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Hot Topic (More than 10 Replies) Bottom Bracket shot...Already????? (Read 2115 times)
aasnowrider
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Bottom Bracket shot...Already?????
09/14/16 at 3:04pm
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I bought my bike new in March of this year.  I ride local trails and have been to pisgah and dupont once.  Took my bike into shop for creaking and adjustments of the derailurs as i was stuck in 2nd gear for the last 3 weeks.  The bike shop says i need a new bottom bracket which i believe but i don't understand how fast these components break down.  Is this normal?
« Last Edit: 09/14/16 at 3:14pm by aasnowrider »  
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Tom F
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Re: Bottom Brackets shot...Already?????
Reply #1 - 09/14/16 at 3:10pm
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How much water/mud  have you ridden through and how about the hose when you wash the bike? Any chance it may have been pushed past the seals?
« Last Edit: 09/14/16 at 3:12pm by Tom F »  
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aasnowrider
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Re: Bottom Brackets shot...Already?????
Reply #2 - 09/14/16 at 3:13pm
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Have not ridden through much water as I wait at least 24 hours around here.  I do wash the bike after rides with a quick spray off. I can see where holding off on washing would extend the life of the bracket but honestly didn't think I had given the bike that much torcher.
  
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Tom F
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Re: Bottom Bracket shot...Already?????
Reply #3 - 09/14/16 at 3:45pm
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It just takes a little pressure from the hose to get past the seals on BB or hubs. Plus any water that might get into the seat tube will go to the lowest spot.
I'm guilty of this.
  
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Slothzilla
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Re: Bottom Bracket shot...Already?????
Reply #4 - 09/14/16 at 3:47pm
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New bike in April for me and I replaced my Sram GXP bb in July.  Probably didn't need to as the bearings were still smooth but I had a creaking noise that went away as soon as I changed it.  I cleaned it up to keep it as a spare.  Ask if the shop will drop your old one in a bag and, if it's in good shape, see what you can do to bring it back to life.  Scrub the threads and throw some fresh grease in the bearings and voila.
  
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Re: Bottom Bracket shot...Already?????
Reply #5 - 09/14/16 at 4:22pm
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This is primarily uninformed speculation, but it's my understanding that immersion can damage the bb, even if the bearings are supposedly sealed. The seals are more effective for spray than submersion, and after submersion they do a good job of keeping the water inside. You mentioned DuPont...I know that Reasonover has a creek crossing that's sometimes deep enough to submerge your bb. That could have caused your problem.
  
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aasnowrider
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Re: Bottom Bracket shot...Already?????
Reply #6 - 09/14/16 at 5:26pm
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Yeah, pretty much chalking this one up to over washing... LBS doing a great job of fixing but this is a wear/tear issue, so no warranty. They don't cost that much but really don't want to replace every 4-6 months. Just need to do a better job understanding how the parts wear and tear and also how to maintain better.  OR, i'm ready for that upgrade!!!!
  
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Re: Bottom Bracket shot...Already?????
Reply #7 - 09/14/16 at 5:29pm
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I have suspected a bad BB due to creaking only to found out it was my pedals.  If you don't have a pedal wrench, it may be hard to torque them enough.  Hopefully the bike shop didn't overlook this.
  
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Re: Bottom Bracket shot...Already?????
Reply #8 - 09/14/16 at 6:59pm
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I'm not sure how dirty/muddy you get when you ride, but I have found often times I can easily "wash" my bike simply with a wet rag and a mild cleaner/detergent.  It's very rare that I have to break out a water hose to wash my bike and when I do I make a very intentional attempt to stay away from bearings.  It sounds like you're aware of this necessity now though so I'm sure it'll be less of an issue in the future.
  
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Re: Bottom Bracket shot...Already?????
Reply #9 - 09/14/16 at 7:37pm
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You never mentioned which BB you had, or which bike it came out of. BB's are for sure one of the "you get what you pay for" deals in terms of bike parts. If it was a very cheap one, you got lucky it lasted that long. Top end models like King, XTR, Enduro, etc, will last much longer. I've got 3 years going on my XTR and it's still spinning like new.
  
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Re: Bottom Bracket shot...Already?????
Reply #10 - 09/15/16 at 12:59am
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aasnowrider wrote on 09/14/16 at 5:26pm:
Yeah, pretty much chalking this one up to over washing... LBS doing a great job of fixing but this is a wear/tear issue, so no warranty. They don't cost that much but really don't want to replace every 4-6 months. Just need to do a better job understanding how the parts wear and tear and also how to maintain better.  OR, i'm ready for that upgrade!!!!


You don't mention the brand.

But I doubt it's washing the bike with a water hose that's doing it. I've got a 10 year old Mary SS that's still got the original Truvativ bottom bracket and ball bearing hubs that have been serviced and re-greased exactly once. In fact, except for the rear wheel all the bearings on this bike are stock. Smooth as silk and work perfectly. Don't know the exact mileage on this bike, but the uses on area trails are in the hundreds easily. And I still ride it weekly.

All my bikes get a good rinse with a water hose after I ride. Never had a problem. Of course I do pull the seat tube regularly. Especially with chromo frames.

I'd say get a second opinion.



« Last Edit: 09/15/16 at 1:10am by IntheBush »  
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Re: Bottom Bracket shot...Already?????
Reply #11 - 09/15/16 at 1:13am
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Would this happen to be an eccentric bottom bracket?
  
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aasnowrider
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Re: Bottom Bracket shot...Already?????
Reply #12 - 09/15/16 at 11:42am
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Bike is stock specialized rockhopper sport with maybe 500 miles.  Not sure which BB it came with but apparently I have given it hell in the short time i've owned it.
  
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Re: Bottom Bracket shot...Already?????
Reply #13 - 09/15/16 at 12:02pm
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Well, if you can, I'd still get a second opinion.
Unless it's been submerged or damaged in some way, or was defective or installed improperly to begin with, in my experience BB's are more durable than that.
Whoever services it should be able to give you an explanation as to why it's failing early. Other than just telling you it's toast, and charging you for putting in another one.
« Last Edit: 09/15/16 at 12:04pm by IntheBush »  
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Re: Bottom Bracket shot...Already?????
Reply #14 - 09/15/16 at 12:17pm
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More than likely it's a cheap BB.  Those bikes came with a square taper BB which in and of itself isn't bad, but they are trying to reach a certain price point and some components just get cheaped out on to meet that.  I've seen many older square taper BBs run for years with no problems.  I'd go with a higher quality Shimano BB.  Shouldn't have much of a problem after that.

You could always get a Phil Wood BB. Wink  (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)
  
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Re: Bottom Bracket shot...Already?????
Reply #15 - 09/15/16 at 2:34pm
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This topic got me window shopping for a BB.  The cheap Shimano that came on my bike and has lasted 18 months, ~$10, the Shimano XTR ~$30 on sale or ~$45 MSRP,  a Chris King $150.  I'll spend $20 more for an XTR even though its 3x the cost, but what is the value in a $150 BB, CK or PW?  Are they more water resistant?

  
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Re: Bottom Bracket shot...Already?????
Reply #16 - 09/15/16 at 7:29pm
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Knowing now that you've got a boat anchor crank with a square taper bb, I'd say that's one of the first places you need to look to upgrade. Save some weight, get a stiffer crank, and outboard bearings.
  
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Re: Bottom Bracket shot...Already?????
Reply #17 - 09/15/16 at 7:33pm
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CK bb's do have better seals and bearings, but the biggest plus IMO is that they are real easy to service with their grease injector.  Simply remove your cranks, insert the injector, give it a few pumps, clean up and reinstall your cranks.  It purges the old grease and the contaminants trapped in it.  Yes, you pay more for it up front, but it will last longer if you service it as needed.  I went through 4 GXP bb's in less than a year before I bought my first CK.  I now have them on all but 1 of my bikes and that's only because that bike is my bar hopper/grocery grabber and would cost less to replace the bike than getting that bb and a set of cranks for it.
  
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Re: Bottom Bracket shot...Already?????
Reply #18 - 09/16/16 at 1:47pm
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gonzo wrote on 09/15/16 at 7:33pm:
CK bb's do have better seals and bearings, but the biggest plus IMO is that they are real easy to service with their grease injector.  Simply remove your cranks, insert the injector, give it a few pumps, clean up and reinstall your cranks.  It purges the old grease and the contaminants trapped in it.  Yes, you pay more for it up front, but it will last longer if you service it as needed.  I went through 4 GXP bb's in less than a year before I bought my first CK.  I now have them on all but 1 of my bikes and that's only because that bike is my bar hopper/grocery grabber and would cost less to replace the bike than getting that bb and a set of cranks for it.


I have a CK BB on my trail bike.  I ride the bike when its raining at URE, I ride at full speed through creeks and I wash my bike with a hose.

I need to use the injector tool every 300-400 miles.  It is quick and easy to do and you can feel when you need to do it.

A sealed bearing, like a Angular Wheels Manufacturing, will provide 2x the miles but needs to be completely replaced and requires a bearing puller on my bike (so that you leave the cups pressed in.


  
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Re: Bottom Bracket shot...Already?????
Reply #19 - 09/16/16 at 4:30pm
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gonzo wrote on 09/15/16 at 7:33pm:
CK bb's do have better seals and bearings, but the biggest plus IMO is that they are real easy to service with their grease injector.  Simply remove your cranks, insert the injector, give it a few pumps, clean up and reinstall your cranks.  It purges the old grease and the contaminants trapped in it.  Yes, you pay more for it up front, but it will last longer if you service it as needed.  I went through 4 GXP bb's in less than a year before I bought my first CK.  I now have them on all but 1 of my bikes and that's only because that bike is my bar hopper/grocery grabber and would cost less to replace the bike than getting that bb and a set of cranks for it.


Don't worry, greg will end up finding a way to rationalize the CK upgrade on the grocery getter as soon as he finds a good deal on abother Wink
  
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