My square taper ones have lasted the longest, though hollowtech 2 is pretty nice also. Don't have enough miles on my press fit (3,500) to comment on longevity, but so far it's dead quiet
I once bought larger cranks/chain ring to gear a single speed mountain bike up to be a good commuter bike. Bought cranks with square tapper because that's all that I knew existed, just to find out my bottom bracket had some star shape. Anyways I bought a new bb and it rides good now. Thanks for all the details!
Used three bikes with the Hollowtech crank assembly (hub gears btw). Two failed at the crank arm bolts as the splines had started to wear. So changed it to a Sturmey archer BB and crank assembly with a basic square drive and spline. The Hollowtech crank (IMO) would be much better if the crank arm bolts (M6) were bigger or the bolts and crank arms were case hardened. However in the defence of Hollowtech it did take a few years before the crank arm splines started to wear out.
@@Ober1kenobi Many, many years ago, on a mountain bike I sold back in 2019, creaking noises were driving me crazy. I replaced or took apart and re-lubed many components, including the Hollowtech II bottom bracket. Nothing helped. It turned out it was the seatpost, which I never even considered for some reason.
@@gcntech yeah, but we want to hear more about advances in the actually affordable trickle down tech. Like more about microshift, improvements in mechanical 105, etc. Di2 & etap are so far out of most of our budgets that it isn't funny.
Calvin getting real: "Birmingham Small Arms, or BSA..." The man knows his history. The dude's a gem. He's one of those guys who's "forgotten more about bike repair than you and I will ever know." I find his instructional vids invaluable. Park Tool is lucky to have him. Great show, thanks for this!
CF bikes are light and aero but otherwise garbage (literal garbage because of it) when it comes to tolerancing and position of features. When you get all the forces on the BB.. RIP.
Remember when anything made from carbon fibre was considered exotic and expensive, reserved for pros and the masts on luxury yachts? We now get complete carbon bikes with electronic shifting for under $3000 including inflation... and then we complain that some carbon moulded part isn't perfectly round. We are so lucky.
You shift your weight to check, meaning it's likely it's your seatpost rather than bb. Stand up while pedaling, if it still creaks it's your BB or cranks.
I am currently waiting on two frames from Braun in Holland. I specifically chose that manufacturer for four reasons: a traditional top tube, external cable routing, rim brakes, and a BSA BB. In my opinion, BB should have threads.
"30 years on?" The modern 1 3/8x 24tpi BB shell with drive-side reverse threads has been around for over a century. (BSA used RH threads on both sides and a few different thread dimensions prior to that...) Shit, even Birmingham Small Arms, the firm often credited with the ISO/BSC bb standard) sold their bicycle division close to 70 years ago. I agree that the BSC is probably the best standard overall, due largely to the design but also to its ubiquity. t47 is essentially the same shit but bigger, allowing for larger-diameter spindles, larger bearings, etc...and is therefore likely "better" head to head, but with the vast majority of bikes made in the past century having the smaller BSC shell, the t47 is, as of yet, very limited.
This is the type of content I love. Nerdy, specific, and instructive. Make more of these mechanic/maintenance videos and less of these marginal gains "this company claims their bike to be stiffer, lighter and more areo for the 10th year in a row!". The bottom bracket is now essential in my choice of bike. I've had a press-fit BB on a bike, hated the fact I couldn't service it properly myself. Now all my bikes are BSA, and I wouldn't even consider anything else than BSA or T47.
In blaming the bottom bracket for creaking. I watched a guy at the BMX races chase a BB creak for 3 weekends. It was on a carbon framed V2 SpeedCo. He bought it used, (I saw it sell, and missed out buying it myself, loved that bike as built) He never serviced it in the 3 years he had owned it. I kept telli g him it wasnt the BB, it was something else. He kept tightening the BB. IT WAS THE CHAIN RING BOLTS. Iended up taking the bike home for a week and servicing it over the course of the week, for the next weekend before they left for Nationals, along with 4 of the son's bikes and his wifes bikes.
I guess there was not much said that he could complain about. Especially when it comes to ceramic bearings, what they are made for and how to tune steel bearings. You must be insane to buy ceramic bearings 🙈
@@mboretzkiI think it was pretty fair in the critique on the bike industry lacking standards and precision. For an industry that raised prices to 15.000 euro’s for a very fancy bike they should have invested in precision tooling.
It gets my vote too. I don't know why, but I never had to replace a square taper bottom bracket due to wear, or any kind of problems appearing. They are indestructible.
I'm no bike mechanic, but I replaced my square taper bottom bracket on my old bike a few months ago with a new cartridge type. At that time I learned about all these different types of bottom brackets that have been developed for Carbon fiber frames. The square taper bottom bracket is yet another reason to keep your old steel bike.
As a mechanic, gets my vote too. It's a weekly problem with "random noises" and none of these cases is square taper. Sometimes they need replacement too, but random problems is something they don't cause.
I think the main problem with most new press fit systems is that the mating face isn't flush or has paint left on it by the manufacturer. Then the soft paint compresses or wears which leaves the BB with free play between it and the frame.
Thanks for doing this episode and confirming that bottom bracket standards are just as confusing as I thought they were 😂. I really like it when you guys talk tech stuff with Calvin and Truman. Great stuff!
@@countspokeula539 T47i doesn't need any facing. It literally screws all the way into the frame just like Square Taper does and doesn't rest on the BB shell. As far as chased threads goes, that helps with everything not just T47.
Was designed in Small Heath, Birmingham. The MOST important factor is the cups MUST be parallel and have a single centreline. Any misalignment is probably the threads or sleeves in the frame not correct. When a new bike is purchased, the groupset documentation should be included. On buying a used bike, research and download the specification sheets. I'm restoring a 1944 Sun gent's bike. Bottom Bracket is still in there. Smooth as silk. I have a 1939 B.S.A. Sports. B/B is original, never been out. Instead of tack welding, try Theadlock or PTFE tape.
When I hear the term “bottom bracket standards” used, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Of the six bicycles I maintain, three have BSA bottom bracket interfaces, two have PF30, and one has a square taper. Between what is currently on the bikes and what is in my parts drawers, there are five different axle interfaces: Shimano (24/24), SRAM Dub (29/29), M24 (24/22), M30 (30/28), and whatever you want to call the square taper. In both cases these are a small fraction of what is actually out on the market. It would be nice to have a “standard standard” (or even narrow it down to a standard screw-in and a standard press-fit and converge on standard axle size), but until then we are left to whatever the frame manufacturers and component manufacturers think is best. As somewhat alluded to in the video, my opinion is that if the bottom bracket interface in the frame is dimensionally off, merely throwing a “premium” bottom bracket in it isn’t going to fix the issue. This begs the question how many “bottom bracket” issues are actually interface issues that merely swapping the bottom bracket isn’t going to fix?
May the lord bless you and keep you on your journey. Last I wend down that rabbit hole, I nearly went crazy. I collect bikes, and have no less than 6 different standards. Some are the same standard, but 2 different sizes😂
I'm about to take my bottom bracket out at home, an externally threaded 44mm bb30 in an aluminium frame, a FSA unit...which should be a doddle with two, relatively inexpensive, tools...I do like modern BB designs, especially their longevity when correctly installed.
I thought square taper shimano BB's were awful. The non-drive caps were made of plastic and the bearings inside the after-market ones lasted all of about six months. And if you took the crank off too many times, the end bits would lose friction. I can't believe I persisted with internal BBs for as long as I did, just so I could tell myself I had a perfect chainline. Mad.
You had a fake copy. A lot about especially Ebay/Amazon. Genuine Shimano should last years or a minimum of10,000 miles in all weather conditioms.@@paulpenfold2352
@@paulpenfold2352 that's probably the model that I replaced with a slightly better model only a few £ more for much better quality. It's been faultless never needed to remove it and have only changed cranks once to slightly shorter ones about 10 years ago
@@paulpenfold2352 Shimano made higher end square taper bottom brackets with metal cups. If you remove the cranks you need to torque them properly when reinstalling them. Without a torque wrench you are likely to under tighten them, leading to loosening later on. Properly installed, they are bombproof until the bearings wear out. Easy to replace and no creaking. White Industries still makes premium square taper bottom brackets from steel or titanium for about $150 and up.
If you enjoyed this discussion, you are a definitely a cycling geek....I LOVED it! I just completed a bb upgrade on my Pinarello Prince, I upgraded to an Enduro bb based on the brand reputation, reviews and lifetime warranty. So far, I am extremely satisfied. The one small issue (which this video addressed when talking about upgrades and parts not fitting perfectly) is that my new bb is slightly wider than my old bb. This necessitated the mechanic to do a front derailleur adjustment to get things to line-up correctly. On this new setup, I now have a little bit of a 'chain noise' when I am cross-chaining on the big ring to the largest cassette cog and to a lesser degree the second largest cassette cog. This cross-chaining noise did not exist on the original Shimano Ultegra bb. I realize that cross-chaining and riding in those gets is not the best, so this is not an issue which impacts me in a practical way, rather it is just an example of how the different sizes, standards, parts and manufacturers can have small variances which can complicate issues.
BSA bottom brackets have always been simple to maintain and reliable but they used to wear out quickly. I’ve been using press fit for years and they do get a bad name but this is down to poor frame manufacturing and not the BB. I’ve had lots of issues with big brand frames where the machining tolerances are terrible which cause the creaking. But frames from companies like Look, Time are manufactured to such high tolerances the press fit BB’s work flawlessly. For the last few years I’ve been riding Ridley’s with BB86 and PF30 and cheap Shimano BB’s are silent and just don’t wear out and easily do 20K km’s including riding daily through a British winter. Great video.
Dealt with out of round press fit bottom bracket shells on carbon frames for too long. My most recent bike is titanium with a T47 threaded bottom bracket. Total and uncompromised bliss! 🙌🙌🙌 Never going back.
Well, you kinda have wide versions of bottom brackets nowadays too. Back in the day it was often used depending on how many chainrings do you have (triple often needed a longer axle). Nowadays with gravel bikes having wider and wider tires you can get wider axles so there's enough tire clearance.
No mention of Q-factor being set in stone other than a comment about the lack of adjustability of the chain line. The ability to adjust the Q-factor will be a “new” thing to improve performance at some point in the future, much like shorter cranks are now. A square taper bb can narrow your stance more than 15mm to make possible bio mechanical gains and perfect chain lines for 1X conversions.
Alex, Ollie great conversation with Calvin & Truman. So good to hear the Tech talk with no Bike marketing "flexing" spin. Threaded BB rules ... just need a few less standards 😂
Calvin is good, but I wish Sheldon Brown was around for this CZcams age. His knowledge and expertise is still referred to and I guarantee his word would be the one everyone would respect. RIP
I learned a lot about bottom brackets, cranks, spindles, bearings etc in my many years as a bike mechanic. Ironically, the one time that I found the perfect bottom bracket set-up, was on my Titan Half-Track ( look them up!) It had a problematic double pinch system which tightened on the cartridge bearings. It constantly worked loose and although the bike itself was brilliant, the b.b. made it a nightmare for our shop, so I was given one for free and I rode it and raced it hard. Late eighties, early nineties. What I found worked finally, was a Mavic bottom bracket. It simply had two symmetrical lock rings, bevel- faced so they tightened in two ways; they drew together closer, and they forced the now permanently tightened down sides of the frame's shell to be incapable of moving, creaking, clicking, whatever. Those Mavic bevelled lock rings were big and beefy. You had two threaded sides to exactly line up your chainrings and the chain line. It was perfect perfect. Now when I say it was ironic, it's because this was the one bike that got stolen. Straight out of my Toronto classroom, while I was on lunch. The nervy thieves got one of the best bikes I ever owned. About three years later I saw some teenagers riding past and I recognized my bike, now spray painted bike theft black, and I watched my bike being enjoyed by a smiling 14 year old. I waved and smiled. I'll bet that bottom bracket is still working. Whatever happened to the perfect Mavic double sided threaded bottom bracket ? Cheers, Canadian fan.
Square tapered BB have over spindle 24 different measurements. Could you look at them on specs if you like to buy one?: ) You would be surprised. Also, bike frame manufacturers, have no desire to keep precise tolerances, instead of improving them, they invent and introduce new ones creating more mess, and costs for users. Press Fit is an industrial standard in the automotive industry, and I never heard of problems with it. The bike industry have constant issues, besides a few brands like TIME and Look. While cycling all noises, vibrations, and misalignments are felt straight away, when you sit on bike you are part of the bike. While in the car, the whole construction dumps most of the small noises, with suspension, and big tyres. Also, cyclist are a specific type of people spending hundreds of dollars on components, thousands on frames, and accessories to perfect the feel, speed, weight, and look of the bike. Most of drivers don't care, and have no emotional attachment to the car. I open up BB almost every 2 months, clean, check wear and re-greased. I use Enduro Bike Angular Contact Bearing Abec 5, (£20 a pair) which gives you supreme quality and low resistance. By the way, carbon and alu glued together going well when oxidation happens, and you stack with much bigger problem.
Really? Mechanics cussing at pressfit bearings in cars is legendary. They just bring out the torch and either cut it out or apply enough heat to create space so it can be removed.
Tried to convert a pressfit BB to an aftermarket thread-though version. Maybe my BB shell isn't round or maybe the two faces aren't inline, but it was binding as it threaded together in the middle. Well, the removal tool ended up stripping the BB and now it's threaded together via the spindle and I'm unable to remove it from the frame 🤣
All hail Calvin. What a cycling encyclopedia. I have used vintage cottered, modern square taper, octalink and hollowtech BB's and all present their own challenges for maintenance, but a bike would be just an ornament without it. My one Pressfit BB has a BSA threaded sleeve insert for ease of maintenance. Paul from Mapdec Cycles has done several videos on pressfit BBs and their pitfalls, especially with poor manufacturing tolerances. One American brand is notorious for their PF sleeves being oval - being to tolerance on one axis but the perpendicular radius being .2mm or more too large.
I've almost scratched the fancy BB itch, then I remembered I've never had a bad shimano bottom bracket, and they cost like $20. Tens of thousands of miles zero issues ever...
In terms of coarse vs fine threading, there is a case to me made for having a taller thread profile, as the BSA standard was created for steel cups in a steel BB shell, but most modern BBs use aluminum for both. However, "coarse" is a relative term, and a 1-3/8" diameter bolt with a coarse thread would be 6 TPI, while a standard fine thread for that diameter would be 10 TPI, in the US. Actually, once you get to 1" and above, most fasteners just go with 8 TPI, while those below 1" have coarse and fine standards. I don't think anyone is suggesting that BB threads be that coarse. A different issue is that the helix angle increases as the pitch decreases, so a coarser thread must be tightened to a greater torque, all other factors being equal. Also, the rocking action of pedaling is what loosens up threaded BB cups, and this problem is exacerbated as clearance increases. Since coarser threads have a taller profile and correspondingly increased clearance, one wonders if this might also be an issue.
Good video. In the end it all comes back to quality manufacturing. That’s why some brands earn their reputation → consistently producing high quality products.
I once replaced the bottom bracket on my XC Bike after having a creak on left pedal downforce. It turned out was the saddle, running against the adjustment screw of the seatpost 😂😂❤❤
Recently ordered my first new BB. It's just for a dutch city bike. As a non-mechanic, it's new territory for me and I took days to step by step disassemble and reassemble that area of my bike. I didn't want to damage something as I rely on this bike daily. I had to buy the tools as I went along. Only when I was convinced that I had a BSA system did I dare to unscrew the drive side to measure the width. I'm now waiting for delivery of the new BB and I really hope I got the type and measurements right.
I love nerdy out on all the different intricacies of all the different parts of the bike. You guys are making great videos. Keep up the amazing content. I always look forward to your new videos.
On my 15+ years old hybrid steel bike I've a SRAM DualDrive hub/8 speed cassette combined with Shimano BSA bb, Rotor 24mm gravel spindle and crank arms with a chinese powermeter spider. And it works. Good old times.
Press fit bottom brackets just don't work with the lateral forces of a crank system. Press fit might work in other areas but the forces are predominantly rotational
Most of this is over my head, but my '94 Cannondale R300 shimano BB has lasted thousands upon thousands of miles with no required maintenance. I've had to rebuild wheels, but that BB seems bulletproof
Suggesting that bike manufacturers have gotten bottom brackets pretty right completely takes any level of expertise attributed to them as being a bit of a joke. Literally asking salesmen of tools what their engineering views were on bottom brackets is ridiculous. Asking Hambini, Peak Torque, Luescher Teknik or some of the top quality grand tour level bike builders makes more sense than asking the people who make tools for working on bikes. The range of measurement gear that Park Tools sells for checking bottom bracket ovality, eccentricity etc is a digital caliper, a tape measure and some scales. Their entire product range has nothing whatsoever for measuring or repairing bottom brackets. I guess this is why Park Tools have been called in to give expert opinion :/
I would like to venture into the realm of performance BB, like Hambini, C-Bear, or Ceramicspeed, but the anxiety of trying to figure out what I would need, along with the fact that my current BB is functioning perfectly well, has prevented me from going down the upgrade path. I have this uncertainty, and I'm riding a relatively new (2021) Bianchi Oltre with Dura-Ace 9150; nothing is even remotely exotic or unusual, I don't think. That said, I wouldn't know where to start to find out what fits that frame and what I would need to buy, so I just leave well-enough alone.
Good video really enjoyed it. I would like to have heard them discuss 1 piece press fit options like those from bb infinite or hambini. I think they are probably the best design for BB86/92.
@@countspokeula539 Thanks. I’ve been running the standard Shinano pressfit SM-BB92-41B. I’ve changed it once or twice over the years. It’s never creaked or given me any problems. Maybe I’ve been lucky with my frame, but I haven’t felt the pain others have with press fit.
I'm affraid the problem is not the bottom bracket, but rather the frame itself. Best bottom bracked won't help if your frame is off centered and/or is out of tolerance.
Done 28,000km on my BB86 pressfit BB. No creaks, no issues. Bought a new one at 20k but haven't needed it yet. I'm assuming a well made BB shell in my frame. My other bike has threaded BB that has done a similar mileage. The advantage being one can easily be replaced by a home mechanic with just a simple and inexpensive tool.
Three bikes (Scotts) with BB86 press-in Shimano BB's. According to Strava, 67,000 miles between all three. Never had the slightest issue with noise or wear. Replaced one because I read that the updated version had lower friction, other two are original and working fine to this day. I weigh 66 to 69 kg. YMMV.
Two things in my experience that weren't a bottom bracket: a loose water bottle cage, and a tire pump that wasn't sitting flush against the seat tube, allowing the crank arm to strike it.
TLDNR: big bike mfg sell $4000+ frames and their Chinese outsourced factories do not have the capability to create a round hole in a carbon frame. = useless press fit BB and failed aluminum thread bonding. It’s not a design problem, its execution.
Canyon Carbon Fiber Grizl gravel bikes ship with Token bottom bracket. It is so thin and made of Plastic/composite shell that fits against your frame. My wife had hers come loose and it slid out on one side ripping the bracket casing apart and disappearing into the frame as she was pedaling like mad up a hill in Kansas escaping Tornadoes :). It damaged the bike frame and fortunately Canyon helped us replace the bike. I upgraded the stock bracket with token bottom bracket that has metal as part of the shell your bearings go in. I cannot imagine the stock token brand bottom brackets in these bikes lasting. Are more manufactures skimping on what may be the most important part of the bike. No repairing a bottom bracket on a ride.
If there were a piece of wood where the bottom bracket goes, you could easily screw a self-cutting thread in there and the wood would even flex with the rider, to a certain extend.
Most creaking from pedaling the bicycle, comes from the pedal threads requiring grease. However, the press fit bearings and the use of aluminum as the interference fit system for holding steel outer race cassett bearings will always have the potential for being noisy. Interference fit, is potentially suspect, simply by virtue of the design. And is a design that can wear just because of maintenance. A knocking noise is more common from the bb cups moving in the bb shell. The newer designs will have new issues. I remember when cinelli introduced the 1R handlebar stems in the late 70s. It had a reputation for creaking and not holding the bars securely. In fact,,, all the issues were a result of poor installation. I have used them for years. No noise and they dont move im a 225 lb track sprinter that has actually snapped a Campagnolo crank arm and broke about 10 frames because i could leg squat about 600 lbs. And lets face it. Bikes are generally built for much lighter riders. So if something is going to make noise? I will find it. 40 years of being a bicycle mechanic helps with diagnostic acumen. If you have any knowledge of the aerospace industry, design, materials and manufacturing should understand how the consumer products trickle down happens. On a certain level, the aerospace type technology adapted to the new bicycles, Is old and boring. What about foam core, titanium and carbon Kevlar composite? Well,,, foam core was something Bert Rutan was doing a long time ago. It was a good gig being a bicycle mechanic. But i would never work in the bicycle industry ever again. Because it's simply managing itself into the ground. And all the hyper expensive bicycles? Are kinda crappy.
It appears if the BB shell/frame was within tolerances, BB issues would be significantly reduced/eliminated. Perhaps there's a show in the future focusing on manufacturing? I have a 2013 Cannondale with BB30 (not PF30). 2 bearings in the BB shell, nothing else. The BB shell is within tolerances. I have 0 issues. Have replaced the bearings 1 time in 13 years.
I think the old threaded square taper BB is given a lot of untoward slagging. It’s simple, it works, it’s easy to install/integrate with a crankset and maintain and it’s cheap. Shimano BB-UN101 and the like. I have one on a bike that’s 30 years old that I still ride and have ridden A LOT and it still spins with little friction and it’s never given me any problems.
12:00 I had a loose rear derailleur screw that was ticking, the sound traveled through my frame and I could swear it was the bottom bracket. Even took it to a shop and it took them awhile to figure it out. They always say the bottom bracket is most likely the last place to find a creak. Most of the time it's me knees and back that I hear.
I got a creak in my bike when off the saddle up a hill so just assumed it was my BB as could swear that's where the noise was coming from. Took the threaded BB cups off multiple times, cleaned/greased the threads, then tried locktite but to no avail. Gave up but the problem was solved when I changed the front wheel for another training wheel a few months later. Turns out creak was caused when my old cycle computer fell off its bracket(as I'd forgotten to put it on properly) into the front spokes down a hill at 70kph, exploding into pieces. Spokes nipples etc must have got a little damaged causing the creak when off the saddle when the front wheel flexed! Good lesson how creaks can come from an area you least expect.
I bought my bikes for the whole bike and didnt think about bottom bracket. Both (Scott & Wilier) have pressfit with no issues. Creaking that has occurred came from the pedals and derrailier hanger.
The essence of the problem is force exerted at 90 degrees to the parts. A headset can be press fit because the force is inline with the parts. I think bb can be pressfit if there is enough material to resist the forces, and all the parts are properly machined. BB are not a suitable location for pressfit in a carbon fiber frame. Was that a Hambini bb being held up?
Bb is fine...its your saddle creaking. Haha. On that note, I love my Chinese carbon fibre Selle Italia knock off saddle, heck I bought two. No creaking, good fit for me, $65. Actually absorbs shock quite well. As for the big BB debate...I'm glad most of my bikes, the ones I ride most are 40 + yr old steel roadbikes. No real problems, save for fitting/ finding a BB for an old PUEGEOT I got.
I quite like the press fit BB solution used in BMX, just press the bearing into the frame! Feel like some aspects from the rest of the cycling industry is overengineered, definitely the BB being one.
What's your experience with bottom brackets? Have you found the perfect one?
They tend to creak
My square taper ones have lasted the longest, though hollowtech 2 is pretty nice also. Don't have enough miles on my press fit (3,500) to comment on longevity, but so far it's dead quiet
I once bought larger cranks/chain ring to gear a single speed mountain bike up to be a good commuter bike. Bought cranks with square tapper because that's all that I knew existed, just to find out my bottom bracket had some star shape. Anyways I bought a new bb and it rides good now.
Thanks for all the details!
Used three bikes with the Hollowtech crank assembly (hub gears btw). Two failed at the crank arm bolts as the splines had started to wear. So changed it to a Sturmey archer BB and crank assembly with a basic square drive and spline.
The Hollowtech crank (IMO) would be much better if the crank arm bolts (M6) were bigger or the bolts and crank arms were case hardened.
However in the defence of Hollowtech it did take a few years before the crank arm splines started to wear out.
- New Bottom Bracket: 16€
- Tools for Changing Bottom Bracket 40€
- notice that the creaking noise comes from the loose derailleur hanger: priceless
It's always the seatpost for me 😂
@@Ober1kenobi Many, many years ago, on a mountain bike I sold back in 2019, creaking noises were driving me crazy. I replaced or took apart and re-lubed many components, including the Hollowtech II bottom bracket. Nothing helped. It turned out it was the seatpost, which I never even considered for some reason.
@@independentthought3390 👍 been down that spiral myself. Started putting assembly paste everywhere ever since.
I've been chasing a creak for 12 months.
Yes it was the f*cking hanger, of course
It's more likely to come from your saddle rails.
- New Seatpost: 40€
That didn't fit it so...
- New saddle: 80€
HURR HURR HURR I GOT TOP COMMENT.
Famous cartoon posted in our bike shop: "There are 15 BB standards; let's create a new universal one." One year later, " There are 16 BB standards."
It seems like a step backward has been taken 😂
Ha. Ha very droll 😅
This is the tech content I like. Not about shiny things to buy but real world engineering challenges. Well done!
There are also shining things with great engineering behind them 😃
@@gcntech yeah, but we want to hear more about advances in the actually affordable trickle down tech. Like more about microshift, improvements in mechanical 105, etc. Di2 & etap are so far out of most of our budgets that it isn't funny.
Calvin getting real: "Birmingham Small Arms, or BSA..." The man knows his history.
The dude's a gem. He's one of those guys who's "forgotten more about bike repair than you and I will ever know." I find his instructional vids invaluable. Park Tool is lucky to have him.
Great show, thanks for this!
Totally agree. He’s the mechanic’s mechanic. Nobody works on my bike but me, but I would trust Calvin.
Or “bits stuck allover” as we used to call it.
Calvin having an old-school mike in a vice clamp is just gold.
Being an audio tech, I immediately noticed that. His mike is a 'hand-held' one though, not 'old-school'.
We aren't accepting that companies selling 5000 dollar bike frames can't make a circle are we?
Correct!
Your comment would make Hambini proud.
@@markg0410 Hambini is a fake and a fraud.
CF bikes are light and aero but otherwise garbage (literal garbage because of it) when it comes to tolerancing and position of features. When you get all the forces on the BB.. RIP.
Remember when anything made from carbon fibre was considered exotic and expensive, reserved for pros and the masts on luxury yachts? We now get complete carbon bikes with electronic shifting for under $3000 including inflation... and then we complain that some carbon moulded part isn't perfectly round. We are so lucky.
Who’d have thought 30 mins on bottom brackets could be so interesting. Thanks 👍
When you like bike, you unconsciously like everything about them
it went by so fast!
I really hope Calvin lives forever. Just love listening to him. It’s nice that he brings his kid to work as well.
The unwritten law of creaks is when you start to listen and pinpoint where it's coming from it suddenly gets quiet.
❤😂
Every. Single. Time.
i think this may be because you shift your weight to a different part of the bike
You shift your weight to check, meaning it's likely it's your seatpost rather than bb.
Stand up while pedaling, if it still creaks it's your BB or cranks.
Just like trying to find out which smoke alarm needs a battery, it’s always the one in the other room haha.
It’s as if the sound knows we’re looking for it 😆
TLDR : BSA/English is still the best. 30 years on.
I am currently waiting on two frames from Braun in Holland. I specifically chose that manufacturer for four reasons: a traditional top tube, external cable routing, rim brakes, and a BSA BB. In my opinion, BB should have threads.
@@markg0410 yeah BB with threads are so much better
I think T47 takes that title now. Similar but bigger so more easily accommodates larger axles and bearings.
"30 years on?" The modern 1 3/8x 24tpi BB shell with drive-side reverse threads has been around for over a century. (BSA used RH threads on both sides and a few different thread dimensions prior to that...) Shit, even Birmingham Small Arms, the firm often credited with the ISO/BSC bb standard) sold their bicycle division close to 70 years ago.
I agree that the BSC is probably the best standard overall, due largely to the design but also to its ubiquity. t47 is essentially the same shit but bigger, allowing for larger-diameter spindles, larger bearings, etc...and is therefore likely "better" head to head, but with the vast majority of bikes made in the past century having the smaller BSC shell, the t47 is, as of yet, very limited.
@pastelink6767 T47 exists only because of trying to retroactively correct another BB standard, and not because it tried to make any innovation.
Still blows my mind that bike manufacturers won't ream and face their frames.
They also don’t flex-hone the head tube, seat tube, and bottom bracket shell.
Watching too much Hambini eh?
@@BeyondLumination His videos aren't my cup of tea at all, but he's 100% right about that.
How about just using a plastic BB?
This is the type of content I love. Nerdy, specific, and instructive. Make more of these mechanic/maintenance videos and less of these marginal gains "this company claims their bike to be stiffer, lighter and more areo for the 10th year in a row!".
The bottom bracket is now essential in my choice of bike. I've had a press-fit BB on a bike, hated the fact I couldn't service it properly myself. Now all my bikes are BSA, and I wouldn't even consider anything else than BSA or T47.
Or you get a pressfit one that you only need to install one time, and where you can service the bearings.
In blaming the bottom bracket for creaking. I watched a guy at the BMX races chase a BB creak for 3 weekends. It was on a carbon framed V2 SpeedCo. He bought it used, (I saw it sell, and missed out buying it myself, loved that bike as built) He never serviced it in the 3 years he had owned it.
I kept telli g him it wasnt the BB, it was something else. He kept tightening the BB.
IT WAS THE CHAIN RING BOLTS.
Iended up taking the bike home for a week and servicing it over the course of the week, for the next weekend before they left for Nationals, along with 4 of the son's bikes and his wifes bikes.
I can remember when crank arms were held on to the bottom bracket spindle with cotter pins/bolts with a nut you tighten 😮
Yeah, those were awful -- if the cotter pins got really stuck you were in a world of hurt...
I'm just waiting to see what the 5 year old has to say about this
Probably his is the best and everybody else's is rubbish.
I guess there was not much said that he could complain about. Especially when it comes to ceramic bearings, what they are made for and how to tune steel bearings. You must be insane to buy ceramic bearings 🙈
He’s busy with his hairdresser
I dont think there are bad BB's, it's only as good as the bike it's installed into
@@mboretzkiI think it was pretty fair in the critique on the bike industry lacking standards and precision. For an industry that raised prices to 15.000 euro’s for a very fancy bike they should have invested in precision tooling.
Square taper for all weather riding gets my vote.
It gets my vote too. I don't know why, but I never had to replace a square taper bottom bracket due to wear, or any kind of problems appearing. They are indestructible.
@@independentthought3390Square taper is my go to, but I've definitely replaced a few worn ones
I'm no bike mechanic, but I replaced my square taper bottom bracket on my old bike a few months ago with a new cartridge type. At that time I learned about all these different types of bottom brackets that have been developed for Carbon fiber frames. The square taper bottom bracket is yet another reason to keep your old steel bike.
Square taper wrongly gets hated on by GCN and others.
As a mechanic, gets my vote too. It's a weekly problem with "random noises" and none of these cases is square taper. Sometimes they need replacement too, but random problems is something they don't cause.
I think the main problem with most new press fit systems is that the mating face isn't flush or has paint left on it by the manufacturer. Then the soft paint compresses or wears which leaves the BB with free play between it and the frame.
Shimano UN91 and UN71 square taper last for ages.
Haven't changed the bb in my 90's Ti MTB, it's a UN71.
❤ Calvin. His lazy brake pistons video saved my cycling life.
Thanks for doing this episode and confirming that bottom bracket standards are just as confusing as I thought they were 😂. I really like it when you guys talk tech stuff with Calvin and Truman. Great stuff!
Tell
Me your a cyclist without telling me your a cyclist- I just watched a 30’minte video on bottom brackets, and enjoyed it
T47 seems to be the future , it's pretty much just an over-sized bsa-english like we all knew for years but allows modern chunkier axles.
Reliant on clean, properly chased threads and facing. Press-fit is superior in every way.
@@countspokeula539 T47i doesn't need any facing. It literally screws all the way into the frame just like Square Taper does and doesn't rest on the BB shell. As far as chased threads goes, that helps with everything not just T47.
Yeah and the bigger shell is stiffer
T47 vs BSA 68 what are the diferences?
@@wagj16 Bearings spin better, supports large axles. Overall not much of an upgrade over Square Taper unless you are a friction / bearing nerd.
As a layperson I felt this was a fair assessment of a controversial subject. Thanks to Ollie for soldiering through his cold, too.
By far the most informative piece I've seen on bottom brackets...
Was designed in Small Heath, Birmingham.
The MOST important factor is the cups MUST be parallel and have a single centreline.
Any misalignment is probably the threads or sleeves in the frame not correct.
When a new bike is purchased, the groupset documentation should be included.
On buying a used bike, research and download the specification sheets.
I'm restoring a 1944 Sun gent's bike. Bottom Bracket is still in there. Smooth as silk.
I have a 1939 B.S.A. Sports. B/B is original, never been out.
Instead of tack welding, try Theadlock or PTFE tape.
GCN Tech, nice content it was really good
Squared tapered
It seems like a lot of stuff on new bikes isn't better. Those square taper work a long time - and then you fix them to work another long time.
Cotter pins were annoying though.
🔲
When I hear the term “bottom bracket standards” used, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Of the six bicycles I maintain, three have BSA bottom bracket interfaces, two have PF30, and one has a square taper. Between what is currently on the bikes and what is in my parts drawers, there are five different axle interfaces: Shimano (24/24), SRAM Dub (29/29), M24 (24/22), M30 (30/28), and whatever you want to call the square taper. In both cases these are a small fraction of what is actually out on the market. It would be nice to have a “standard standard” (or even narrow it down to a standard screw-in and a standard press-fit and converge on standard axle size), but until then we are left to whatever the frame manufacturers and component manufacturers think is best.
As somewhat alluded to in the video, my opinion is that if the bottom bracket interface in the frame is dimensionally off, merely throwing a “premium” bottom bracket in it isn’t going to fix the issue. This begs the question how many “bottom bracket” issues are actually interface issues that merely swapping the bottom bracket isn’t going to fix?
I'd love to hear Hambini's comments on BBs
Timely video. I’m into the rabbit hole of BBS right now after a new bike with a diff interface.
May the lord bless you and keep you on your journey.
Last I wend down that rabbit hole, I nearly went crazy. I collect bikes, and have no less than 6 different standards. Some are the same standard, but 2 different sizes😂
I'm about to take my bottom bracket out at home, an externally threaded 44mm bb30 in an aluminium frame, a FSA unit...which should be a doddle with two, relatively inexpensive, tools...I do like modern BB designs, especially their longevity when correctly installed.
I fitted a threaded cartridge square taper Shimano BB to my bike over 30 years ago and it's never had any problems.
I thought square taper shimano BB's were awful. The non-drive caps were made of plastic and the bearings inside the after-market ones lasted all of about six months. And if you took the crank off too many times, the end bits would lose friction. I can't believe I persisted with internal BBs for as long as I did, just so I could tell myself I had a perfect chainline. Mad.
You had a fake copy.
A lot about especially Ebay/Amazon.
Genuine Shimano should last years or a minimum of10,000 miles in all weather conditioms.@@paulpenfold2352
@@paulpenfold2352 that's probably the model that I replaced with a slightly better model only a few £ more for much better quality. It's been faultless never needed to remove it and have only changed cranks once to slightly shorter ones about 10 years ago
@@paulpenfold2352 Shimano made higher end square taper bottom brackets with metal cups. If you remove the cranks you need to torque them properly when reinstalling them. Without a torque wrench you are likely to under tighten them, leading to loosening later on. Properly installed, they are bombproof until the bearings wear out. Easy to replace and no creaking. White Industries still makes premium square taper bottom brackets from steel or titanium for about $150 and up.
I am curious which one you use. The UN 55 seems is the most favorite.
Did someone say ' BEST And WORST BOTTOM BRACKETS' . . . head swivels -->> Hambini has entered the chat.
I chased a creak around for months before I realized it was my knees.
If you enjoyed this discussion, you are a definitely a cycling geek....I LOVED it! I just completed a bb upgrade on my Pinarello Prince, I upgraded to an Enduro bb based on the brand reputation, reviews and lifetime warranty. So far, I am extremely satisfied. The one small issue (which this video addressed when talking about upgrades and parts not fitting perfectly) is that my new bb is slightly wider than my old bb. This necessitated the mechanic to do a front derailleur adjustment to get things to line-up correctly. On this new setup, I now have a little bit of a 'chain noise' when I am cross-chaining on the big ring to the largest cassette cog and to a lesser degree the second largest cassette cog. This cross-chaining noise did not exist on the original Shimano Ultegra bb. I realize that cross-chaining and riding in those gets is not the best, so this is not an issue which impacts me in a practical way, rather it is just an example of how the different sizes, standards, parts and manufacturers can have small variances which can complicate issues.
BSA bottom brackets have always been simple to maintain and reliable but they used to wear out quickly.
I’ve been using press fit for years and they do get a bad name but this is down to poor frame manufacturing and not the BB.
I’ve had lots of issues with big brand frames where the machining tolerances are terrible which cause the creaking.
But frames from companies like Look, Time are manufactured to such high tolerances the press fit BB’s work flawlessly.
For the last few years I’ve been riding Ridley’s with BB86 and PF30 and cheap Shimano BB’s are silent and just don’t wear out and easily do 20K km’s including riding daily through a British winter.
Great video.
Much better audio on the GCN end than the last conversation with Park Tools. 👍
The previous episode's audio was, to uses BB terminology, egg-shaped and under-sized.
Dealt with out of round press fit bottom bracket shells on carbon frames for too long. My most recent bike is titanium with a T47 threaded bottom bracket. Total and uncompromised bliss! 🙌🙌🙌 Never going back.
Well, you kinda have wide versions of bottom brackets nowadays too. Back in the day it was often used depending on how many chainrings do you have (triple often needed a longer axle). Nowadays with gravel bikes having wider and wider tires you can get wider axles so there's enough tire clearance.
No mention of Q-factor being set in stone other than a comment about the lack of adjustability of the chain line. The ability to adjust the Q-factor will be a “new” thing to improve performance at some point in the future, much like shorter cranks are now. A square taper bb can narrow your stance more than 15mm to make possible bio mechanical gains and perfect chain lines for 1X conversions.
Alex, Ollie great conversation with Calvin & Truman. So good to hear the Tech talk with no Bike marketing "flexing" spin. Threaded BB rules ... just need a few less standards 😂
Calvin is good, but I wish Sheldon Brown was around for this CZcams age. His knowledge and expertise is still referred to and I guarantee his word would be the one everyone would respect. RIP
I learned a lot about bottom brackets, cranks, spindles, bearings etc in my many years as a bike mechanic.
Ironically, the one time that I found the perfect bottom bracket set-up, was on my Titan Half-Track ( look them up!)
It had a problematic double pinch system which tightened on the cartridge bearings. It constantly worked loose and although the bike itself was brilliant, the b.b. made it a nightmare for our shop, so I was given one for free and I rode it and raced it hard. Late eighties, early nineties. What I found worked finally, was a Mavic bottom bracket. It simply had two symmetrical lock rings, bevel- faced so they tightened in two ways; they drew together closer, and they forced the now permanently tightened down sides of the frame's shell to be incapable of moving, creaking, clicking, whatever.
Those Mavic bevelled lock rings were big and beefy. You had two threaded sides to exactly line up your chainrings and the chain line. It was perfect perfect.
Now when I say it was ironic, it's because this was the one bike that got stolen. Straight out of my Toronto classroom, while I was on lunch. The nervy thieves got one of the best bikes I ever owned.
About three years later I saw some teenagers riding past and I recognized my bike, now spray painted bike theft black, and I watched my bike being enjoyed by a smiling 14 year old.
I waved and smiled. I'll bet that bottom bracket is still working.
Whatever happened to the perfect Mavic double sided threaded bottom bracket ?
Cheers, Canadian fan.
Square tapered BB have over spindle 24 different measurements. Could you look at them on specs if you like to buy one?: ) You would be surprised.
Also, bike frame manufacturers, have no desire to keep precise tolerances, instead of improving them, they invent and introduce new ones creating more mess, and costs for users. Press Fit is an industrial standard in the automotive industry, and I never heard of problems with it. The bike industry have constant issues, besides a few brands like TIME and Look.
While cycling all noises, vibrations, and misalignments are felt straight away, when you sit on bike you are part of the bike. While in the car, the whole construction dumps most of the small noises, with suspension, and big tyres. Also, cyclist are a specific type of people spending hundreds of dollars on components, thousands on frames, and accessories to perfect the feel, speed, weight, and look of the bike. Most of drivers don't care, and have no emotional attachment to the car. I open up BB almost every 2 months, clean, check wear and re-greased. I use Enduro Bike Angular Contact Bearing Abec 5, (£20 a pair) which gives you supreme quality and low resistance. By the way, carbon and alu glued together going well when oxidation happens, and you stack with much bigger problem.
Really? Mechanics cussing at pressfit bearings in cars is legendary. They just bring out the torch and either cut it out or apply enough heat to create space so it can be removed.
Tried to convert a pressfit BB to an aftermarket thread-though version. Maybe my BB shell isn't round or maybe the two faces aren't inline, but it was binding as it threaded together in the middle. Well, the removal tool ended up stripping the BB and now it's threaded together via the spindle and I'm unable to remove it from the frame 🤣
All hail Calvin. What a cycling encyclopedia. I have used vintage cottered, modern square taper, octalink and hollowtech BB's and all present their own challenges for maintenance, but a bike would be just an ornament without it. My one Pressfit BB has a BSA threaded sleeve insert for ease of maintenance.
Paul from Mapdec Cycles has done several videos on pressfit BBs and their pitfalls, especially with poor manufacturing tolerances. One American brand is notorious for their PF sleeves being oval - being to tolerance on one axis but the perpendicular radius being .2mm or more too large.
I've almost scratched the fancy BB itch, then I remembered I've never had a bad shimano bottom bracket, and they cost like $20. Tens of thousands of miles zero issues ever...
One of the best shows. Loved the depth of info. Thank you!
In terms of coarse vs fine threading, there is a case to me made for having a taller thread profile, as the BSA standard was created for steel cups in a steel BB shell, but most modern BBs use aluminum for both. However, "coarse" is a relative term, and a 1-3/8" diameter bolt with a coarse thread would be 6 TPI, while a standard fine thread for that diameter would be 10 TPI, in the US. Actually, once you get to 1" and above, most fasteners just go with 8 TPI, while those below 1" have coarse and fine standards. I don't think anyone is suggesting that BB threads be that coarse. A different issue is that the helix angle increases as the pitch decreases, so a coarser thread must be tightened to a greater torque, all other factors being equal. Also, the rocking action of pedaling is what loosens up threaded BB cups, and this problem is exacerbated as clearance increases. Since coarser threads have a taller profile and correspondingly increased clearance, one wonders if this might also be an issue.
Love these guys, could listen to them all day. Great video.
Helloooooooo Hambini Fans
Good video. In the end it all comes back to quality manufacturing. That’s why some brands earn their reputation → consistently producing high quality products.
I once replaced the bottom bracket on my XC Bike after having a creak on left pedal downforce. It turned out was the saddle, running against the adjustment screw of the seatpost 😂😂❤❤
Recently ordered my first new BB. It's just for a dutch city bike.
As a non-mechanic, it's new territory for me and I took days to step by step disassemble and reassemble that area of my bike. I didn't want to damage something as I rely on this bike daily. I had to buy the tools as I went along. Only when I was convinced that I had a BSA system did I dare to unscrew the drive side to measure the width.
I'm now waiting for delivery of the new BB and I really hope I got the type and measurements right.
Good info, but Hambini would have been more fun lol
They wanted experts.
Calvin has forgotten more in the last week than Hambini will ever know.
Quality nerdy stuff! Calvin is a true cycle super hero. I stick with best Shimano I can afford at the time.
I love nerdy out on all the different intricacies of all the different parts of the bike. You guys are making great videos. Keep up the amazing content. I always look forward to your new videos.
On my 15+ years old hybrid steel bike I've a SRAM DualDrive hub/8 speed cassette combined with Shimano BSA bb, Rotor 24mm gravel spindle and crank arms with a chinese powermeter spider. And it works. Good old times.
Love the mic in the work stand
Press fit bottom brackets just don't work with the lateral forces of a crank system. Press fit might work in other areas but the forces are predominantly rotational
Pressfit is junk.
settled the ceramic debate right thurr
Most of this is over my head, but my '94 Cannondale R300 shimano BB has lasted thousands upon thousands of miles with no required maintenance. I've had to rebuild wheels, but that BB seems bulletproof
Suggesting that bike manufacturers have gotten bottom brackets pretty right completely takes any level of expertise attributed to them as being a bit of a joke. Literally asking salesmen of tools what their engineering views were on bottom brackets is ridiculous. Asking Hambini, Peak Torque, Luescher Teknik or some of the top quality grand tour level bike builders makes more sense than asking the people who make tools for working on bikes. The range of measurement gear that Park Tools sells for checking bottom bracket ovality, eccentricity etc is a digital caliper, a tape measure and some scales. Their entire product range has nothing whatsoever for measuring or repairing bottom brackets. I guess this is why Park Tools have been called in to give expert opinion :/
Best GCN video I've seen. I'd love to see more collaboration and deep dives into the technical side of cycling.
GCN Tech, nice work, keep the videos coming
GCN is back to it's best.
I would like to venture into the realm of performance BB, like Hambini, C-Bear, or Ceramicspeed, but the anxiety of trying to figure out what I would need, along with the fact that my current BB is functioning perfectly well, has prevented me from going down the upgrade path. I have this uncertainty, and I'm riding a relatively new (2021) Bianchi Oltre with Dura-Ace 9150; nothing is even remotely exotic or unusual, I don't think. That said, I wouldn't know where to start to find out what fits that frame and what I would need to buy, so I just leave well-enough alone.
Just send Hambini an email, he will probably respond within half an hour with what BB you exactly need.
Good video really enjoyed it. I would like to have heard them discuss 1 piece press fit options like those from bb infinite or hambini. I think they are probably the best design for BB86/92.
They can be detrimental to the frame. You want some movement to be possible, the spindle and preload does the job of keeping things stiff.
@@countspokeula539 Thanks. I’ve been running the standard Shinano pressfit SM-BB92-41B. I’ve changed it once or twice over the years. It’s never creaked or given me any problems. Maybe I’ve been lucky with my frame, but I haven’t felt the pain others have with press fit.
I'm affraid the problem is not the bottom bracket, but rather the frame itself. Best bottom bracked won't help if your frame is off centered and/or is out of tolerance.
Timely video sort of I just had to change my BB for the first time. Took me ages to figure out what i needed to buy for a replacement.
one of the best GCN TECH!! FACTS VS VISION
I still prefer square taper, it's very cheap and lasts forever with zero maintenance.
Done 28,000km on my BB86 pressfit BB. No creaks, no issues. Bought a new one at 20k but haven't needed it yet. I'm assuming a well made BB shell in my frame. My other bike has threaded BB that has done a similar mileage. The advantage being one can easily be replaced by a home mechanic with just a simple and inexpensive tool.
Three bikes (Scotts) with BB86 press-in Shimano BB's. According to Strava, 67,000 miles between all three. Never had the slightest issue with noise or wear. Replaced one because I read that the updated version had lower friction, other two are original and working fine to this day. I weigh 66 to 69 kg. YMMV.
Two things in my experience that weren't a bottom bracket: a loose water bottle cage, and a tire pump that wasn't sitting flush against the seat tube, allowing the crank arm to strike it.
Timely! I'm just about to go out to yhe garage and see if i managed to order the right size BB for my bikepacking bike. 😅
TLDNR: big bike mfg sell $4000+ frames and their Chinese outsourced factories do not have the capability to create a round hole in a carbon frame. = useless press fit BB and failed aluminum thread bonding. It’s not a design problem, its execution.
Canyon Carbon Fiber Grizl gravel bikes ship with Token bottom bracket. It is so thin and made of Plastic/composite shell that fits against your frame. My wife had hers come loose and it slid out on one side ripping the bracket casing apart and disappearing into the frame as she was pedaling like mad up a hill in Kansas escaping Tornadoes :). It damaged the bike frame and fortunately Canyon helped us replace the bike. I upgraded the stock bracket with token bottom bracket that has metal as part of the shell your bearings go in. I cannot imagine the stock token brand bottom brackets in these bikes lasting. Are more manufactures skimping on what may be the most important part of the bike. No repairing a bottom bracket on a ride.
If there were a piece of wood where the bottom bracket goes, you could easily screw a self-cutting thread in there and the wood would even flex with the rider, to a certain extend.
Most creaking from pedaling the bicycle, comes from the pedal threads
requiring grease.
However, the press fit bearings and the use of aluminum as the interference fit system for holding steel outer race cassett bearings will always have the potential for being noisy.
Interference fit, is potentially suspect, simply by virtue of the design.
And is a design that can wear just because of maintenance.
A knocking noise is more common from the bb cups moving in the bb shell.
The newer designs will have new issues.
I remember when cinelli introduced the 1R handlebar stems in the late 70s.
It had a reputation for creaking and not holding the bars securely.
In fact,,, all the issues were a result of poor installation.
I have used them for years.
No noise and they dont move
im a 225 lb track sprinter that has actually snapped a Campagnolo crank arm and broke about 10 frames because i could leg squat about 600 lbs.
And lets face it.
Bikes are generally built for much lighter riders.
So if something is going to make noise? I will find it.
40 years of being a bicycle mechanic helps with diagnostic acumen.
If you have any knowledge of the aerospace industry, design, materials and manufacturing should understand how the consumer products trickle down happens.
On a certain level, the aerospace type technology adapted to the new bicycles,
Is old and boring.
What about foam core, titanium and carbon Kevlar composite?
Well,,, foam core was something
Bert Rutan was doing a long time ago.
It was a good gig being a bicycle mechanic.
But i would never work in the bicycle industry ever again.
Because it's simply managing itself into the ground.
And all the hyper expensive bicycles? Are kinda crappy.
Square tapered bb is the best for just regular cyclists . It's solid it's cheap and easy to replace.
The video is absolutely fascinating, however I still understand stuff-all about bottom brackets! 😉
It appears if the BB shell/frame was within tolerances, BB issues would be significantly reduced/eliminated. Perhaps there's a show in the future focusing on manufacturing? I have a 2013 Cannondale with BB30 (not PF30). 2 bearings in the BB shell, nothing else. The BB shell is within tolerances. I have 0 issues. Have replaced the bearings 1 time in 13 years.
I think the old threaded square taper BB is given a lot of untoward slagging. It’s simple, it works, it’s easy to install/integrate with a crankset and maintain and it’s cheap. Shimano BB-UN101 and the like. I have one on a bike that’s 30 years old that I still ride and have ridden A LOT and it still spins with little friction and it’s never given me any problems.
I have a 386 for 2 years and it never make any noise, but the T47 with 28.99 axe is the ultimate.
HAMBINI!!!!!!!!!!!!! #Engineer4Life lets gooooo
That was a surprisingly very interesting video!👍🏻
12:00 I had a loose rear derailleur screw that was ticking, the sound traveled through my frame and I could swear it was the bottom bracket. Even took it to a shop and it took them awhile to figure it out. They always say the bottom bracket is most likely the last place to find a creak. Most of the time it's me knees and back that I hear.
I got a creak in my bike when off the saddle up a hill so just assumed it was my BB as could swear that's where the noise was coming from. Took the threaded BB cups off multiple times, cleaned/greased the threads, then tried locktite but to no avail. Gave up but the problem was solved when I changed the front wheel for another training wheel a few months later. Turns out creak was caused when my old cycle computer fell off its bracket(as I'd forgotten to put it on properly) into the front spokes down a hill at 70kph, exploding into pieces. Spokes nipples etc must have got a little damaged causing the creak when off the saddle when the front wheel flexed! Good lesson how creaks can come from an area you least expect.
Why does GCN Hate 😠 Square Taper? 🤨
We don’t 😉
If a bottom bracket shell isn't line bored, it's a recipe for disappointment. Doesn't matter if it's press fit or threaded.
I have an FSA mega evo 386. 30mm spindle. BSA threaded. Spring pre-load. I still think it's the best bottom bracket out there.
Nice one. Love a good bit of bike nerdery.
Then you’re in the right place.
I bought my bikes for the whole bike and didnt think about bottom bracket. Both (Scott & Wilier) have pressfit with no issues. Creaking that has occurred came from the pedals and derrailier hanger.
The essence of the problem is force exerted at 90 degrees to the parts. A headset can be press fit because the force is inline with the parts. I think bb can be pressfit if there is enough material to resist the forces, and all the parts are properly machined. BB are not a suitable location for pressfit in a carbon fiber frame.
Was that a Hambini bb being held up?
Bb is fine...its your saddle creaking. Haha.
On that note, I love my Chinese carbon fibre Selle Italia knock off saddle, heck I bought two. No creaking, good fit for me, $65. Actually absorbs shock quite well. As for the big BB debate...I'm glad most of my bikes, the ones I ride most are 40 + yr old steel roadbikes. No real problems, save for fitting/ finding a BB for an old PUEGEOT I got.
I know you two channels think ur slick, by combining two of the greatest networks on the air to create something better, but u can't beat perfection.
I quite like the press fit BB solution used in BMX, just press the bearing into the frame! Feel like some aspects from the rest of the cycling industry is overengineered, definitely the BB being one.
You might be onto something there. Headsets developed from cups to integrated. I don't like it but it's what it is.
So where was Satchin Hambini!!
You forgot him.. So what has he done not to align with the business you push.
A hairline crack on a front chain ring nut (1 of 4) caused me to chase my tail. I found by eventually twisting it off.