My first Hollowtech 2 (XT) bottom bracket has lasted a mere 5 months/2634 kilometres of riding. I suspect the muddy clag round here has killed it, but I'm not happy with it's longevity.
What is the most durable bottom bracket that I can replace it with? I'm still using the same cranks so no left field answers like square taper (although I agree with the sentiment).
What about regreasing the bearings in the thing? Easily done?
Hope are supposed to be quite good
Buy any of the cheep ones (superstar, ebay etc) that have sealed bearings and top hat plastic spacers like shimano but not shimano as their bearings are different.
Run it for 8-9 rides untill the bearings sieze, knock them out carefully so as not to damage the top hats and buy some proper bearings form SKF or the like. Mine have been fine so far and a set of SKF bearings is arroud £25 so as long as you dont damage the top hats you can have cheep long lasting bearings.
If you damage the top hats Balfa sell acros ones which fit for about £4 IIRC.
Yeh but for that you could just buy a hope BB 😉
£20 for BB, £25 for new bearings and £4 for new top hat (as I have broken on before as well) £49
Hope BB = £55 retail - so saves you £6 which is not a lot considering the time you may take to remove the blooming things 🙂
the Balfa ones are £2.50 a side.
I'm really impressed with my hope stainless one, not had it on long enough to comment on longevity yet, but previous reports have all been good.
Hope stainless. Over a year of faultless performance. I used to faff with swapping bearings but it was just that. A faff. And needed doing far too often.
I have found the standard XT one has been fine been on there a year in all weathers no issues at all.
My Shimano Saint has been OK (but only OK really), I recently took the bearings out and gave them a clean and regrease and it's added a bit more life on. The issue is (as already highlighted) they use some odd sized bearing that I can't find anywhere so if I want to replace them it means sending them off to somewhere that offers the service. I'll probably go hope when these bearings properly die as I've heard good things.
Thanks guys. I'll probably go Hope, but I still think Thisisnotaspoons idea has legs. After all, you could just keep replacing bearings, and practice will stop you mincing 'top hats'.
As an aside, a personal rant of mine is when people say "it has lasted me three years". Right enough, my pal can get two years out of a set of Hope M4 pads, but he never rides his bike. Not to detract from good advice and intentions, but I'll highlight the meaningless phrases for your education 😈
"Over a year of faultless performance"
"I have found the standard XT one has been fine been on there a year in all weathers no issues at all. "
Hope. Mine still working, which is rare for me.
HOPE. Mine is as smooth as the day it went.
Which was a Tuesday about 2 years ago.
Deore, are lousy about 10 rides last winter and it died.
If you factor in the cost of the regreasing tool and grease gun and are still prepared to pay the price then Chris King. If not then personally I'd go down the route of replaceable bearings.
On my full suss bike.
2009 - 1237 miles / 38 rides, 1 * Shimano XT plus multiple cleans / regreases of a Hope ceramic
2010 - 717 miles / 21 rides, 1 Chris King, one regrease and still working.
BTW - no jet wash was used !!!
An alternative to the SKF bearings is to get some "enduro" bearings from BETD - they're sized so as not to need the top hats (same as Hope for that matter) and are much better sealed. BETD will fit them too if you send the old BB to them. I know a couple of people who rate them.
Having said that, I've got 2 Hope stainless ones myself and like them - they've survived the jet wash for a while now 😉
I'd still say XT- inexpensive and good enough. Just trying a Gusset EXT24 to see how that goes.
Wasn't there a guy on here who'd managed to fit a grease port to his XT? Being able to re-grease and service is surely the way forward.
Oh, and CK for the win.
Interesting crag, I might take the old BB apart as an educational exercise. Cheers for the responses.
Enduro bearings and rubber / metal top cap.
Look at the Pace BB, they use the Enduro bearings etc.
Been using the Enduro bearings for the past 3 years in 2 bikes, replaced one set in the most used bike. Cant remember when I bought a set of cups, I just keep using the Raceface originals which must be 4 years + old.
£20 a pop for the bearings and top caps.
I bought the BETD removal and installation tool and it works a treat!!
Just don't put your card details into the BETD site!! Ring them up and place order.
WhatafackinLiberty - Member
"Enduro bearings and rubber / metal top cap"
Are as far as I can tell considerably less good than standard XT bearings and seals.
Northwind:
Can't comment on Shimano XT, only ever used Raceface. The Enduro Bearing method with sticky Rock n' Roll grease has worked wonders for me.
🙂
I went with my method (Its not mine, plenty of people do it, but more seem to go the BETD/hope route and fit bigger bearings which should last even longer) beacuse it saves the cranks if the bearings sieze or corrode onto the cranks.
beacuse it saves the cranks if the bearings sieze or corrode onto the cranks.
They don't sieze onto the cranks..... it's an old wives tale 😉
Been using Enduro bearings for years, and when they get a bit iffy i bang some Rock n Roll grease in, no need fannying around with plaggy top hats!
OK then, XT lasted over a year of riding between 5-10 hours a week in all conditions including jumps, drops and me being big and heavy..
I have had similar experiences with reduced longevity.
I have just taken the option of splashing out on a Hope ceramic BB (~£80) with a view to replacing bearings only in the future. I am hoping it works out cheaper in the long run.