[Closed] RaceFace cranks - Hope BB

first you need to read the 1/3 of the instructions which tells you haow to set up the BB.

Then you need to grease your axle and hope that the metal on metal of the hope bearing design doesnt kill your axle when it seizes.

Yeah great, thanks for that!

Never thought of reading the instructions! 😕

They state that the spacers need to be as I have them, but strangely enough don't mention Hope bottom brackets - most perculiar!

I've had them on the bike for nearly a year and regularly maintain it, so not much chance of them seizing.

Thanks again, you've been grrrrreat!

Raceface cranks (at least aftermarket ones) come with some 1mm spacers to get the correct spacing on the bb and/or adjust the chainline. It should indeed all in the instructions.

Yes, it is in the instructions, and I do have the 1mm spacer. But...

The spindle bottoms out on to the back of the crank, as it is designed to, there is a rubber washer that compresses to take up the slack, I'm just worried that it is not thick enough to stop the cranks butting up against the bearings. ie the spindle runs out of thread before the washer starts to compress.

I have checked the bb shell width and I do have the right amount of spacers in both the BB and on the cranks, there just seems to be a fraction of play when everything is nipped up!

I think by "default" you should have 2x1mm spacers, both on the drive side (for a 50mm chainline at least).

Having read the instructions again, it does state that a small amount of sideways movement is acceptable, I wouldn't have thought so, but hey, it's there in black and white!

I have the very same setup and it is fine, no spacers needed and it is still working 18 months down the line.

Try putting a bit of grease on the BB threads.

I have hope bb's and rf cranks on both my bikes on one perfectly quiet,
the other needs the cups removed from the frame every few months and
the threads and bb shell cleaned up and regreased then quiet again!
Other bb's rf etc dont creak in it only the hope ones( have tried both
bb's in the frame and both creak,ti frame?),only difference i can see
to other makes is the lack off thread lock.
Should also say dont actually use grease,use copperslip and assembly paste!

Thanks for the tips, I've stripped it a few times and re-greased, next time I'll use copper paste!
I'll try and get hold of a 3.5mm elastomer too!

I am running the same setup el_diablo, from memory mine is spaced with 2x1mm spacers drive side.

Saying that, it needed quite a bit of elbow grease to nip it up.

First time fitting, after a few rides I noticed mine was creaking, then found I had not tightened it up enough, since then no worries and the bearings have lasted me just over a year so far, happy days at last 😉

only difference i can see
to other makes is the lack off thread lock.

Non-Hope cups generally have the plastic top-hat spacer which might well avoid creaking at the bb/spindle interface.

Before doing anything else, try it with a Shimano rear QR done up tight. You'd be surprised how many creaking BBs on 5s are cured by doing this.

second that advice. drove me mad until someone told me.

Right, I've unwound the non driveside bb cup about one turn, this has removed the slack in the cranks, but obviously the bb cup is not butted up against the bb shell. Does that matter?

RaceFace X-Type don't actually have a pre-load facility on them

They do.. you use the black plastic spacers to achieve preload.

This step is #3 in the trouble shooting section in your instructons.

not thick enough to stop the cranks butting up against the bearings. ie the spindle runs out of thread before the washer starts to compress.

the cranks are supposed to but up against the bearings.. this is effectively pre load.

From all the sets I've done, I've rarely had an installation that I'm happy with on the first fit. Its always at least 1 removal, adjustment of spacers and a refit.

I'll try and get hold of a 3.5mm elastomer too

Right, I've unwound the non driveside bb cup about one turn, this has removed the slack in the cranks, but obviously the bb cup is not butted up against the bb shell. Does that matter?

Yes it does your BB is hardly going to stay unwound by 1 turn on a rotating part.. plus, thats a cowboy fix 😉 use the trouble shooting as described here and in the instructions.

Good luck. I hope that helps.

Cheers BearBack. That's a lot of useful info you've given me there.

I did wonder about the 2.5 and 3.5mm elastomers as I couldn't find the 3.5mm listed as a spare part on RaceFace or Silver fish. Could I add an extra 1mm spacer or would this be too rigid and end up causing too much friction/side loading on the bearings?

Via another forum, I've just located a 0.5mm bb cup spacer so will try that and hopefully solve the problem.

Thanks again.

Could I add an extra 1mm spacer or would this be too rigid and end up causing too much friction/side loading on the bearings?

The point of the elastomer is that the spacing doesn't need to be exact. Add another spacer (as the instructions tell you) and see how it feels?

Then tighten the rear QR as [b]coatesy[/b] suggested.
I've been getting creaks from a newly fitted hope BB on RF crank/orange 5 and went down the same route as you, taking it apart and refitting etc.
Been out today after doing up my QR REALLY tight- not a creak!....Cheers for that coatesy, saved me from smashing it with a hammer...

No problem, we've had a few like it, drove us daft finding it too.