waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!

I’m not out on the mountain bike all that much at the moment, but have managed to get myself in on a regular Thursday evening night ride, so when I looked at the bike in the corner of the living room today and realised that I should probably chisel off some of the caked on mud from the rear mech if I want it to work this evening I thought I had a fairly easy job on my hands..

I whipped the chain off for a soak but imagine my surprise when the pedals would hardly turn sans chain..

After using Hope BBs for a while, I fell on hard times at the end of last year and had to use a Deore Ht2, but after maybe only a couple of dozen rides this year, and only a small percentage of them in mucky conditions, why oh bloody why would the BB be seized solid!? 🙁

I managed to free it up by prising off the seals and applying a can of WD40 plus vigorous ministrations with an old paintbrush, with some inappropriate lithium grease pushed in after to try and smooth out the cleaned bearings, so tonight’s ride can go ahead despite the ominous rumbling sound now present..

I’ve heard folk whinge about Shimano BBs before and watched the debate about the cost effectiveness.. but blinkin nora

IMO, grease them on installation

heavily

Congratulations on a great thread title.

maybe don’t leave your bike caked in shit for a week?

maybe don’t leave your bike caked in shit for a week?

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKFjWR7X5dU[/video]

i’m beginning to get bored of saying this:

gusset ext24; extremely well sealed, standard bearings, £25. Mine is still going strong after something like 12,000 km.

not ‘reassuringly expensive’ enough? – try the uberbike BB, they’re £35.

maybe don’t leave your bike caked in shit for a week?

Removing mud from the exterior of a bike helps your bearings….how?

Sounds like the OP has made the mistake of going for the Camembert version of Shimanos bottom bracket range. Buy the Chedder (XT) version next time. Or even better buy hope which contains actual metal bearings.

Gusset sounds good to me awhiles.. I love a well sealed gusset

EDIT: ooooooh and they do pink ones 🙂

Removing mud from the exterior of a bike helps your bearings….how?
Because it allows the bearings to dry out rather than traps the moisture inside.

Because it allows the bearings to dry out rather than traps the moisture inside.

You’d probably have to take off the seals, too

Deore really isn’t very good, I killed one in about 6 hours and 30 minutes

Gusset all round now, ace and cheaply servicable

it doesn’t matter how many times we say it NW, i really don’t think people are listening…

i really don’t think people are listening…

sorry?

I’m listening, they look great and do red ones. But i’ve not long put a saint BB on, £15 at crc, but will be purchasing a Gusset one next and telling all my mates.

Buy the Chedder (XT) version next time.

They’re no better ime. Sealing’s poor and once water gets in the bearings can corrode and jam if the bike’s not ridden for a while. Mainly the NDS that jams.

Ive had a token ht2 bb on my bike now for over 2 years and a fair few miles. Took it off the bike as a pre winter check just in case……shouldnt have bothered as it was as new inside. Amazing value at £18 too

I’ve listened and added to watch list.

Yes, fine example of alliteration.

A*

Ime They need greasing prior to use.

Oops double post

Yes the rumbling effect of working hard on bike means go get some munch!
😛

Superstar bb’s are going for a tenner atm. Stick some extra grease in and itl last a while 🙂

Which Gusset BB is the magic everlasting one though?
The coloured ones don’t look any different to any other.
Is it the black needle roller ones? The seals don’t look anything special, but tapered rollers sounds a much better idea than deep groove ball bearings for a BB. I guess these would work well with XTR cranks with their adjustable lock ring to take up any play in the bearings.

…The coloured ones…

them, yes.

they’re not magic, they’ve just very well sealed – it’s impossible to see from the pictures, but the plastic top hat wraps around the bearing, rather that just sitting beside it.

it’s even tricky to explain, but it’s very effective.

…tapered rollers sounds a much better idea than deep groove ball bearings for a BB…

i don’t know, there’s very little axial load* on a bottom bracket.

(*from me at least, i’m a 13stone streak of piss)

I’ve not found the Gusset bearing life to be amazing- better than XT, but still a bit less good than Hope. (it’s hard to compare BBs fairly mind, no 2 get exactly the same treatment) But then they cost less than half as much as Hope. The real win for me is that they take standard bearings so when they do wear out, no pissing about with expensive Hope-specific parts

maybe don’t leave your bike caked in shit for a week?

I think mine has been covered in mud for around 8 years! I’m on my second bb but they have been UN53’s

In agreement of best thread title.

Should I pregrease a new push fit bb? It’s a shimano bb91 I think.

What bearings do those gussets take? They sound exactly what I’ve been looking for- never been able to justify the money for a hope compared to an xt, mostly because the replacement bearings are so ruddy expensive they’d need to last a lot, lot longer before you get to payback!

Is changing them a simple knock out, knock back in job?

Ta!

Looks at 5 fully functioning BBs between 4 and 7 years old

Wonders wtf you are doing to them…

swanny853 – Member

What bearings do those gussets take?

Can’t remember. Something bogstandard like a 6805. Changing the bearings is dead simple, hammer out, but you do need to be careful with the plastic tophats as they’re quite easy to damage (having said that, one of mine is totally mashed due to me being a clumsy arse but still works fine)

Ah, OK, cheers. Looking at it from a ‘can I get decent spare bearings cheap enough to pay back the ten quid over an xt’. Sounds pretty good, I’ll give it a go

Ta!

I listened about bought a Gusset a few months ago 🙂 can’t be doing with Hope proprietary bearings anymore.

OK, so for the record Northwind is right, the bearing in the Gusset is a 6805. Just about to fit one and I thought I’d take it apart first before it gets full of grime. I’m also quite impressed with the top hat, it looks like it will seal well and it was pretty blinking tight, so should do the job.

Good to know..

I have a shiny new Xmas gusset sitting on the bookcase waiting to be fitted

Right, update. The bb has had a few rides, plenty muddy. Cleaned after each one, same as I would have done with a shimano i.e. general hose down of the bike, try not to spray too much water at the bearings. Just getting ready for tomorrow and found the bb had seized sufficiently that the nds had the crank rotating in the plastic top hat rather than the bearing going round. The drive side is stiff too but not that bad.

What got me was the sheer amount of mud behind the bearings and in the centre tube. I’ve only seen worse on an already old bb that went round mayhem 2012. There’s a reverb fitted, so it can’t have come down the seat tube, am I right in thinking it must be through the bearings? I’ll take apart and have a look when I have more time.

I’m a little surprised, I don’t think even deore bbs have lasted this little time and it’s been treated no differrntly to any other. Is there anythinghg unusual about installing these that I might have missed? Or just bad luck?

Wifes bike takes a pushfit BB (same bearings) and it constantly seizes due to irregular use…the cranks turn with some resistance as they just turn within the seized bearing. Have to nudge the cranks back and forth gradually working the bearing free. Probably more liable to it now as she hasn’t always noticed and the BB tube is polished where the bearings sit.

After a couple of XTR replacements we got one of the Enduro ones from America (not the ceramic) and that did the same.

Got a bike build going on and was going to re-use a Deore bb that came with matching Deore double crank set that I have already.
This is all of 5/6months old and only had a dozen rides on it.
Drive side is still smooth as but NDS although not seized has some definite roughness to it.

I have prised the top hat and seal out, cleaned it out and regreased it to get some more life out of it.
I could easily buy a new BB but have had thoughts of replacing the bearings with the Enduro ones that do away with the top hat and are sized to fit directly on the spindle and have better seals.

Question is has anyone done this and if so what are their thoughts.

They work ok til one seizes and wears a groove in the axle killing the whole crank…

thoughts of replacing the bearings with the Enduro ones that do away with the top hat and are sized to fit directly on the spindle and have better seals.

I had a raceface BB (yes it was terrible, lasted about 8 rides) and when it seized I sent it to BETD who did exactly this, they sent it back ready to go for 20quid and it’s been rock solid ever since which was 3 years or so

do it, you won’t regret it