Viewing 16 posts - 1 through 16 (of 16 total)
  • RF BB – Take off, flush out and repack with grease or buy Hope?
  • preciousmetals
    Free Member

    My RaceFace standard 73mm BB is gritty and grinding a bit.
    My question is can the sealing and bearings be removed easily enough to flush out dirt and repack making sure there is plenty of grease.

    How to flush out the dirt exactly?

    Which grease to use as I have all purpose bright red like lipstick colour waterproof grease which should do the job…?

    Bearing in mind I have the BB tool to remove cups or is it a case of leaving cups installed in frame and just prizing the seals off and bearings out.
    Ideally I’d have an air compressor but that could end up like a scene out of kill bill.

    If this is not a possible option as would rather save the pounds than buy a new BB. Are Hope BBs well sealed and smooth as I do like ceramic BBs, have had good experience of FSA ones in the past.
    If anyone can vouch for the Hope ceramic then I may, may just upgrade.
    (goes off to look how much)

    cheekyboy
    Free Member

    My RaceFace standard 73mm BB is gritty and grinding a bit.

    This may be an indication that the case hardening on the bearing balls has worn away, if or rather when this happens its goodbye to the bearing, the re-packing with new grease is not a fix.

    Ive used hope standard bbs for the last 7 years and only had one (out of 3 sets) bearing fail due to wear and tear.

    qwerty
    Free Member

    XTR

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    boxxer7
    Free Member

    Repacked my RF Cinch BB after it sounded a bit dry and has been quiet as a mouse ever since and spins nicely, no idea if normal RF BBs are the same but it was easy to do.

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    Depends how much you value your time and how tigh money is.

    If replacing it with a superior option first time you remove it is a much better use of time.

    My hopes just keep going its rediculous.

    clubby
    Full Member

    Replace the bearings in the RF with ceramic hybrids from your local bearing supplier. Mine cost £18 for the pair and have stood up to 2 years of beach use on the fat bike without needing touched. The original RF set lasted 6 weeks. Bearings are easily removable by knocking out from behind with a large flat blade screw driver. Knock the new ones in with an appropriate size socket or press in with a vice using old set to protect new seals.

    eshershore
    Free Member

    New BB… Life is too short 😉

    johnnystorm
    Full Member

    My hope bb has done about 9500 miles in a much abused commuter/bikepacking bike. For the cost per mile it’s probably the cheapest component I’ve bought. Having said that I’m going to give an uberbikes ceramic a go on my Tour Divide bike.

    docrobster
    Free Member

    I would rethink that strategy if I were you johnnystorm.
    Last summer I took a ceramic hope BB out of my hardtail. I think I bought it in 2007 and it had been in several frames. It had got a bit rough and I thought it had died.
    I bought 2 Überbike steel bearing bb’s and put one in each bike. Just had to replace the bearings in one of them yesterday as completely shot. I’d paid the same per bb as I would have for replacement steel bearings for the hope, half the cost of new ceramics. Lasted one winter as due to injury I couldn’t ride last summer. Seals clearly crap. The top hats slide off the bearing as the axle goes through when fitting. Poor design imo.
    As I was knocking bearings out of BB cups I thought I would have a look at supposedly trashed hope bb. Once I’d taken the seals off and cleaned them up the bearings ran perfectly smoothly so that BB has gone back on and the Überbike one with fresh bearings is now a spare.

    johnnystorm
    Full Member

    Hmm. That’s annoying! I did manage to move a top hat putting my RF cranks back in as you say. I got the Uber ceramic in their sale so it cost me less than a hope ss. I guess it’ll be going in the bin in a months time then!

    preciousmetals
    Free Member

    Depends how much you value your time and how tigh money is.

    Well tbh I can do the job no worries, and money ”is” tight at the moment.
    Just I wondered if anyone had experienced RF seals and bearings that have done what I am thinking of doing.

    I’ll whip the crank set off tomorrow or the next to further inspect.

    I gotta admit I am tempted by a Hope ceramic but a oner is a bit of a stretch at the moment even if it is a sound investment as the BB is the only place on bike that is lacking.

    thanks for advice guys 🙂

    preciousmetals
    Free Member

    @ Clubby – I shall look into this!
    I’ll make a little effort to go find out what size bearing and where from locally.

    thanks 🙂

    dgb1
    Free Member

    I’ve just replaced a bearing in an old RF bb that I had on my HT before I swapped it out for a Hope. The RF bearings are 6805 size and should be available locally or they’re on CRC as a kit for less than €20 including seals and end caps. If you could get FAG or SKF at a decent price locally I’d be inclined to go for those over RF’s bearings.
    Just for info, the Hope BB that replaced the old RF one has never had its bearings even looked at and it’s been moved from one bike to a newer.

    whitestone
    Free Member

    I’ve a Hope ceramic BB on my road bike that was fitted about three years ago and runs fine with only occasional removal to clean the BB shell. I couldn’t justify the cost of a ceramic BB on my hardtail last year so went with the stainless option (after a RaceFace BB completely failed after just 1500Km ). After twelve months the only time I’ve looked at it was to clean the shell out just before easter.

    For one of the major bearings on a bike they are as close to fit and forget as you are likely to get.

    How to service a Hope BB https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAqAanDsAKA

    no_eyed_deer
    Free Member

    What are hope bearings made from? The core of Jupiter??! They are amazeballs..

    preciousmetals
    Free Member

    Thanks for all the info + a bonus vid (that came in handy actually).

    I’ve opted for a ceramic mtb Hope bb.
    I will then strip RF bb and install fresh bearings which’ll probably get given to my useless mechanic void brother.

Viewing 16 posts - 1 through 16 (of 16 total)

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