My XT BB seems to have died after a year of relatively easy use. I did one uplift day @ FoD which, I think, may have lead to it’s decline.
Anyhoo, I’m going to be looking to get a replacement ASAP and was wondering if there’s anything in particular I should be looking for?
I’ve had a Race Face that died after about 3 months, the XT did a year. I’ve had a Hope steel one which seemed to be OK and lasted quite well.
My riding has gone a bit burlier since I got my new build so:

Am I better to buy a really good (expensive) BB
or
Except that I may have to replace a cheaper one more often?

Are the Chris King’s worth the money? Would I need a ‘proper’ King BB tool? Should I go with a Hope ? Or is there something out there I’m not aware of?
Cheers
Steve

I couldn’t fault my hope ceramic BB.

All threaded BB’s including King use the same installation tool. The only specific King tool you may want is the grease gun, the bearing removal tool is pretty much a shop tool imo – mega expensive for something that will only get used once in a while at home.

XTR from rosebikes. For 16 quid who cares if they only last a year. (mine hve lasted far longer, you must be nasty to them.).

http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/article/shimano-xtr-bottom-bracket-cups-hollowtech-ii-sm-bb90/aid:274227

It’s 6 of one and half a dozen of the other really, imo. Shimano are cheap enough that replacing them every year or so (I’ve had at least 18months out of every XT one I’ve had) isn’t that bad. On the other hand, and if you think the Shimano option is particularly wasteful, you can get a more expensive one, like Hope, that’s easier to change the bearings in. I personally cannot see the extra value in a King, or similar.

Got a Shitmano one that came with cranks, still going after 2 years in our slop. Not really much point in the CC ones. Just bling. You won’t notice any difference. When it dies, you’ll probably need new cranks anyways. Don’t let these twonks tell you otherwise, they just like spending money then telling you how ‘different’ it feels.

I came close to buying a Gusset ext24 last weekend to replace my seized Shimano one. Just before I clicked the buy button I thought I’d see if I could do a bit of work on the Shimano and after a bit of a clean up and with fresh grease, d’you know what – it’s running as smooth as a baby’s bum! Not sure how long it’ll last but I’ve got a bit more life out of it.

Either way if your XT is knackered try a Gusset, they even do a nice ceramic one if that’s your thing.

The King’s do seem overly expensive. I could get 6 XTR ones from Rose for the price of a King. I’m quite happy doing the general maintenance/replacement so I think it’ll be better to get half a dozen XTR’s and replace them regularly.

I am a bit shocked at the lifespan of the XT one, maybe a duffer?

Thanks for the replies guys.. 😆

edit: How do the Saint BB’s fair compared to the XT/XTR ones? They are a a tad cheaper on Rose..

I am seemingly the only person I ride with to mash up a Chris King though I do put this down to possibly running it single speed under tension putting extra pressure into the drive side bearings…I’ll put new bearings in it and run it on another bike but worth the money? No chance.

XTR last me around a year, funnily enough exactly the same amount of lifespan I got from the bottom of the range Deore one.

So I reckon if I’m replacing a BB every year be it Deore or XTR i’m going with the one which costs me a tenner!

–Didn’t know about rose bikes will have to look at them, in future.

Has anyone ever weighed or cracked open and examined the various shimano options? I cant shake the suspicion that deore, xt and xtr are all the same. Saint too, barring the longer threads.