Descended from the legendary Turbine girder cranks, the Deus has become a classic trail crank in its own right. Sadly, the bottom bracket (BB) doesn’t match its toughness.
The latest hollow arm technology has been ignored, but nothing is more proven than Race Face’s cold-forged CNC-machined-in-Canada I-Beam construction.
The cranks certainly feel crisp underfoot, with chunky cut ‘Team’ chainrings maintaining stiffness. These are CNC-machined with stainless steel shifting pins and ramps, which make for quick, smooth and near-silent shifting in all conditions, and good durability.
The Deus has a functional, clean and tidy look. The crank arms have a minimal profile and the chain line is extremely easy to sort out when fitting thanks to the spacer system on the bottom bracket.
They’re available in 170mm and 175mm lengths with options of cranks-plus-BB or a complete chainset, and finished in black or polished silver.
Weight is average and despite an upgrade with Phil Wood grease, the BB died quickly. Installation is still a grunt and thorough greasing is vital to stop pedals seizing into tight, washer-protected threads.
If you can find an old Turbine and a modern ISIS bottom bracket you’ll gain in longevity what you lose in stiffness.
