My CX bike has an SRAM Force groupset with one of these SRAM/Truativ GXP bottom brackets:
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http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/sram-bb86-gxp-team-pressfit-road/rp-prod75586
And the drive-side bearings are already rumbly and horrible. Degreased/regreased it in place yesterday but I suspect it won't be long till I need a replacement.
Obviously I can just buy a replacement for £25 but are there better BB options? Something still compatible with the Force crankset which lasts more than a year of fairly light all-weather use would be good!
A bit of googling shows [url= http://www.enduroforkseals.com/id228.html ]some American site selling "Enduro" bearings for GXP BBs[/url], which they claim have better seals and load bearing. These seem to be for the outboard MTB-style GXP though - is something like this an option for the road ones?
Hope do a PF41 BB and a Truvativ/SRAM adapter, in both ceramic and stainless options. It's also made of ally rather than plastic, and the 2 halves screw together, both of which are claimed to prolong bearing life massively.
Been running one for about 700 miles now on my road bike (with a SRAM Red GXP crank) and it's been faultless. You do need a special tool to fit it, though I'm sure if you buy from your local Hope dealer rather than CRC/Wiggle etc they'd probably fit it for you. If no luck, contact me, I have the tool anyway...
Wheels Manufacturing do various different bearing options of PF41 BB's too now, and they're distributed by Madison so any LBS should be able to get hold of one for you. No experience of using one though.
Thanks mboy.
One of the things holding me back from sourcing a replacement is that I'm finding the current zoo of BB "standards" to be really confusing, so I've got no real idea what it compatible with what. Or even what the various names are for the one I've got!
Oh for the halcyon days of a square-taper Shimano UN72 that fitted without special tools and lasted years without so much as a glance. 😀
Progress? Pah!
That Hope one looks like a good option. Looks like it has decent seals. Pricey though. Does it allow you to replace the bearings separately?
Loving the nice relaxed yarkshire presentation in the "how-to" video too.
"Now don't go mad.. don't go crankin it right up" 🙂
Yes, bearings replaceable separately, otherwise there's no way I'd have paid the premium!
It's definitely a lot better than the Shimano/SRAM cheapo alternatives.
Thanks mboy that looks like a winner.
I have one of them in my Pivot mach 5.7, seems to be working well but I have not had it as long as mboy.
Was pretty easy to fit with the hope tool.
I've run the Enduro ones in the past, which lasted pretty well but not brilliant. It's always the 'fixed' NDS that goes first (I suspect that's a fault with the GXP design really).
You do need a special tool to fit it, though I'm sure if you buy from your local Hope dealer rather than CRC/Wiggle etc they'd probably fit it for you.
That'd be a good option if the Dealer Locator on Hope's website actually worked. It reckons there isn't a dealer within 100 miles, regardless of which town or postcode I try. 🙄