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Racework carbon fiber crankset feedback thread

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jonathanf2:
There's been some inquiries regarding the Racework carbon fiber crankset selling on AliExpress and I decided to make a dedicated thread so those who've purchased it and/or are thinking about it can post feedback/questions.

jonathanf2:
I'll post my general impressions first! I actually bought two Racework CF cranksets for my 2x road bike and my 1x gravel bike.

My positive impressions first:
The build quality at least for the drive side crank seems well-built. The axle despite being alloy seems fairly sturdy and the left crank arm is lightweight coming in at around 150g. The Racework 2x and 1x chainrings are actually quite nice and the 2x chainring is also lightweight compared to the other direct mount chainrings selling on AliEx. Shifting with the 2x chainring is actually really smooth on my Ultegra R8000 FD. The Racework 1x chainring also looks quite good and the teeth allow adequate engagement on the chain. It's also worth noting that the Racework crankset can mount Shimano left crank arms.

Now the cons:
There is zero documentation regarding torque specs or mounting the Racework crankset. In fact I had to do quite a bit of exploration myself to figure it out. First problems with the 2x setup: I ended up having to use 3 spacers that came with the supplied BB. My original 105 R7000 crankset worked fine with no spacers. I hadn't intended using the cheap AliEx BB, but there was definitely ramping pin rub when in the small 2x chainring when using no spacers. I ended up putting 2 spacers on the drive side and 1 spacer on the non drive side in order to make room for my cadence sensor. Yet in doing so this caused another problem. I ended up cracking my non-drive side crank arm when I was tightening the bolts. For my 2x setup, I ended up replacing the non-drive side crank arm with an Ultegra crank arm which ended up working quite well. The difference in weight is about 50g, but using a Shimano left crank arm is definitely more sturdier. Though if using the Racework carbon crank arm, I'd probably not mount any spacers on the non drive side. My high and low screws on the FD had to be readjusted as well. Once everything was sorted it, it does work well and you can really feel the weight reduction. The Racework Store I purchased the crankset from, promised to send me a replacement crank arm, but unfortunately I haven't seen or heard back anything from them.

Now the cons for the 1x setup. I first tried the 1x crankset on my press fit bike and I didn't use any spacers. Unfortunately this setup probably requires 1 PF compatible spacer between the PF BB and crankset either on the drive or non-drive side because there was noticeable creaking and I believe there must have been slight play. I eventually removed the 1x Racework crankset from that bike and placed it on my threaded BSA gravel bike and put 1 spacer on the non-drive side threaded BB cup in order to allow more room for my cadence sensor. With this setup, there was no creaking and I was able to use the left crank arm with no issue.

Regarding torque specs I've settled on 8nm for for the direct mount chainring bolts (which seems to be what SRAM recommends) and 8nm for the carbon crank arm. I'm hesitant to push Shimano's 12-14nm torque specs on the left crank arm bolts for fear of cracking my remaining carbon left crank arm.

My overall feedback is that you may or may not have issues depending on your BB type (PF or threaded) and also if you're running 1x or 2x. I think this crank probably works best on a thread BSA setup and most definitely in the 1x configuration. Chain line is very finicky when running 2x and takes a bit of tuning since it isn't a plug-n-play type affair. The biggest drawback for me is the crappy implementation of the left crank arm. The bolts are smaller than the Shimano left crank bolts and overall quite fragile. If you have a 170mm 105/Ultegra/Dura-Ace crank laying around, I'd just use that instead and remove 50g (150g vs 200g) elsewhere on the bike. You'll have peace of mind that your left crank arm won't break and you'll still benefit from the weight reduction of the entire setup.

BTW - I'm about 150 lbs./68kg and 174cm tall. I do mostly hill climbing and quite a bit of out of saddle riding, so far no issues regarding the alloy axle, though I'm keeping an eye on it.

eeney:
Thanks for the info!  I've been looking at these because my Sram rival 1 crank is very heavy.  Sounds like a 1x with BSA threaded BB would be a safe option, so great writeup!

jonathanf2:

--- Quote from: eeney on February 27, 2023, 09:23:18 PM ---Thanks for the info!  I've been looking at these because my Sram rival 1 crank is very heavy.  Sounds like a 1x with BSA threaded BB would be a safe option, so great writeup!

--- End quote ---

Once the crankset is dialed in, it works quite well. I did some heavy duty trail climbing yesterday on my 1x gravel bike and the crankset worked with no creaking and it was spinning smoothly. Also my 2x crank is properly setup and it's been working quite well. I believe the Racework 2x chainring is a ROTOR knock-off, but I actually like it. The flat chainring profile minimizes scratches and there's an outer chain catcher pin in case you get a chain drop. The back of the chainring has aero type ducts similar to Shimano 2x cranksets.

I am curious as to how production works with these AliEx components. For example, the alloy 7075 axle is the same one used on the direct mount Goldix cranksets. Also the Racework chainrings are sold under the Goldix and Zeroing brands. Though the Racework CF crankset so far appears to be exclusive to Racework. Also I did apply Wolftooth crank decals for extra protection.

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