HTII bearing help

right [WAVING WALKING STICK] i said when they first came out that they were a step backwards in bicycle design, no good will come of it, says I [PUTS DOWN WALKING STICK]

and i've proven myself right

my oldest bike is 11 years old and has got through a massive TWO UN52 square taper BBs in that time. I no have 2 bikes with HTII style BB's (one Hone and one Bonty) and both seize up if the bike is left for more than a few weeks in the garage and have done since they were new.

this is less than satisfactory

will fitting BETD bearings solve this or am i going to have to own the inventors of the system with bombers. i refuse to believe that facing the BB cups will make a bobbins of difference to their longevity, they've probably done less than a few hundred wet miles each

well, if they seize up sat in the garage then facing certainly won't help.

I would say that the seals on your HTII are to blame and the fact they are not stainless steel/ceramic. Also do you use a jet washer?

I would get a better sealed BB IMHO – then the water won't get in a rust the bearings unless of course your BB shell is wonky/not faced which would probably accellerate wear but not cause them to seize?

no pressure washer. the main pivot bearings on the full sus are 4 years older than the BB and are holding up just fine

something's not right there mate, mine lasted 18 months. too much muc off maybe??

Seized bearings usually occur IME with standing after muddy rides then washing i.e. for a few weeks. Happened to my internal BB (ISIS) on my DH bike when I fet it for a while and also to my headset bearings after washing and not being ridden for a couple of weeks – the headset was rather poorly sealed IMHO.

youve torqued the cranks up too much imo.

this loads the bearings in ways they dont like, and they die rapidly.

my XT HT2 BB is on its 3rd year now

open up, stuff with sticky water-repellent lubricant of your preference

ride

repeat when grinding noise or seizing starts

I've recently done some damage to the 2 year old HT2 axle on my CX bike. However the bearings are still the original ones and still fine. Thats amost four times better than I ever got from a UN52!
Not much help, I know, but maybe the bearings are picking up on your negative vibes? 🙂

torques are all to spec with a torque wrench

i do use mucoff but every other bearing on every other spinny roundy bike part on all 12 of our bikes is fine

Yes, Don't overtighten the pre-load and have them apart every year for a clean and grease.
I still only got to 2.5 years before the drive side bearing rusted out.

If you replace the bearings and the original failure was due to seal failure…. well it may fail quickly again unless the new bearings have additional sealing.
New bearings might not be built for low speed/cycling type work so it might be worth having them apart and packing them full of a suitable grease too.

The BETD bearing will un-doubtedly be better spec but it'll cost me £40 to do both bikes (although they are doing free fitting at the moment)

Hey. what size of bearings do you need?

Is that your super duper bearings Kaesae?

are kaesaes bearings the ones that are better than anyone else's at a fraction of the cost?

are kaesaes bearings the ones that are better than anyone else's at a fraction of the cost?

Now you said that not me 😯

Anyhow they are 27×7 or 6 I believe (but cant remeber exactly), anyhow it is etched onto the bearing themself's and are in the region of £5 for a pair off the bay, pack em with decent waterproof grease and they will live for ages, actually service them once in a while and they should last indefinately..

There is no cheaper BB to run.

I had BB's giving up every 3-4 months. LBS mechanic pointed out that my SC does not have a drain hole in the BB shell so accumulated water sits there and seeps into the bearings. After a wet ride and/or wash take the seatpost out and drain. Am now up to 9 months on current BB

Got a point there – however don't you have a greased central cover to prevent the water penetrating inside? Perhaps use waterproof grease inside and outside the cover?

ok, so whipped the BB out of the Alpine and it's full of nice rusty water. Covers off the bearings and it seems to be a similar story inside, half (if not all) of the peak district is in there and it runs as rough as hell.

So new bearings it is then i guess, and speak to Dialled Mike about drilling my own drainage hole.

Are the back of the bearings not sealed at all?

How do i get the bearing out, can it be done without destroying them/damaging the cups?

brant said that drilling a 5mm drain hole in Inbred BB shells was fine.

Cartridge bearings are not actually 'sealed'. They just have plastic 'shields'.
That's why they don't last long once crap gets in there with them.

However, the HTII system does have seals, both on the plastic inner sleave (pic above) and on the inside of the crank arms, which should keep stuff out if they are assembled carefully and aren't subjected to abuse (i.e. jet washing).
Admittedly they aren't brilliant seals, but the whole system works a mile better than ISIS, and crank arms don't round off like on square taper BBs.

5mm seems a bit excessive but i've emailed Mike anyway

I see the advantages of HTII Glen but in my experience of never having any problems with square taper and having lots of problems with HTII it's just very frustrating

Just send the cups to BETD for replacement. Check there's enough grease in them and install.

i was considering getting the tool Cynic, i like tools see 🙂

The tool will help no end… But bearings are £5 on ebay, why bother with the expense? Drill your hole, make sure you lube the seals on the tube when you re fit to help them seal and it should be fine for ages, add a little extra grease into the bearing and it will be even better.

Here is a how too, you dont have to follow this directly, but it gives you a clue.

http://www.mountainbikerides.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&catid=24:drivechain&id=35:shimano-hollowtech-ii-bottom-bracket-bearing-replacement&Itemid=9

If you really want to get into it I think I got a how to on fitting grease ports into the HT11 bearings, not mine but a bloke on here has dont it and it looks brilliant.

Why bother with drilling a hole? Takes 30 secs to remove seatpost, turn bike upside down, drain, replace seatpost.

Why bother with removing seatpost, turning bike upside down, draining, replacing seatpost? Drilling a hole takes 30 secs.

the bonty (truvativ) ones are in much better shape so i've packed them with grease and refitted

the shimanos are off to BETD

Sometimes I think its only me that gets a kick out of getting the same result for less £££… 🙂

i happily saved myself £250 by fitting bearing to my washing machine, for the sake of a tenner i'd rather have it done by a professional or with the right tools if it's a more delicate thing like a (interminably unreliable) bottom bracket

capice ?

Its your money, if you can do a bearing on a washing machine, you can do a HT2, there is a how too link above.

You just spent £40 plus the messing about posting, could have done both for a tenner and not had to stand in line at the PO.. And it dont matter who makes em bearing wise, they will fail with water ingress and neglect, remember to lube up the o rings on the plastic tubes to try and hold the grime at bay for longer and under the top hats too.

It is of course, your choice.

£20, i did the bontys myself

Erm £40 for a BB repair/service + P&P – hmm does this not = a new BB?

I'd prob replace them for £10 and if it all goes wrong just get a new BB for the same price esp an SLX HTII BB?

Sorry not being picky or insulting?

I hope it lasts longer for you next time.. 🙂

read the facts foxy

anyway. my point is that if it had been a UN52 then i wouldn't even be having this conversation

I shall go and wave my walking stick and several completely un knsckered ancient square taper cranks at shimano next time i'm passing

"the shimanos are off to BETD "

Can't you do those yourself tis what I meant? Unless I am getting it wrong?

it costs £20

you are only out by 100% though so by stw standards you are well with in tolerances

Had better luck with Hope ones. They are pricey mind.