my 2012 (5months old probably done about…. 150km ish…) rocky mountain altitude 50 bb started to creek tonight….. according to the information i have found its an shimano SLX hollowtech 2 bb….

A. should i just replace the whole thing?

if so what would you recommend?

B. Should i just replace the bearings???
seen upgrade bearings ect… on ebay anyone got recommendations? ceramic? other options?

thanks for any advice

calum

SLX bb is basically disposable. Replace with the same for £15-20, or upgrade to a Hope or Chris King one for £60-100, which will last much longer, with replaceable bearings when they do go. Both arguments are valid.

ah so you can’t replace the bearings on the SLX bb then so that gives me only 1 option the upgrade the whole BB as am not buying a new BB every 4 – 5 months!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aerozine-BB24-Ceramic-Bearings-Bottom-Bracket-Shimano-FSA-RaceFace-Hollowtech-II-/300911559859?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&var=&hash=item460fba04b3

any good? ceramic bearings and a decent price?…..

No idea, the Hope stainless one is about £70, mine are 2 & nearly 3 years old now on original bearings. Get one from a bike shop, get the frame faced and fitted properly and all should be good.

Tbf you can replace the bearings in a shimano BB

Gently prise off the top hat and seal covering the bearings then tap out the bearings from behind

When you order the new bearings, you’ll need some 6805 bearings – I just got the cheapest off eBay at 3.50 inc postage but if they work ok (give em 6-10 months and ill know for sure) I’d consider ceramics for more cash (20 quid should be enough)

Press em in, cover both ends in grease to help seal em better but you’ll need to shave / sand the 1mm lip off the top hat or get new ones from superstar. Reason being is the original bearings have an ID of 6mm. 6805 have an ID of 7mm. The lip fits in this gap and helps seal the original bearing

Seems to have worked so far, after a month of riding. We’ll see what happens in the future tho

any other options opinions over hope? wont be going ceramic as been advised not to for MTB…..

Get a Hope Stainless one then… Mine is about 10 mths old and has only needed a clean so far

As per tmb467 you can replace them. However, my experience with so called quality units (Enduro) didn’t warrant the additional hassle or cost. These did not last any longer than the Deore units they replaced….

Depends on your mileage / riding conditions but Hope or King sound a far better long term investment.

2 hope and one pair of vp cups that now hav hope bearings in them
Oldest one is about 4 years old and on my winter bike
It’s a touch rough now but not enough to replace it

Forget the above.

Creaking is 99% caused by dry/loose threads/mating surfaces.

Re-fit the bb properly (grease or anti-sieze on the threads) and I bet the creaks will go.

Forget the above. Creaking is 99% caused by dry/loose threads/mating surfaces. Re-fit the bb properly (grease or anti-sieze on the threads) and I bet the creaks will go.

+1
Also consider replacing the plastic spacer rings with metal ones – http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/mobile/alloy-spacer-for-bottom-bracket-cup-25mm-prod27247/ – they don’t distort as much.

Sometimes it is tricky to track down the actual culprit of creaks because sound travels easily in bike frames, and they could be mistaken for worn BBs or linkage bearings when they might be just, as cynic-al said, dry threads on BB cups/pedals/skewers.

I had a maddening creak on my Marin that I thought was the BB. Turned out to be nothing but a slightly loose rear QR that needed a little grease on the cam mechanism. Creak gone.

Also, Hollowtech II bottom bracket are serviceable to squeeze a little more life out of them if the bearings are not already rusted. Just pop off the plastic and rubber seals on the cups with a pick and repack with grease.

Cazum – ceramic is absolutely fine on an mtb. My Hope ceramic is going strong after a couple of years. Basically a ceramic ball bearing can’t rust, so lasts forever with a little TLC.

If there is no play in your bb, just noise, follow Al’s advice above.

Thanks guys will try re-greesing the threads 1st see if I can get a month or two out of it….