Hi all,

I have a 2014 Boardman Pro Carbon road bike, which has a FSA Gossamer crankset with BB30 bottom bracket.

The BB has started creaking (perhaps not a surprise…), so looks like I need a new BB. What’s the go-to for replacement bearings? Can I just get the bearings themselves, such as:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/rotor-bb30-bearing-set-steel/?lang=en&curr=GBP&dest=1&sku=5360740750&kpid=5360740750&utm_source=google&utm_term&utm_campaign=UK_PLA_Components&utm_medium=base&utm_content=mckv%7csjCpf2XcS_dc%7cmcrid%7c67090789502%7cmkw%7c%7cmmt%7c%7cmrd%7c5360740750uk%7cmslid%7c%7c&mkwid=sjCpf2XcS_dc&pcrid=67090789502&prd=5360740750uk&pgrid=17507338502&ptaid=pla-147107922062

Or can I just buy from a bearing supplier?

Thanks,
Duane.

I always use the cheapest ebay ones. The last lot ended up being branded as Dunlop – seem decent.

Usually about 2-2.50 each.

Search for 71902 bearing.

knock the old ones out with a hammer and drift (make sure you tap the bearing and not the snap ring which limits how far into the BB shell the bearing can be pushed.

I then use a press at work, or a vice to push the new bearings in – using the old one as ‘tool’ on top of the new bearing to push it into the slight recess in the BB shell.

EDIT – it’s also worth popping the seals off the new bearings with a tiny flat jewelry screwdriver and ram them as full of grease as you can get them.

I’d probably be wary of super cheap bearings that might not be to spec, BB30 bottom brackets don’t have the best rep to begin with……

Never had a problem with them, they last ages. Got them on two bikes which I use for winter road training and cx racing. I replace them every two years roughly.

Thanks guys.

Would something like these be half decent?
http://www.wychbearings.co.uk/71902-LLB-ABEC5-Enduro.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiA3dTQBRDnARIsAGKSfllS50V1zjXZunOY9_IuF5RzSzuO6HfC8vGevPwsCAG_dGxQ9ZSKEj8aAsYAEALw_wcB

No, it’s the wrong size.

Firstly just take it all apart and clean then regresses all the mating surfaces before changing the bearings.

Not so sure about the bearing number above though. Think 6806 will be the correct ones.

And yes you can change just the bearings

Edit I was to slow

Thanks for the correct bearing number!

Sorry, I’ve no idea why my post says 71902… Must be a brain fart as my eBay purchase history clearly shows 61806/6806 !!!

Thankfully I was corrected before you bought anything. I’d still go cheap eBay though 😉

STOP! Don’t waste money on new bearings.

The creaking is coming from the crankset axle where it is fretting microscopically inside the bearing inner races. If the bearings rotate smoothly they are fine, don’t waste your money. Most mechanics and people on web fora will tell you the bearings are creaking inside the alloy frame shells but that is also not the cause of the clicking and creaking.

Go and buy a small bottle of bearing fit compound. Take out the crankset and clean everything up. You might see signs of fretting and surface erosion on the machined bands where the axle sits inside the inner races. Smear bearing fit compound on the axle at the drive end and inside the bearing inner race at the non-drive side of the bike then refit the crankset. This way the bearing fit compound stands a reasonable chance of not being wiped off as the axle passes through.

I have sorted three FSA cranksets in BB30 shells in this way and none of them creaked again, ever.