Cheeky thread resurrection!

Fivespot- are you still using the BB above with homemade greaseports? If so, how has it lasted?

fivespot

genius! i think that will be my next mod.

I’m just amazed at the number of folk who seem to rattle through BB’s.

Had XT BB on mine for at least 15 months now with no issues and still running smooth.
I understand that people often fit them with way too much preload on the bearing and that makes them die very quickly.

Meh at 20 quid for XTR who cares.

My XTR (970) BB is still going strong after nearly 2 years. Oddly, my SRAM GXP cups from my rival chainset is still play free after 2 winters of commuting! (only thing from the groupset that isn’t dead tbh).

Had mixed experiences from Hope BB’s and would probably only stuff a King in if I was to buy a flashy after-market BB (purely based on other people’s experiences might I add).

retr83…….I sold the Hustler frame last year with the grease port BB still fitted and going strong. I have done the same mod to my current Orange 5 & 160, with the exception of fitting 2.5mm grub screws on the 160 instead of the Zerk ports. This was due to the BB shell wall thickness fouling the Zerk port when tightened fully.

I think there is a bit of a misconception about why the none drive side bearing usually wears out 1st. Some folks recon its to do with the preload being on that side. The preload nut pulls the drive side arm as much as it pushes on the none driveside arm, SO the bearing preload should be equal. The main difference between the two sides is the protection the driveside bearing gets from crap thrown up by the front wheel, ie. the chain and sprockets etc. The none driveside arm has a gap at the back that lets the crap in.

If you are going to the trouble of splitting your HT II BB to regrease, take extra care of the inner surface of the plastic top hat insert that the outer seal runs against, and the seal itself. SEALS need lubricating as well as bearings. A dry seal will wear quicker and let crap in to destroy the bearing.

Fivespot – nice mod 8) Where did you get the little zerk fittings from… or is that a problem and why you went for little grup screws this time?

Those external BBs are pants what you want is one of them old-school HT1 BBs or even better a square taper. I remember when we had 130mm stems and this was all just fields…

messiah… I got the grease ports from rod end bearings that were U/S (nobody had bothered grease them). I only used the 2.5mm grub screws because the larger protruding grease ports would foul the BB face on my Alpine 160 due to it having a thicker wall (bigger dia. outer) than some other BB shells.

You can buy small packs of Zerk ports for Turner bikes, Try the importers 😉

Cheers fivespot!

joolsburger – Member
Meh at 20 quid for XTR who cares.

£20 for bb, £20 for chain, £40 for a set of chain rings, £20 for cassette, £20 for wheel bearings. Adds up + I’m a pov.

I have put a lizardskins headset protector around the non-drive beaaring housing to stop the shit getting in as it is always this side of my Shimano BBs that die. The neoprene flexes quite well with the arm to maintain a shield as it rotates.
I take it off to dry after a wet ride or when I wash the bike.

Sorry to poo-poo the grease port idea a bit but squeezing more grease in will not neccessarilly squeeze contaminated grease out, I would have thought.

imp999 – Member
…Sorry to poo-poo the grease port idea a bit but squeezing more grease in will not neccessarilly squeeze contaminated grease out, I would have thought.

If you squeeze more in when it’s new and displace as much of the air as possible, then when it is cooled down rapidly from hot, it won’t cause a low pressure in the bearing which then sucks in whatever is adjacent – usually the moisture which has caused the rapid cooling.

(Hot being a relative term in this country 🙂 )

Anyone tried the superstar superHD ht2 bb?

My shimano one hasn’t totally given up yet, but after a hard winter and a bit of neglect my driveside bearing is developing a bit of play now… The superstar one with the removable bearings seem like a good idea to me. Looks like you can remove the bearings without removing the cups from the frame too, so that cuts down in lots of hassle. I can’t seem to see replaceable bearings separately listed on their site, but it has a 5 year warranty anyway, which should cover most problems!

Might give it a shot once my shimano one finally gives up.