Good grief, After the disaster that was ISIS and the many different external BB ‘standards’ now we have press-fit BBs requiring precise reaming & facing. <sigh>

Here’s some bike porno illustrating the reality.
http://www.pvdwiki.com/index.php?title=Bottom_Bracket_Options

Personally, I liked Sq Taper. A lot.

al.

didn’t we just have a new standard announced?

Nothing new there.

My klein from years ago had a press in BB

I know they gotta make money but please **** off like ya say square taper was external is fine i just want a simple bike.

Its all part of the Japanese way f doing business. Got to persuade people to buy stuff they don’t need then lock them into their system. Hence the 15mm front hub standard

Yep nothing is really new in the world of bikes, they were on early Fishers.

The real issue with BB’s is the industry standard of the BB shell size, make that bigger and house the bearings back inside. Been done on BMX’s quite succesfully, although they have gone samllerthan the original USA size, although that was originally to accomodate 1 piece cranks. Raleigh used a larger size in the eighties and nineties which seemed very relable given the fact they were budget ball bearing races inside.

Modern cranks are also much stiffer and put more load on bearings.

Bringing the ease of fitting a headset to home mechanics who previously struggled getting a HT11 bearing cup to screw in straight. 😛

The problem with press fit was you always need a reliable fit otherwise its pants. Once youve replaced the BB a few times whats to say it wont knacker the tight fit required on softer aluminum frames?

I think I read about this being a strong possibility of the next MTB standard. It’s apparently already standard use in BMX. Not my view, Just what I read in one of the trade mags.