Forum menu
Frame I've just bought specs a pf30 bb but I want to run my XT hollowtech cranks, don't want to run adapters.
What do I need.
Cheers
I have a BB30 frame in the road bike, it came with an adaptor pushed into the frame. if pf30 is the same then I'd do this. Quite a few about by all accounts. Didn't actauly do it myself you understand, I came that way.
Beaten to it by house husband!
Cheers will get one ordered before my Salsa Spearfish frame arrives.
if you get any issues with creaking or movement, which can be caused by the exact tolerances of your individual frame's shell
a good trick with the Praxxis is to not install the nylon sleeve dry into the frame's BB shell (the PF30 setup is the BB30 unit with a nylon sleeve) but to give the outside of the sleeve a good smear of carbon paste i.e. fibre grip.
Also the inside of the BB30 cups where they contact the outer nylon sleeve.
I never had any issues with my Praxxis BB30 HT2, when I cracked my frame and got a new model frame under warranty, it came with a PF30 shell.
I then used the same Praxxis BB30 with the PF30 nylon sleeve and had several irritating weeks of creaking noises whilst pedaling.
A number of removals and reinstallations following Praxxis instructions on their You Tube site to the letter, no joy.
Spoke to Upgrade Distribution, emailed Praxxis, referred back to Upgrade.
Still no joy, was told if installed correctly, it could not creak?
Tried the fibre grip and no problems ever since 😉
esher shore, great tip have heard of lots of creaking with these. So will certainly follow your instructions. Can't wait to get the frame and see if it makes my back pain mote tolerable after reluctantly selling my Sherpa frame.
hope also do a pf30 to bb86 direct fit b/b as another option.
Happy with my Praxis too. Q for the other users; Do you ever take it out to regrease and refit. Just concerned with it basically working on tight tolerances and being screwed together so tight, that the time I need to take it out it won't budge?
When I started getting the issues with my new frame I think I must have removed and refitted it 4 times, each time following Praxxis instructions to the letter, including use of anti-seize and not bottoming out the o-ring on the non-driveside, then making sure the driveside cup bottomed out on the stop when fully tightened.
None of this made any difference. I got the feeling the tolerance on my frame's BB shell (big brand carbon fibre hardtail frame) was perhaps a little too loose for the Praxxis' 'collet' system to 'take up' through expansion of the nylon Pf30 sleeve. This was preventing the sleeve from gripping the BB shell, causing the creaking and looseness.
During installation I could push the non driveside cup in almost home using hard hand pressure. With it all installed as their instructions, I could grab a HT2 spanner and rotate the non-driveside cup in the frame! (not good).
Going down the fibre grip route, I had to use a headset press with adapters to do the install, which was a good sign. Also, once installed I could not get the non-driveside cup to rotate even with decent leverage on that HT2 spanner. Another good sign!
I have no issues about being to extract it in the future because I've done extractions on frames with epoxy bonded cups (3M DP420), with the right tools and techniques you can get those out.
So you suggest I leave it alone until I need to take it out?
If indeed i ever need to take it out - from what i recall of the manual, the bearings can be pushed out and replaced*, maybe that can be done without removing the cups?
(* OK, invalidates the warranty, but if the bearings are shot what use is the warranty anyway, as they won't be warrantable parts)
I'd recommend pushing the cups out, and replacing the bearings once the cups are removed - its a much easier job because you can work on the cups on a flat work surface, and there will be no compression of the cups / bearings which often happens once the cups are installed in the BB shell
I did ask Upgrade about replacement bearings for Praxxis, they don't actually stock them! They said as its an Enduro bearing, it can easily be sourced elsewhere...
Just ordered the hope pf46 to 24mm spindle bb for exactly this combo.
The Wheels Mfg one is simple and quiet. Threads together using HTII BB tool.
the wheels Mfg is nice kit, but would not cure the problem with my PF30 frame, believe me I tried it as a solution as it was driving me mad and I almost sold my frame!
Because the Wheels BB is being held in place by effectively an "o" ring on each cup once done up, it did not have any way to grip the inside of the BB shell (except from compression of the o rings), or expand to take up the tolerance issue, this is where the collet on the Praxxis BB wins
I also tried fibre grip with the wheels BB but it did not make any difference.