A few weeks ago I ordered this hollowed out alloy crankset from AliEx:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256803455977621.htmlTrace Velo used this crankset on his last build, but eventually removed it citing issues with creaking, flex, etc. This crankset shares the same alloy axle and direct mount interface as the Racework carbon fiber crankset. I also contacted the seller and asked for torque specs for the left crank arm bolts which he stated, same as Shimano?!? I'm like whatevers, I'll figure it out.
First thing to note. I believe this alloy axle is meant to have a universal fit across both road and MTB bottom brackets. I found after having worked with the Racework carbon crankset, at least 1 spacer is needed for 1x road BB configurations and possibly 2 spacers for 2x road BB configurations in order to clear the small/small chainring ramping pins (dependent on 2x chainring design). I would avoid 3 spacers, because the left crank arm will not have enough axle to properly clamp. It's also worth noting if you have an external threaded BB you can use spacers that thread between the cups. With PF BBs, you will need spacers that go between the BB and either on the drive or non-drive side crank arms.
Second thing to note. the left/non-drive side crank arm bolts are definitely not Shimano torque specs (12-14nm)! In fact I found on the Racework left carbon fiber crank arm bolts, 8nm was sufficient. On this hollow alloy crank arm, I ended up going to 10nm torque. I slowly tried going up to 12nm, but I felt going that high could result in a stripped bolt. It's also worth noting these bolts are 10mm hex wrench sized and quite long, so I would take extra care torquing them in incremental steps (ex: 6nm>8nm>10nm) and just take your time.
Last thing to note, make sure to install the pre-load bolt first before tightening the crank arm bolts, and tighten just enough so that it's secure, but the crankset can spin smoothly. I also used 8nm torque for the direct mount chainring bolts.
I took the bike for a spin on some hard climbs, sprint drafted a car on the downhill and did some hard out of saddle riding. This bike is setup as 1x using a PF standard BB386 BB (using 24mm axle adapters); 1 spacer between the drive side crank arm and BB cup and torqued the left crank arm to 10nm. The crankset felt secure and I did not experience any creaking or flex. In fact I believe this crankset is the lightest alloy crankset on AliEx and just second in weight to the Racework carbon fiber crankset. It's also much cheaper.
Some reviews have noted issues with the the left crank arm stripping off the axle and the bolts/crank arms themselves breaking. Again, there is the possibility of QC problems, weight limitations and/or shear force being too much for these crank arms to handle. I'm pretty meticulous with my bike maintenance so I periodically check my bikes before and after every ride. It's a good habit to have when dealing with these AliEx components.
I've added a few photos, hope this helps anyone considering this or other cranksets!
