Ultra Cheap Carbon Crankset - 18 months later...
Trace Velo
5 février 2025
Cheap carbon cranksets from China are all over AliExpress. They’re lightweight and look fantastic, but are they durable, and what should you look out for?
A decent carbon crankset from a well known brand like Rotor, or even some of the more mainstream Chinese brands like Cybrei, can be very expensive. So over the last few years, I have been testing out some much cheaper options on my road bike that I bought from AliExpress.
The first one I purchased was from a brand called Racework, but as i will demonstrate in this video, the chainrings are falling apart, and the carbon crank arms have a tendency to crack where they clamp onto the axle.
The second carbon crankset I purchased was from a brand called RIRO. It’s quite similar to the original racework one, but the method of securing the crank arms in place is MUCH better. Like SRAM cranksets, it uses a single extraction bolt, which reduces much of the strain placed on the carbon. However I also faced an issue where the extraction bolt snapped on me, but in retrospect I believe this was mainly my fault, and was easily repairable.
One point of note is that both these cranksets use 24mm aluminium crank axles. These have been known to snap under extreme loads, so I will also discuss this topic, and whether cast aluminium is to blame.
Finally I will unbox what I believe is one of the best cheap carbon cranksets to date. Again it is from the brand Riro, but the overall construction and quality is very impressive, and it uses the DUB standard 29mm axle, so should be stiffer, and MUCH more robust.
⬇️ Links to the sellers I used below ⬇️
Shimano 24mm Riro Crankset
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oBtDwB7
DUB 29mm Riro Crankset
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_okATn0Z
Just FYI, these are affiliate links. It won’t cost you any more to purchase, but if you use them I get a little bit of kick-back from AliExpress, which helps!
Riro extraction bolt replacement (Bonus clip - 20:51)
https://youtu.be/PeoQ-bSFPwc?si=KKorRRM3x6KG62d0&t=1252
Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro
00:29 – Weight saving
01:13 – Cracked carbon crankset
02:24 – Riro carbon crankset
02:49 – Riro bolt issue
04:12 – Aluminium chainrings
05:48 – Aluminium axles snapping
07:28 – Carbon DUB crankset
11:59 – Bonus clip - New bike
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tracevelo/
Email: tracevelouk@gmail.com
Please note:
I am not a professionally trained bike mechanic. There can be risks associated with using products that are unbranded, untested, or come from sources where the provenance is unknown. Please talk to a qualified bike mechanic if you are in any doubt.
In essence, be careful, do your research, and cycle safe!!!
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Fall Sale
PlateauRIRO Carbon Fiber Crank Road Bike 11/12 Speed 50-34/53-39T Direct Mount Bicycle Crankset 170mm 46/48/50/52T Chainring Bike Parts
Créé le : 1 décembre 2024Le critique discute en détail de la manivelle en fibre de carbone RIRO, mettant en évidence ses performances et ses améliorations de conception par rapport aux autres jeux de manivelles en carbone. Il mentionne l'avoir utilisée pendant plus d'un an avec plus de 2 500 miles, notant sa durabilité et sa construction solide. Le jeu de manivelles comporte un mécanisme de fixation à boulon unique similaire à SRAM, que le critique loue comme supérieur aux autres conceptions. Il apprécie également les plateaux de chaîne de meilleure qualité qui l'accompagnent, qui ont duré plus longtemps que ceux des autres jeux de manivelles. Cependant, il note un problème avec le boulon d'extraction d'origine qui s'est fissuré sous une utilisation excessive, bien qu'il considère ce scénario comme rare. Le critique mentionne également une version plus récente du jeu de manivelles RIRO avec un design différent et un poids plus élevé, mais des fonctionnalités améliorées comme un axe de 29 mm et de meilleures performances de changement de vitesse.
Résumé IA
Pros
- Construction durable sans fissures ni délaminage après plus d'un an d'utilisation
- Mécanisme de fixation à boulon unique supérieur similaire à SRAM
- Plateaux de chaîne de meilleure qualité qui durent plus longtemps
plus de pros dans la vidéo
Cons
- Boulon d'extraction d'origine fissuré sous une utilisation excessive (bien que considéré comme rare)
- Utilise un axe en aluminium Shimano Standard de 24 mm, dont certains rapports suggèrent qu'il pourrait se casser sous charge
- La version plus récente est légèrement plus lourde en raison d'un design plus massif et d'un axe de 29 mm
RIRO Carbon Faser Kurbel Rennrad 11/12 Geschwindigkeit 50-34/53-39T Direkt Montieren Fahrrad Kurbelgarnitur 170mm 46/48/50/52T Kettenblatt Fahrrad Teile - AliExpress 18