Bicycle Mechanics - Octalink vs. Isis Drive

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View Full Version : Octalink vs. Isis Drive


Captain Crunch
06-02-03, 12:13 PM
What 's the difference between these two BB's and what are the benefits of each if any over the other? I cannot seem to find much info on either anywhere.

Thanks


khuon
06-02-03, 12:36 PM
I'm not sure what the exact differences are between ISIS and Octalink but the differences between ISIS and Shimano splined XT/LX and Shimano splined XTR (note that XT/LX and XTR are also different from each other I believe... XT/LX might be Octalink) is that ISIS uses 10 splines that are set deeper along the spindle than Shimano's 8-spline design which don't run as far along the spindle. There are also differences in the width and curvature-depth (ISIS grooves are deeper but narrower) of the splines too as well as the thickness of the spindle. I'm not certain if there's a diameter difference however it's more than likely there is.

The ISIS Drive webpage (http://www.isisdrive.com/) has all the specs of course but I don't know of a webpage that details Shimano's spline specs of which there are many versions.

Sheldon Brown's webpage about BB sizes (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/bbsize.html) details more important fitting information such as chainline positions and spindle-lengths.