at all costs unless you love to try and fix the impossible, you want chain suck and sorry shifting, you like slop in the BB or you want to change out the BB bracket bearings often or if you just want to look at your bike and not ride it. Not to mention the manufacturer will not take the time to try and remedy the problem within an acceptable amount of time. I will be going back to Shimano. Don't know why I did not spend the extra dollars and just get the standard for all cranks XTR.
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Submitted by
Jason Evans
a Cross Country Rider
from Anybiketown USA Date Reviewed: September 11, 2007
Favorite Trail:
The non work trail
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$280.00
Purchased At:
Local Bike Shop
Strengths:
Look good. Lightweight.
Weaknesses:
Don't stay tight. Come loose often. Don't perform like a $280 pair of cranks should. Chainring bolts come loose. Play in the bearrings. You name it. Complete JUNK!
$
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