I am looking into a new bike, and i am just wondering if this is a step forwards in bike design or something that should be avoided.

Your opinions much appreciated.

Had one in my summer road bike well over a year now; still smooth after over 5000 miles.

Only thing I dont like is that I wouldnt attempt knocking it out to replace myself, so its a LBS jobby.

If someone came up with a cost effective way of replacing /adapting a pf bb to a normal threaded external bb they’d be selling like hot cakes. Nuff said.

A step forwards in bike design, a step backwards in bottom bracket design. Don’t mind them myself – longevity is not great but they’re very easy to replace and it’s just a pair of bearings in many cases.

I put a Hope adaptery thing in my road bike – with that in it’s fine. In truth I hadn’t had major problems with the pressfit one, just a hint of a creak was enough for me

I think it very much depends on which kind of pressfit design it is. My cheapy BBB bb92 is coming up on a year old, about 1500 off-road miles, and is still running smoothly.

Press-fit BBs come in various flavours – BB30, PF30 and BB86/92. BB30 is a crock as it relies on a precision pressfit of a bearing into a machined shell, not helped by the fact that water ingress into the BB means the bearings are immersed and so have a very reduced life- rediculous design for an MTB IMO. PF30 overcomes the BB30 bearing fit issue slightly by sitting the bearing in a plastic housing but can still be troublesome. BB92 is for a 24mm crank spindle and is wider-spaced and isn’t so creak-prone and is the only one endorsed by Shimano.I’ve got BB86/92 on a couple of bikes and it’s been trouble free.

Depends.

If the BB has “SRAM” printed on the side, then don’t get it wet, dusty, muddy, or allow air anywhere near it. Or use it.

Both my bikes have press-fit bottom brackets. The PF30 bike has a Praxxis Works BB, which threads into an expanding retainer and wedges in place. The other bike has BB92, which only takes a 24mm crank spindle, but again I swapped from SRAM to an XTR BB at very minimal cost.

A couple of years ago I bought a frame which rather dumbly I didn’t realise was press fit BB(86/92). However it has been no trouble at all so , although I wouldn’t choose one , I have no honest reason not to.

A couple of years ago I bought a frame which rather dumbly I didn’t realise was press fit BB(86/92). However it has been no trouble at all so , although I wouldn’t choose one , I have no honest reason not to.

PF 86 on me cross bike has survived a whole season on racing and training.

PF86 on me road bike has done 3000km and not missed a beat.

Same on two different mtb did 2500km, not a single issue.

I have a 2015 Whyte 29-C HT, it gets ridden in all weathers. The FSA PF30 BB lasted approx 2800km before giving up the ghost. The Praxis Works BB adaptor I replaced it with is now on 6000km and no sign of any issues yet so I would recommend thoroughly.

I think its my Shimano pressfit is creaking and by god its annoying. First bike with one.

Is the only way to cure, replacement?

As PJM1974, SRAM crap but cheap.

Chris King 5000 miles plus, but had a couple of issues with bearings popping out (that wasn’t the fault of the BB). Praxis great.

Just trying a Rotor and that seems a good middle ground.

My Enduro 29er had press fit BB by SRAM and it didn’t agree with Lakeland weather. Bearings rusted to shite in 4 months.

My Reign has a Shimano BB92 that is 9 months old and sounds dry and is grumbling. Going to buy a Hope one.

My Giant roadbike had a BB92 which went creaky after a couple of years use. I replaced it myself (which is fairly straightforward if you have the tools) and put a dab of loctite on for good measure and it’s been fine ever since (about a year ago I think).

The press fit FSA BB on my Whyte CX bike has been ridden all year round on/off road in some pretty shitty conditions and it’s done nearly 9000 miles now. I’m happy enough with that.

I’ve got a PF30 in my Spearfish, which I’m hoping is a 46mm shell.

So I’ve just bought this Hope item

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/hope-pressfit-4624mm-stainless-steel-bottom-bracket/

I pressed one of those aluminium tubes in mine so it now uses a HT11, it’s been perfect. I think it’s FSA.

BB92 rubbish on my bike, until I swapped it from a sram to a shimano, and it’s been fine ever since, longevity as good as ht2.

Can’t see why people are down on em, even fitting is no hassle

Don’t mess about, get a pressfit bottom bracket that screws together like the hope one.

Have a PF30 on my stumpy, original lasted 3 weeks, now got a hope screw together one and seems to be lasting ok, would much prefer a standard threaded bb…much prefer!

after being a mechanic at several 12h races and everyday repairs it has shown me that the threaded BSA BB is still the easiest/fastest to replace full stop.
replacing bearings or cups being pressed in a BB shell(both raw carbon and alu) is quite a different matter.
The most reliable pressfit ‘solution’ is Shimano products. the second place goes to BB30 with the bearings pressed directly in the BB shell. everything else is a bummer to work with(epoxy-fastened, plastic cups, GXP, multiple odd spacers, internal routing…!)