Sick of them not lasting. I need a new crankset and have come across Raceface. A good idea? Other alternatives for longevity?

Take a step back in time ,
Middle burn rs7 with a high end bb
Or even just a shimano un55 as it’s ok and very cheap to replace

Whats failing, snapped cranks, dead BB’s? stripped threads? Are they design failures, overuse/misuse mechanical or just wearing out?
How much are you looking got spend?

Hope BB’s have cured my BB issues and are currently outlasting anything else I have seen, the simple crank removal idea is great for maintenance etc.

Running Sram and Race Face in the house here, both seem good (X01 alloy, X9 Alloy & Race Face Next Carbon) the single bolt approach with the bottom out is good and easy to fit & avoid over tightening which is one of the problems with Shimano ones, the bigger splines also look good and may survive a detachment without stripping them.

A mate’s RF cranks kept loosening, he’s on XT now and had no issues since. Have you been pressure washing the bike or tightening the bearing compression nut thingy beyond finger tight? Both commonly done and a surefire way to kill your cups.

Take a step back in time ,
Middle burn rs7 with a high end bb
Or even just a shimano un55 as it’s ok and very cheap to replace

This.

Square taper for the win.

Actually, probably should have said:

Or even just a shimano un55 as it’s ok[b]great, because it lasts for ages and ages and ages[/b] and very cheap to replace should you outlive it, which you probably won’t

Square taper for the win.

Really? I killed a few square taper BBs (one UN-55 and one UN-23 I think), and the the arms (deore) on my campus bike so replaced it with a spare HT2 I had (newer deore) – been working flawlessly for the last year or so!

shimano external BB’s are rubbish. Or at least; the seals aren’t very robust.

shimano compatible alternatives are great.

have you tried the Gusset ext24?

Well, I’ve never killed a Sq Taper BB and the one on my pub/station/leave outside in the rain bike, must be twelve yesrs old. My one experience of HTII (off road) was dead within six months of not that much riding. So, yeah, for me, square taper wins.

How much riding are folk getting out of an HT2 BB then? I’ve never had one fail with less than 3,000 km on it( the threads stripped). The one on my Amazon (Ultegra) must have done at least 3 times that.

Got HT2 on my SS scandal which I’ve owned for about 18 months, tops, probalby less. Been through TWO BBs in that time. The HT2 BB on my CX commuter lasts longest, the ones on the other bikes in the garage are longer lasting than the SS but still only talking about 12-15 months – and bear in mind that when you do have more than one bike the usage is not as frequent, although the SS is my “go-to” defalt ike so it probably gets more use. Hence

I’ve “upgraded” to square taper and am awaiting the arrival of some middleburn cranks

First one died (1st gen Shimano XT) due to it working loose.
After that nothing much has died, bearings were consumable from shimano (as are most thing) replaced with Hope BB and 4+ years of life.

Changes have been due to upgrade – weight and stiffness improvements.

I’ve run three Shimano HT2 over the past 8yrs and been through countless BB’s in that time. Grit seems to get in (if I use a jetwash its only on the slow soapy cycle and never close- rims/tyres get the quick circular-blast).

Grit always kills them- just finds a way in past that poxy-black circle of plastic on the outside!

How often? Every 2months or so.

Think I might go splined or Sq taper for once?

hora – i might have some LX HT cranks and b/b for sale soon…let me know if you’re interested….actually let me know if you still want that seatpost

Genuine question then – how often does the bike get washed in that two months? My bikes go longer than that without seeing a hosepipe or bucket of water.

To me this is just like the 26 v 650/29 current situation. Because it’s new and the manufacturers promote it doesn’t mean it’s better. I’ve gone back on all but one of my bikes to square taper – it works – it’s super smooth – it can be cheap(not if you buy boutique of course)

scotroutes, owning a Orange Patriot the only thing that I normally wash is the chain and cassette.. 8)

gonzy- I’ve been tied up like crazy sorting brakes and cranks issue- I still need to give you that gromit too!

Square taper seems to be the best for long lasting BBs, especially on a budget (UN55 or even UN26 for £5.99!!) but I know a lot of people swear by Hope and Chris King BBs as well, good if you want a more pricey but less flexy solution

Isis/octalink worse than HT2 due to tiny bearings.
RF external BBs far worse than the equivalent HT2, I’ve had one die after 4 rides. RF splines are more fragile than shimano too, alloy on the crank (shimano use a steel insert) so vulnerable to wear. My set were binned after 5 years as the splines so worn the crank wobbled like a collapsed BB.

I used to get about 2 years out of a square taper on my first mtb, I get at least that out of HT2 which cost less in £ now than the square tapers did 20 years ago. I never jet wash my bikes, though.

Hora. I spent years being a serial BB destroyer. They’d expire with wearyingly tedious regularity. Then I switched back to square taper. I’ve now been running the same Shimano BB for 2 years through filthy north west grinding paste without even a squeak of protest. If it does go, it’ll cost the same as a packet of crisps to replace

Anyway, we can discuss the detail later. I presume you’ll be turning up bright and breezy for the Rivi night ride, as promised…..

nbt whats with the “muttered bleakly” nonsense? Neither of the quotes seem to be negative, so why the negative spin when quoting, or are you just trying to be clever?

Anyway, we can discuss the detail later. I presume you’ll be turning up bright and breezy for the Rivi night ride, as promised…..

I said a future Hebbers ride but I would do Rivi again when I have lights and a new cassette.

Its a regular fixture? I’ll be out next Monday. FACT.

I’m guessing he’s using the Chrome STW Add-in. That lets you choose/add a default wording instead of “Quote” or “Wrote” etc

Ah, how pointless.

yup 😉

Hora – no problem…i had a feeling that was the case. but like i said i have some cranks up for grabs if you’re interested…LX HT2 with LX b/b or Deore HT1 with UN 53 square taper b/b

FWIW Hora, I run a cheapo (UN-something or other) on the SS with a set of Middleburn UNOs. Obviously gets a fair bit of cranking down hard on them (vs sit and spin on the Five with gears) but in 18 months theres not been any creaking or replacing anything.

That said, I don’t have any issues really with HT2. Yes, the BBs wear out reasonably quickly but I have to replace a £20 Shimano BB every 8>12 months usually. £20 for 8 months riding is pretty good VFM I reckon. Are they any stiffer/better than a taper/Middleburn setup? Who knows – I can’t tell the difference.

The ONLY things I don’t like about HT2 type setups are the way you fix the cranks on. X-Type are prone to seizing or splines knackering (killed one set of Deus’ by killing the splines and one set of Atlas by them seizing onto the axle) and HT2s are held on with those stupid cheese bolts that round off if you happen to apply even an ounce too much pressure when tightening them up. Between them stripping/rounding off/seizing on, I’m happy with them though!