[Closed] PF BBs

Not really IME. Screw-together BB is a better solution (wheels manufacturing etc), but not exactly a cheap one.

I think it depends on the PF standard and execution as much as anything else, never had a creak out of my Trek (bb92 I think?) with shimano BBs. SRAM BB was noisy though

I think it depends on the PF standard and execution as much as anything else, never had a creak out of my Trek (bb92 I think?) with shimano BBs. SRAM BB was noisy though

This is my experience too.

I would check that they are the correct ones for your bike/crank set and that have been installed correctly, they shouldn't be creaking from new. If they are old and creaking its probably because they need changing. I change my own now it's not a difficult job if you can make or buy a press tool.

weirdly - the only bike i have that creaks is the only one with a screw in BB - not convinced its actually BB or crank though. On PF, the only one i had that creaked was a token BB in a BB92, but that frame also didn't creak with a shimano BB in it, or after the Token with a Hope in it. Got an early Shand Stooshie with a BB30 - no creaks ever - even when the BB30 to threaded press in adaptors (cos i had a threaded CK i wanted to use) began to walk themselves out of the frame... no creaks now either with a Hope PF BB30.

Never really got why people hate on them so much, they've been generally fine for me... i think the obvious thing is to use a decent BB

Depends on what flavour of PF BB you have. Avoid anything where a bearing is pressed directly into the frame like BB30 and Trek BB90 as this requires a high level of machining tolerance not really suited to high volume manufacture. Screw-together BBs help overcome the issue.

Another vote for Wheels MFG (PF92)

I changed our PF30 a few months after we got the 6fattie.

A year later it's still silent and free running. It's the only SRAM BB that I've owned that has done over a year...

I’ve got bb30a on a Cannondale road bike and it’s been surprisingly pretty creak free. Occasionally if I start to get w clicking / slight creak intake the cranks off and clean it all up and put back together and that cures it. A while back when I changed to di2 and I knew it was all coming apart anyway to route the wires I thought I’d change the bearings as they’d been in a few years. They were still near perfect tbh - but I changed them as I had the new bearings and everything was apart.

I think if you have a standard / frame the at you just can’t cure creaking / clicking on then if one of the screw together solutions will work for you then look at those. Just be careful particularly with some Cannondale frames as some of them have a ridge in the middle of the bb shell that won’t allow all the screw together options to go through properly.

Mine has started to creak after about 900 miles - the bearings seem to be pretty gritty when turned by hand so looks like it's time for a new one.

Is the Wheels Manufacturing one better than the Hope? Or are they pretty much the same?

I was slightly worried when I bought my current Anthem and it had a PF92 BB because I'd heard all the horror stories about creaking and poor bearing life but 2,000 miles and 3 years on I'm still on the original Shimano XT bottom bracket.

As others have said above, if Press Fit is implemented properly then it shouldn't cause any issues. However, there are solutions out there (screw together BBs, Loctite, copaslip paste etc) that can solve any issues you may get.

The only downside to me is that PF requires new and potentially expensive tools to fit and remove compared to threaded BBs, so its one of those jobs that I'll get the LBS to do when my current BB eventually dies.

I've not had one that did creak TBH, though I realise that doesn't help you OP.

I did replace one PF30 with an FSA press-in adaptor to take normal HT2 BBs, which worked great and allowed me to use my preferred 24mm axle cranks.

On a tangent - how do I tell which model the Sram GXP press-fit BB in my spares box is? THere's nothing so obvious as a "92" or similar numbers printed on it - just "GXP PA GF" and the date of manufacture.

I've got 3 bikes, all with different flavours of press fit BBs. One is a Cannondale with BB30. It wasn't that bad with creaking but it would go through bearings every few months. It's just a crap design where you had the adaptors to take it from 30mm to 24mm that sat outside the BB. I've since replaced the BB with a screw together wheels mfg. version to convert it to an outboard one. No creaks since and the bearings seem far better protected.

I have another bike with a PF41 and that's been fine for 3 years now. Works perfectly well and never creaks at all. However, I've recently bought a bike with a BB92 Dub bottom bracket and it's started creaking after 2 rides.

Does anyone know which wheels mfg bottom bracket would replace the BB92 Dub one? I can see the current one soon heading for the bin.

I have just changed the the SRAM GXP one on my road bike.Six years old with plenty of mileage on it but this winter saw it off.
Bought a pressfit tool off ebay for SRAM and Shimano for £20. New BB pressed in perfectly with just a smear of bearing fix round it. No creaks or play.

they shouldn’t be creaking from new

It's a carbon road bike. It was silent at first, but 6-700 miles in it's creaking but only slightly. I was wondering if there was a standard prep process that you'd use. I may try copper grease anyway. I think it's the Shimano style one with the nylon cups like I have on my MTB which doesn't creak.

Doesn't take much to pop it out and try.

BB92's on our bikes have never creaked and last ages. Installed with some carbon grip compound when I change them.

In fact, I'm not sure the Mrs isn't still on her original BB, which must be 8 years old.

The last thing you want to do is add something between the cups and frame which will promote movement. You need a loctite bearing fit product if you are sure the creak is coming from movement of the cups in the frame.

If you're not sure that it is eliminate everything else first

Does anyone know which wheels mfg bottom bracket would replace the BB92 Dub one? I can see the current one soon heading for the bin.

Your issue there is that pf41 is designed for a 24mm axle with decent sized cups, dub is neither of those things. Putting Dub in that is always going to be a, what's the least worst" option, the answer being what ever is cheapest.
The best answer is to replace the bb and crank with ht2 or gxp.

The best answer is to replace the bb and crank with ht2 or gxp.

This, but not GXP.

😉

I’ve got bb30a on a Cannondale road bike and it’s been surprisingly pretty creak free.

If I was being cynical the development process for press fit BB's went something like......

Cannondale - we can machine BB30 into the frame to make everything stiffer and lighter, it's great.

Everyone else - Great, we'll jump on the bandwagon, but try and make it cross compatible with lots of chainsets by putting the bearings wider apart in separate cups negating almost all the advantages to the consumer but at least plastic cups will press in easily.

Consumers - everything is shit.

Everyone else - Ok, we'll go back to threaded shells, and market that as being better than BB30, by making it 29mm instead.

Cynically, the only reason BB30 and BB90/95 failed is that they were designed by bike manufacturers to bet the lightest, stiffest, best design. Thus completely eliminating a component (there is no BB30 or BB90/95 BB, it's just 2 industrial bearings). So obviously Shimano/SRAM wasn't going to support it. Hence why integrated headsets are now the default, it's a better system. But Shimano/SRAM don't make headsets so there's no one twisting bike companies' arms by offering them new (desirable) components that will only fit some other standard. It'd be like Rockshox creating a DUB headset. (ironically headsets are 28.6mm, DUB is 28.9).