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Just wondering, like.
After going into the garage and spinning the cranks on my six month old BB - or not, as the case was - it made me wonder if I get through an inordinate amount of them.
I know it's been a wet year, but I think six months may be a new record, especially considering I only ride this particular bike once or twice a week.
I couldn't say with any accuracy, but I'd count it in years, not months or weeks.
I use the "few quid" Deore ones. After about 6 months I have to spend about 15 minutes of my valuable time to replace them. 
I remember reading somewhere a quote from Guy Martin saying something along the lines of:
"If your bottom bracket isn't knackered after six month, you're not riding hard enough"
Mine usually last anything between said six months and about a year before they are totally goosed.
xt ones - about a year and a bit of weekly rides about 3 hrs each. Mainly muddy manky natural trails. Gets washed regularly with a gentle hose on 'sprinke rose' setting, never any water pressure and just a light spray of mucoff prewash.
i did kill a shimano BB in a few months, only to discover that a BB-spacer-doodah was missing, so the cranks weren't pre-loaded, so there was a gap around the seals letting all sorts of crap in.
i replaced it with a gusset ext24, which has now done something like 15,000 km.
i have a mix of shimano, hope, and gusset BB's, all working fine.
I know it's been a wet year, but I think six months may be a new record, especially considering I only ride this particular bike once or twice a week.
I'll bet 2p that water sitting in the bb shell is killing them.
how would that work? - the little tube between the cups is very well sealed.
?
I generally get 3-6 months of regular (twice weekly) use. But then I do ride through very wet sandy mud a lot of the time.
My record is one weekend - but then it was very, very wet 3 days riding and although the bike was cleaned, it wasnt touched for 6 months after - cue totally seized BB 🙁
how would that work? - the little tube between the cups is very well sealed.
It's not that well sealed. Water seeps through into the bearings and murders them in their sleep.
[quote=bungalistic ]I remember reading somewhere a quote from Guy Martin saying something along the lines of:
"If your bottom bracket isn't knackered after six month, you're not riding hard enough"
What a load of pish.
If your BB is knackered after a few months then it's likely been fitted incorrectly.
Around a year with XT, compared to roughly six months with Deore, wet muddy rides in winter once or twice a week.
Often enough that I'd rather fit a CK immediately and sell the BB that came with the groupset.
3 months or so for me for off the shelf, doere, xt, slx, doesn't matter. Tend to replace the bearings with stainless ones repacked with propshaft grease, they roll slower, but last at least 6 months before they're goosed.
it's not how much you ride, its how much you clean.
I usually replace xt/slx every couple of years as part of a strip down/rebuild only to find the old one "wasn't too bad really" - that's about 5000 miles (at least) of year round riding
Arround a year from XTR BB's doing about 50miles a week of the usual muddy singletrack and occasional summer riding. It does tend to be particularly crap periods that kill them, usualy if they survive a winter they last all summer and die as soon as the mud comes back.
Basicly about the same as I ever got form UN72's doing the same. They'd die like clockwork after the annual Wales trip to the Elan valley.
i have a mix of shimano, hope, and gusset BB's, all working fine.
Take this kind of advice with caution. If I had 3 bikes in regular use with XTR BB's they'd be lasting 3 years. Which is why people have UN72's that with rose tinted glasses have lasted 20 years in their pub bike.
6000+ miles for ultegra on the road bike but the mountain bike ones lasts a fraction of that[u].
My last Deore one lasted six weeks then seized with rust, replacement XT one has been running 18 months with no problems.
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/finally-give-up-on-deore-htii-bb-next
so im now three months into the uberbike bb.
Quite a diverse range of experiences then!
For the record, I do spray the bike (at 90 degrees to the bearings) with a regular hose, but wonder if the pressure is too high - we're only 40m above sea level. It's also a Deore BB and I don't empty out the seat tube as there's a stealth dropper in there - I used to on previous frames. I've also used Hope and XT BBs, of which Hopes were particularly disappointing.
I also regularly kill a BB after every Dyfi enduro.
I'm just glad I'm not alone. 😀
😆It's not that well sealed. Water seeps through into the bearings and murders them in their sleep.
Basicly about the same as I ever got form UN72's doing the same
I always liked UN72s. Had one in my commuter for donkeys. Still spins beautifully now.
*Takes off rose tinted glasses*
Normally 6-8 months riding in the Dales with a Deore. Last one I changed out because I was stripping the drivetrain and thought it was about due, but wasn't in too bad nick when I got it out.
I killed a Deore in 6 and a half hours once 😆 Not recommended for a downhill bike! But usually used XT/SLX and had them last 6 months to a year. Deore in general seems to last about half to 2/3ds as long. And none of them last any time at all if you overtorque them. (I think this is the main difference between Hope and Shimano tbh- I had to put new bearings in my Hope after just a little over a year, and wasn't too happy at the custom bearings tbh)
I've switched to Gusset EXT24s now though- they last better (much better, if you service them occasionally), come in purty colours, and take a totally standard bearing so are cheap and practical to renew. Not much more expensive either. Only bummer is, it's fairly easy to damage the plastic tophats when changing bearings if you're not careful, and they can't be bought separately.
It was appalling but after swapping to Hope about 5 years ago I think I've changed one set of bearings.
I would have thought Guy Martin would be using Hope bottom brackets 8)
When I built my singlespeed nearly 3 years ago I got carried away and bought a Hope ceramic. Still going strong 5000 miles later!
Only bummer is, it's fairly easy to damage the plastic tophats when changing bearings if you're not careful, and they can't be bought separately.
Arcos (via Upgrade bikes IIRC?) sell the top hats seperately for a couple of quid, dunno how univeral they're supposed to be but they probably cover the same size bearings.
Shimano Sora series one in cx is on its fourth set of tyres, ridden as commuter about 100miles a week, plus ventures in the Peaks in all weathers including snow and ice. Just beginning to creak a little at 20 months.
I just replaced a shimano pressfit in the bouncy that was finally knackered with a Hope. I got a good year out of the shimano and it was the second on that 2011 bike when I got it.
Those are my two most ridden bikes right now. In my experience bb's last a decent time and I'm always puzzled by stories of quick death.
IME, a quick dab of grease maybe every 4-6 months is enough to get mine going doe about two years now. I'm pragmatic enough to realise that even with normal use moisture gets in. If there's enough grease and you keep the bearings regularly turned over and coated they don't generally degrade. As soon as there's a period of time where they're standing, they seize and it's game over. Even if you free then up, they run so rough they east themselves.
Reminds me to pack the BB on the Sultan actually, now I've moved to a hardtail for the wet season.
Ah har, good hint that TINAS, thanks!
Mix of XT and some GUB Ceramic from China. All going well after a year of solid riding. I think the key is to not overload them when fitting and crushing the bearings when tightening. The side to side float needs to be "just" taken up, not completely torqued with a scaffolding pole type of thing...
40mpg - MemberMy record is one weekend - but then it was very, very wet 3 days riding and although the bike was cleaned, it wasnt touched for 6 months after - cue totally seized BB
Leave any bearing sat in a puddle of water for 6 months and I'll guarantee it'll seize sold.
Failure not the BBs fault.
FWIW I've an XT BB which has been in two bikes for 3 years +. Pop the outer seals off, flush and re-grease every 6 months. Granted its now getting a little rough and could do with replacement, just hoping I can coax it through the winter filth.
Three months/half a cyclocross season killed the shimano (tiagra I assume, that's what the rest of the groupset is) one on my cx bike. Although I think its very last ride (quagmire of a race on Sunday, bike not cleaned properly til Tuesday) may have done 99% of the damage.
The ones on the MTB generally last a year or so, avoiding the worst of the winter conditions. The SS gets ridden when it's really horrible out, and that's still running a cartridge BB.
Years
The oldest that is used most frequently is SLX from 2011 although another bike has a Deore from 2010. And a rf somethingorother on another bike from 2011. All buttery smooth
The bikes get washed once every year whether they need it or not
I did an XT in a week in the Alps. I think it was the lack of pedalling / stood up descending that goosed that one.
3-6 months max. I got a Hope in the end that has lasted really well.
Does anyone bother replacing the bearings or is it more faff than it's worth ?
Does anyone bother replacing the bearings or is it more faff than it's worth ?
On a Deore? New one is sub £10 if you buy a few at a time, can't see it being that economic or worthwhile to pick it apart to replace bearings, when the seals are probably goosed anyway at that point.
XT - maybe, as I think the seals are better quality, but they're still far from expensive.
I replaced a set with Enduro bearings- terrible idea, the bearings are complete shit unfortunately and not even all that cheap. I'm not sure what the script is with using standard bearings. The BB shell design varies a bit too, getting the old bearing out of some of them will be pretty tricky without a puller as the inside lip of the bearing is pretty well concealed
I reckon if you want to go down that route, it makes a lot of sense to get a BB that suits it better, rather than doing it with Shimano. Gusset, Token, probably others.
3 or 4 months at worst, 6 or so at best, for XT and XTR. Fitted a £30 Praxis to one bike, doing ok so far at ~1000 miles in and smooth/not seized up after bike was left unridden for a few months. The road HT2s last pretty well though.
I replaced a set with Enduro bearings- terrible idea, the bearings are complete shit unfortunately and not even all that cheap.
That^^
don't touch enduro bearings. They are utter rubbish IME.
if you're keen to replace bearings and not whole BB's when they die, token BB's and the like are the ones to go for. basically non shimano. Shimano use narrower bearings than the standard 61805's, but Token and the like use standard bearings with tophat spacers to space the inner to 24mm. Raceface ones work OK as spacers go if you goose them.
hilti bolt done up on the knackered inner bearing race and tap it out is the easiest way to get it out, very little room between shimano cups and bearings though as they shoulder up to the bearing stops you getting a drift in easily.
My Raceface one is starting to fill gritty after 2 months.
I only put it in because it came with my cranks. I think I'll be putting my Hope one back in that I've got sat in my cupboard.
In response to the original post my XT ones used to last about 6 months.
I've used XT, XTR and Saint HT II BBs and they last 1-2 years with regular service (pop the plastic cover and rubber seals off, clean and regrease). My current bike has had a £13 Aerozine BB and it's been fine for about a year (also with semi-regular service).
1st deore lasted a weekend of a v'wet & gritty Afan. The drive-side seized solid. Current set has lasted me 8mths but it's making weird, regular, clicking noises.
My last XT one last 9 months and about 2500km.
I don't jet wash my bikes, they get the occasional proper wash with muck off etc but probably only every couple of months. the rest of the time I just brush the dried mud off and clean and lube the drive train.
Where I ride most isn't overly gritty though.
I have cheap spares bin Deore one in at the mo, so we will see how long that one lasts.
They always die on the driveside.
I've had 2 sets of XTR HTII BB's last at least 15,000km, ridden in all weathers, through the odd Winter flood etc with no maintenance. Very impressed with the duarability of XTR BB's.
...on the other hand my first FSA PF30 BB is starting to feel slightly 'draggy' after 1200km... hmmm.
Enduro bearings, not just me then?
Deore BBs IMO benefit from being greased prior to use, not impressed with Shimanos greaseless technology.
...not impressed with Shimanos greaseless technology.
Not all moves forward are moves in the right direction. 😉
Anyone out there use a Chris King external? Still oddly tempted by one...