Inherited some Raceface Deus X-Type cranks (24mm hollow axle like Shimano HT2) a while ago, complete with 3 rings etc… They sat in my spares box unused for years. Just fitted them to a mates bike, but for the life of me can’t figure out what Bolt they require to hold the axle on (didn’t come with one)…

It’s not an ISIS bolt, it’s not an Original Hollowtech bolt, nor is it the actual “X-Type” bolt that I bought off ebay that was supposed to fit! 🤦🏻

Anybody got a Scooby? I’m seriously stumped here, and they’re effectively worthless if I can’t find the correct bolt… Worse still, I’ve now thrown money at them to no ends, and am staring down the barrel of having to find something else to go on my mates bike if I can’t find the correct bolt! 🤦🏻

They came with a self extracting bolt.
I’ve got a set in the shed. Will have a look tomorrow.

If you would Phil_H that would be awesome.

Only thing is that the one I bought (at great expense!) is advertised as an X-Type self extracting bolt, and it doesn’t bloody fit!

In what way doesn’t it fit? From memory, there’s a big f*** off bolt that clamps the two parts together, and a left hand threaded bit that goes over the top.

You also need to make sure that the left hand arm has the little 3.5mm thick rubber X-ring installed (and take it out and give it a good clean first so it’s not compressed/stuck). It’s this that should lightly preload the bearings. You also need a set of the 1mm shims, you add shims until the space between the cranks and BB is taken up and the X-ring can do it’s job.

The bits with the red arrow (they weren’t all black, I’ve got a little spares packet with black/white/red) isn’t one each side, it’s as many as required depending on the tolerance of your frame.

And the splines need to be spotless with smear of grease on them otherwise they creak.

They’re the ones that need to be tightened up harder than anything I’ve ever tightened before. The way I did it was to put a pedal onto the other arm, but from the inside, so it (with a bit of padding) jammed against the chainstay while applying a massive lever to the spanner.
I don’t expect anyone to understand this unless they’ve tried to fit one of these chainsets.

I think I might still have a few of the spacer seals kicking about if you need them.

Yet another crank design that shows what a good job Shimano did with Hollowtech 2

The way I did it was to put a pedal onto the other arm, but from the inside, so it (with a bit of padding) jammed against the chainstay while applying a massive lever to the spanner.

That’s brilliant.

(X-type owner/sufferer).

I am pretty sure I have the full set of fitting instructions in my shed. If you want them scanned then drop me a pm and I’ll have a look.

Yet another crank design that shows what a good job Shimano did with Hollowtech 2

This. 👍 No other system is so user friendly with such simple tools.

And if you do get it fitted and it’s the one that take s self-extracting bolt, be sure to add a bit of Loctite or you’ll find that the self-extracting bit may self-extract and leave itself on the trail somewhere – with no way of removing the cranks.

Yet another crank design that shows what a good job Shimano did with Hollowtech 2

Yep. I’m on current RF cranks now for ring-size reasons and the fitment is better – but still nowhere near as good as Shimano’s double pinch bolt & preload system.

I dunno, it’s not the simplest system to install, but if you follow the instructions it’s pretty foolproof. Shimano relied on people’s mechanical sympathy to judge when the preload was correct, and then to get the two clamps equal and opposite.

The shear number of people moaning about premature bearing wear in the early days of all the systems would imply that any assumption that people will read the instructions or have mechanical sympathy is probably erroneous 🤣

I never used a torque wrench, just greased everything up and put my weight against a pedal in one hand and the big Allen key in the other. But yes, those outer caps do disappear!

I much prefer the raceface system. It tightens to a hard stop and does not come undone IME.

Had to loctite my affect bolt because the arm kept coming loose – and it needs an 8mm hex key to tighten, which I don’t usually carry on rides.

Stays on fine now, but will likely be difficult to remove when I actually want it to come off.

Excavations in the shed have revealed the following;
There are 2 sizes of X type bolt, 18mm & 15mm. Deus cranks use the 15mm bolt.
There are 2 sizes of ISIS bolt, 15mm & 12mm. The 15mm ISIS bolt threads into the Deus crank axle.
What I couldn’t tell is if the 15mm ISIS bolt will fit in the crank arm properly. The retaining nut wasn’t for moving and I didn’t want to mangle it.
My guess is a 15mm ISIS bolt will fit, the splines on the axle look very similar to the ones on an ISIS bottom bracket.
Google photos

More photos

The retaining nut wasn’t for moving and I didn’t want to mangle it.

You’re turning it the right way aren’t you?

If it’s a reverse thread?
Then yes😀