Shimano hollowtech 2 bbs on my road and mtb (ultegra and xt), they won't die. Don't think I've ever killed a bb, except for a crappy press fit thing on my bmx which is making a bit of noise after a winter of commuting (still going though).
I don't get how some people kill bbs after just a few months? Do you? Or are you like me, and yours last forever?
I don't pressure wash, I ride in all weather, and I'm fairly light. They were installed properly by someone qualified, and never touched.
Worn out 1 deore BB after 2 years and thats it. I normally snap cranks before wearing out the BBs. Now on HT2 style cranks so not snapped one for about 4 years.
Probably depends if you post on the internet more than riding your bike.
I've had them last months on some bikes, years on others. Always fit them myself, and I'm not even AN ENGINEER.
I find mine die in winter when the mud gets bad, we've ridden the same stuff though realman so i dont know why yours last longer...I guess mine (deore) were lower quality.
I do find however swinley kills my BBs very very fast when i do visit it in teh wet.
XT out, trashed after a year. Deore in, we'll see how it copes.
never had more thsn a year from an external. I fit them myself to correct torques
I weigh at least a atone more than the waif OP mind
I've not had much success with bbs since the old square taper UN72.
IME, Isis last a bit longer than external types but then totally self destruct.
A few gritty winter rides with loads of standing water and they're both knackered. 🙁
No problems with xt, xtr bbs, last a few years. Ridden hard and put away wet - but only average mileage probably. Only one I've killed was(probably) my own fault in trying to replace the bearing cartridges in an xtr - new ones were either the wrong size or I pressed them in badly.
The experiences of really high mileage riders on what doesn't work are, ironically, not very helpful. 6 months riding for them might be 3 years for most. When they say something does work, though, you need to listen.
I have 3 sticky HT2 bbs at the moment. Bearings currently in the freezer before replacing.
I've worn Race Face and a couple of the original Shimano BB's out.
Switched to Hope on my MTB's and have a newer Shimano on my commuter no issues since then.
My house is the BB equivalent of the Dignitas Clinic in Switzerland. Its where they go to die
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EBB count to date on various bikes:
average ~6 months from shimano XT/SLX (3 BBs so far)
average ~4 months from Superstar (4 BBs so far)
average ~3 months from Aerozine (2 BBs so far)
so far 18 months from a Hope Stainless and still going strong. Sadly I can't afford the initial hit to put them on the other 2 bikes.
And over 2 years from Tiagra on my commuter.
I now have a bucket of cheap bearings and pop them in as and when they are needed. Especially easy on the superstar and aerozine models.
But my old UN54 SqT and LX octalink BB, although currently mothballed, are also still working after over 5 years each.
This is all in the Grim North so obviously conditions are harder up here......
I've had my HT2 bb on 3 bikes over about 4 years and it's still riding smooth. I'm heavy as well.
Shackleton and binners, what are you doing to kill them so quickly?
One set is on the SS so I guess gets lots of heavy riding, the others are on geared bikes but they get ridden a lot in all weathers and I am prone to pushing bigger gears than are strictly necessary. I do like riding as fast as I possibly can though and weigh 14st so maybe they get a bit more abuse than they should.
The wifes truvativ EBB has only just been changed after 2 years with the same cleaning regime and more total use (1 bike vs 3). She weighs 8st, rides more "responsibly" than I do, and wears out granny rings at about the same rate as middle. I still have the same granny ring from 6 years ago and change my middle every 6 months 😳 .
I did manage to get a few extra rides from the shimano ones by regreasing. Maybe pre-emptive tlc is needed rather than waiting until I notice it.
Had an XT one last about 2 1/2 or 3 years. Though this did involve taking it out every 3-6 months once it got creaky. Take off the bearing covers, thoroughly degrease, dry out properly once degreased & then regrease. I'm about 13 stone(ish), ride reasonably hard & mtb all year round mostly in Wicklow mts. So i suspect no different in terms of weather, weight or riding style to the masses of BB destroyers on here. I personally suspect an awful lot of people who are BB killers could probably elongate the lifespan of their BBs considerably if they just applied a little TLC once their BBs start playing up. At least this is certainly the case for the shimano ones anyway.
I'm convinced that the main cause of external BB failure is cuased by sticky mud/clag/grass etc. getting trapped in the gap between the seal and the crank, which is then gradually, (or not so gradually in some cases) pushed past the seals into the bearing. You don't get such a small space with a square taper for the filth to get trapped in.
Fastest I ever killed one was a Superstar componets in one CX race, for the above reason.
RealMan - I really really wish I knew. Then I could do something to try and arrest the BB-related holocaust I have unleashed on the world. Its getting annoyingly expensive!
Even I'm amazed that I've managed to trash this Howitzer in such a short space of time though. Its built like the Forth Bridge. Its not that its gradually worn out either. It literally self-destructed. It went with one almighty bang!
