wintermute is correct.  After returning from some work-related travel I was able to more closely inspect the Lexon 24mm crank.  I also received my frame which the crank will go on.  Two issues I will address:

1.  The Lexon chainrings fit.  I have the same ones as wintermute.  They are “tight”, not undersized.  If you carefully place them on the spider, they fit in just right. I
O, it’s similar to fitting Shimano chainrings to a Shimano crank with the bonded chainring bolts.  Takes a little patience and finesse.  Regarding the chainring bolts, yes they are soft aluminum. They also fit and mine tightened down just fine.  I will say that they are probably one time use bolts.

2.  Spindle length.  Can confirm with wintermute on this one.  It is about 4-5
mm too wide.  Ironically, they provide more than enough spacers to make up the difference. I’m in the process of doing a new build.  The crank was my “cheaper” alternative to purchasing an Elilee (saves me about 250.00USD).  I have been using the DUB version of Lexon’s crank all summer with very little drama. Right now I have three options:

  a) return the crank, fight it out to get a refund. Purchase a more expensive crank. (FWIW, I view all Aliexpress purchases as a total gamble. I try not to get emotional about the purchases.)


  b) Use the crank.  Use the supplied spacers and ride it till summer.  If the Q factor and chainline can’t be adquately dealt with over 4mm difference, then I will just order the Elilee 310 next summer.


  c) Find a local tool and die shop that can turn down a titanium shaft by 4mm.  I know I might actually be able to get this done.  Titanium is tough to cut but it is also very soft, like aluminum.  Anyone with a lathe should be able take a few mm off of it.


Hope this info helps anyone who needs to make an informed purchase in the far East.

Elilee has 94mm spindle length according to the their spec. I would assume the situation will be same or similar to Lexon that states 92mm but it is actually longer.

I finally managed to fix the chain line issue on my setup. My BB is 90.5mm (BBRight). As others have pointed out with chainring issues, the same problem exists with the spider. The machining quality is poor - some tabs on the spider are 3.4mm thick, while others are 3.6mm. The spacers included are also the cheapest imaginable, and their thickness is inconsistent (not 1.5mm but 1.4mm or 1.6mm instead). I think the chain line problem comes from the spider’s incorrect depth.

I’m using Ultegra 11-speed, and to resolve the chain line issue, I had to add 3mm spacers to the drive side. However, this left no room for preload adjustment, and tightening the crank bolt added extra stress on the bearings. Additionally, with the 3mm spacers, the crank arms were no longer centered relative to the rear wheel. I figured that if I used 1.5mm spacers on the non-drive side and adjusted the preload ring by ~1.5mm, I could center the crank arms. While this helped, the chain line worsened, as the spider was pushing the chain too far in, causing it to rub against the inner plate of the front derailleur.

Here I realized the spider itself was the issue. After searching online, I found a replacement spider from Stone with similar dimensions but slightly less depth. I decided to take a chance and ordered it, and thankfully, it worked. The new spider had a ~1.5mm shallower depth, reducing the need for 3mm spacers to just 1.5mm, and I could finally use the preload ring. The chainring tabs on the Stone spider were also properly machined, with a uniform thickness of 3.5mm, similar to Shimano’s. I slightly adjusted front derailleur and everything looks okay for now, however I haven’t been able to properly test it outside yet, as it’s winter here.

Initially, I wanted to return the crankset. The seller contacted me, begging not to return it through AliExpress, as he’d lose money and the crankset would just be recycled somewhere at AliExpress's warehouse. He promised to cover all costs if I shipped it directly back to China. I asked him if he can provide any solutions and decided to give him a chance, but after two weeks of vague promises and no real solutions, I found my own fix and asked him to compensate me for the replacement spider. At first, he claimed it was too expensive and suggested splitting the cost 50/50, but eventually, he agreed to cover the full amount. However, it’s been nearly two weeks since then, and I still haven’t received any refund. Now I'm being simply ignored.

So, I DO NOT RECOMMEND buying this crankset unless you’re confident you can handle the issues yourself. The crank arms and spindle look good, the rest is bad, and if anything breaks, don’t expect much in terms of support. While I’ll probably keep the crankset, I’m still unsure about its reliability since I haven't tested it outside.