Have a shimano XT HT2 BB. It's served me well though now after about two and a half years & many strip downs & regreases it's pretty much at the end of it's usable life.
I'm now looking at replacing it. Options so far are -
Replace like for like €36;
Upgrade to XTR €46, only an extra tenner but does the XTR require any additional tools, also i know they're lighter but do they last any longer or are they any harder to maintain than the XT one?
Upgrade to Hope stainless €84;
Upgrade to Hope ceramic €104;
Upgrade to CK €120 Now the flash git in me is saying if i'm going to bother laying out the cash to get a high end BB i may aswell buy the King one especially with their ability to flush the grease out (I know it requires a special tool but i know a man that can). Plus it'll match my headset...
I am however left wondering whether or not the XTR is the best VFM in the context of both quality, weight & price? Or are there any other better options i should consider while i'm at it?
Penny for em?
Frank,
Have a look at the Token Taper Roller Bearing BB, £25 on ebay.
PaulD
Just bash out the old bearings & stick some new ones in?
Or send it to that company that'll press in the Enduro bearings?
+1 for fitting some enduro bearings. Job done.
XTR one on rose bikes for £17
I think it was £22 incl P&P.
Look a few threads down - XTR BB from Rose bikes for £17 + postage. Other German bike shops are doing XT ones for £15.
My CK has survived a pretty horrendous winter; even fully submerged in water. I gave the bike a proper spring clean and it still felt as smooth as the day I installed it. I know it was expensive, but I'm not sure an XT BB would have taken the filth that I've thrown at it.
I found the enduro bearings to be pretty terrible, lasted about half as long as a cheapo deore BB... won't waste time and money on that again.
XT is a decent option as long as you don't pay RRP but so far I'm pretty pleased with my Gusset EXT24, it's outlasted my last XT one now despite winter use, it did get a little gritty so I've opened it up and regreased it and it's back to normal, doubt it's got that much life left in it but it's done well for the price. Also it's red 😉
If there's a practical difference between XTR and XT I can't tell what it is- the BBs are built slightly differently but seem to act just the same. Deore has worse seals though.
get some phil wood bearings, either the pretty complete bb with stainless steel cups. Or a pair of bearings and new top hats pressed into your existing xt cups.
I've found Enduro bearings last well, if they get a bit crunchy i just squirt new grease in.
Current ones have lasted 2 winter/autumns
17 quid for an XTR one on www.rosebikes.co.uk
I found the enduro bearings to be pretty terrible, lasted about half as long as a cheapo deore BB... won't waste time and money on that again
Actually I totally disagree. My Enduro lasted about 1/20th the life of a Shimano - 3 weeks in the winter. Never again. German sourced XT BB's are 16euro. I cant argue with that.
iv got fsaceramic on one and 0ne23 taper on the other both running super smooth
Or £1.60 (inc. p&p) 6805 bearings from ebay.
Drift them out of the BB using a 19mm socket + vice.
Whack in the new ones.......& bob's yer dad's brother.
Remember to pack the new bearings with grease and they'll easily last a year.
I've got an LX BB that's on it's 3rd set. Much cheaper than a new BB every year or so. 8)
if only somewhere offered the xtr one at reasonable money. but where........
I have an XTR still functioning from late 2005/ early 2006.....and
...a Hope stainless still good from 2007???? 2008???(whenever they first came out) which has probably had more use...didn't like being on a Ti456 though, but fine after I took it off and put it on a Pace 303........and
....an xt from 2008 on a lesser used bike which is also still good
I didn't find knocking out the bearings and pressing in some new ones to be all that simple. Only one side is easy to knock out, the other is flush with the body and needs a lot of patience or a special tool to remove. Then the standard bearing that everyone reccommends are 1mm wider than the shimano ones, so you'd need to run it without the washer and just the top hat thing, or else buy correct size bearings for twice the price of a replacement bb. After a lot of effort I gave up and put in an XT one.
I suspect not many people that suggest replacing bearings have actually tried it...
err may i be flippant and say square taper still!!!
paul
Anyone tried the Blackspire bb's that CRC are doing for £17?
I suspect not many people that suggest replacing bearings have actually tried it...
Yup, I have, and I found it pretty easy.
But.....I am a technology teacher 😆
I've tried the ebay bearing replacement thing and keep breaking the plastic "top hat". It's probably worth a shot though for a few quid.
In fact just seen this on CRC - Raceface BB rebuild kit - some stuff you won't need, but it includes 6 x bearings, top-hats, bearing seals, and a full set of long and short chainring bolts.
All for £12!
Considering they sell the RF bearings for £5.99 each, that's a steal!
[url] http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=64642 [/url]
ajantom - I've just bought the rebuild kit off CRC but I can't see how'd you get the old bearings out - there's no lip to hit against? The only option I can see is to get a thin-ish screwdriver and try and whack it out using the small gap (the inner race of the bearing is flush (bar a very small gap) with the tube of the cup).
I did find this pictoral guide: http://www.smbbearings.com/BB_BRGS.htm
..but I don't see how point 5 is possible. I bought the bottom bracket about a year ago. Have they changed so the 19mm socket method idn't possible?
Any help would be much appreciated...I want to ride this weekend!!
Thanks
DH trip to austria & my friends shimano saint BB died on the 4th day. got home regreased my King BB & it was like new. that was 2years ago & still nothing to report. if you shop around you can find them cheaper.
goldtec bang new ones in for you
Surprised to say, I've still got my Gusset EXT24 in the Hemlock- further up the page I said I thought it was on its last legs, 8 months ago. Well it's been cleaned out and regreased again and does feel a wee bit sandy but it's still spinning well. That's been in there for about 16 months of weekly use including assorted races and any amount of rides in horrible conditions (the frame bearings have been replaced in that time and need done again!)
So. Gusset EXT24, consider yourself recommended. I've got various XT and Deore ones kicking around the garage to wear out but once they're done it'll be EXTs in everything.
Got an XT shell with Enduro bearings if anyone wants it for £15? Used for 1 ride as stop gap before getting anew Saint one from Rose bikes
Cant go wrong with shimano imo, especially given how cheap they are, and especially how expensive the hope alternative is.
I'd be interested to know what difference the XTR has over XT bb's
Search on Ebay for GUB Bottom Bracket... Ceramic SKF bearings, in the colour of your choice from China... about £32 to your door. Still going after a years use...
enfht - MemberI'd be interested to know what difference the XTR has over XT bb's
Colour, as far as I can tell 😉 The construction is slightly different but the actual performance/durability seems much the same to me.
anyone sent theirs to sideways for some phil wood jobs? Always been tempted but always just end up getting cheap shimano ones from crc etc