New (old) bike time – which bottom bracket replacement?

Glass half-full and gently easing back into MTBing so I just bagged this 2007 XTC. It has RaceFace Ride XC cranks and presumably the stock (ISIS SRX) b/b – however there is an alarming cracking noise going off like a repeater under any moderate or heavy torque while pedaling. Have removed and greased pedals and no dofference so seems the b/b is knacked.

What would more experienced spannermonkeys do for a quick and cost-effective b/b replacement?

‘Nothing much to see here but I’m pretty chuffed’ pic:

PS these old XC bikes seem to want to go really fast and pitch me over the bars/crush my nuts with an eagerness! 😯

Also thiinking about wider bars and a shorter stem but not 100% on how it would affect handling in postive or negative ways…anyone tried this?

Regarding the pitching over the bars, turn the brake levers more horizontal, will find your pushing against your palms on the bars, not rotating them over the top.

bike looks great. 8)

ISIS BBs seem expensive these days.

my 2010 XC bike has a shorter stem wider bars. rides fine.

Personally I would hunt down a Shimano chainset – Deore BB are so durable and cheap, it offsets the £20-50 for a new (secondhand) chainset IMO.

Deore cranks/Shimano B/B it be then.

Assumedly that also means buying two diff sets of special tools for both removing and installing 😕

Half a pint? 🙄

I always buy the cheapy deore bb and they seem to last me fine.
Isis is fairly weighty no? Might be worth a switch.

Assumedly that also means buying two diff sets of special tools for both removing and installing

Ask on here for a borrow – I just had a total stranger post me a specific tool I needed, which cost me postage and a pack of Tunnocks 8)

christ that bench needs some stain.

I might still have an ISIS BB. Not sure of the length but happy to have a hunt for it. Doing me no good so free to a good home. Assuming I can find it!

Thanks Alex! Could be perfect fix until upgrade time 🙂

Half a pint

Troubling times when 3 goldies in a pocket leaves one short for pint!

postage and a pack of Tunnocks

We ****need**** Tunnocks to make team jerseys 😀

Assumedly that also means buying two diff sets of special tools for both removing and installing

The ISIS SRX BB looks like it requires a Park BBT 22 type tool, which is probably the most common fitting cartridge bb tool, e.g. it’s the same one for a Shimano square taper bb. If you don’t already have such a tool, you might find it useful to have one for other bikes. If not, I’m sure there must be a STWer close to you with one: just post a new thread asking to borrow one and give your location in the thread title.

tunnocks to make team jerseys.

A full team in The Tour – tunnocks kit and tartan bikes.

Double bah, always behind the wave.

Team Ray Gray pork scratchings more my style

If you’re sticking with 9 speed, Shimano’s Altus chainset is cheap but useable and uses a bombproof Octalink bottom bracket.

ISIS BBs were rubbish hence why you can’t get them

Track down an SKF ISIS bottom bracket.

Will be the last BB you ever buy. No need to change cranks.

But it will be cheaper to buy new chainset….

Double bah, always behind the wave.

That was me wishful thinking, not stating fact.

f you’re sticking with 9 speed, Shimano’s Altus chainset is cheap but useable and uses a bombproof Octalink bottom bracket.

Agreed, bit of an anchor though…sayeth me who could lose 3 stone more cheaply … …keeping in STW style 8)

That was me wishful thinking, not stating fact.

Ah! C’mon Tunnocks…make it happen

Do you mean these Tunnock jerseys?
Tunnocks Tea Cake Road Jersey

Update. Budget potentially in tatters. Bike still minus B/B. Oh gods I know it’s not rocket science but I think I messed up. To recap:

I bought a used Giant XTC 2.5 2007
It had a Raceface ride XC crankset, 3×9
It had a gritty (10yr-old?) Raceface Isis SRX (68mm shell, 113mm spindle) B/B fitted. Sounded like repeat gunfire up hills.

Paid LBS £12.50 to remove noisy offender. Decided to change to Deore 3×9 so put RF crankset aside to sell.

Bought an M572 triple hollowtech/octalink crankset (from classifieds) which came with two Shimano bottom brackets

Both 68mm
1 x 113 spindle
1x 118 spindle

Looking on si Shimano it says M570 triple (can’t find M572) requires 121mm spindle. Another manual says 126 if chainline is 50mm. (Because wide seat-tube?)

How the kak can I get it right preferably without buying more potentially useless stuff first? Stupidly measured the old RF spindle and then reckoned same spindle length would work for Deore. Self-loathing aside …

Is there a foolproof way to make what I have work together? Or if not, a foolproof way to determine what spindle-length is required?

My setup:

9 speed cassette
68mm BB shell
34.9 seat clamp diameter
Top pull Deore front
XT rear
M572 triple crankset

To possibly complicate matters further, there is. ‘K’ floating about on the crankset:

Not sure if these are M572-K now. Read somewhere that means longer axle offset on the drive side.

Am newbie to the world of B/Bs (never owned a single bike long enough to have had one fail) if you haven’t guessed 😉

Fit the wider of the two BBs, and then fit the cranks. As long as the arms and the rings clear the chainstays you’ll be fine.
It doesn’t matter if the chainline is out slightly.
You may have to adjust the front mech slightly though.

PS these old XC bikes seem to want to go really fast and pitch me over the bars/crush my nuts with an eagerness!

Much like some nutty ex gfs I can now vaguely remember, thanks for the reminder ! 😛

Thnks ajantom. Hope to try it tonight but offering it up it looks awfully close. The longest (118) B/B I have is a Shimano ES51

Well that went well 😳

Installed, cinched up the crank to find that the granny ring was flat against the chainstay. Am guessing it needs a 126mm

Just a belated update and thanks to all for advice.

1x new ES300 126mm B/B installed, along with the Deore triple crankset from classifieds (AND a Bel Air saddle in Ti zebra flavour), better still the sale of the old RaceFace crankset covered the whole cost and a loan of tools covered the new install.

It’s been a tough couple of years (and continues to be) but nothing slaps a smile on the fizog like an MTB that fits and works! Seatpost was slipping no matter how hard I cinched the QR, thought it would need a new clamp but cleaned thoroughly and copper-greased and now it holds just fine.

All in all incl new tyres it’s cost me about 124GBP total for the entire bike w/upgrade/replacement bits. The grin-to-££ ratio is off the scale 🙂

Some folding tyres will happen in the spring but I must say it’s so far proven to be no slouch as is. Until it snowed 8)

For the money that looks a great bike to get back into the swing of things with. I picked up a cheap frame and eBay bits and my cheapie bike cost about £300 all in and I doubt it’s any better than yours (in fact it might be worse)!

Quality bike bike

@joebristol – great have you got it running yet? Oldnew bikes need threads!

Brilliant, but have you bought a Tunnocks jersey, yet?

Malvern Rider – I’ve sort of had it up and running a while but just acquired an old Kona Caldera frame (£50) that I’m in the process of swapping in for the existing frame. I want to tow a bike trailer with it in the spring and I was having to run a rear disc brake adaptor which wouldn’t work with the trailer (my old frame – £12 from eBay – didn’t have rear disc mounts).

Once I’ve put it back together I have a few jobs to sort. Old Bomber z1’s need an oil change / tweak, the rear hub needs new bearings, the mech needs the old B screw replaced and the rear brake hose needs shortening!

Should keep me busy for a while but I like playing with it and it should ride ok hopefully.

Sounds good Joe, Caldera had classic Kona geometry, they just seem to keep on working and looking good. Let us see it when you have it shipshape and, er, Bristol fashion! 😉

Bomber z1’s

Ah, the smell of dusty summers. The look of Mint Sauce, the sound of The Orb and FSOL. Treasured memories of Z1s…

In fact the last pair of those I had was on an XTC NRS Team circa 1999-2k. The only other Giant I’ve ever owned. Full circle! Good and silky forks btw. Love the noise they make, it’s reassuring.