Touring - Bottom bracket condition

Hi folks,

I'm using Shimano's XT Hollowtech II cranks from 2004/5 on my mountain bike which does part time work as commuter, XC rig, as well as my tourer.

I changed out my worn-out the original XT external BB with an Aerozine bottom bracket (Hollowtech II style) using SKF bearings... and it was sweet for a couple of years. OK, before I get remarks that I'm cheap... I'd like to share some findings even for a fairly tech-head like myself. My aluminum bike frame came with the BB threads already tapped, and I am not aware of tapping a BB shell - until a few years later. My original XT BB died on me - the non-driveside unit was totally dry, the remnants of the greased was dry and caked up.. hence the change to the Aerozine/SKF unit - I believe I changed it in 2006/7.

However early this year after my two short tours, I started to note that the bearings were getting out of condition... to the extent that I thought then, that I cracked my BB shell. Scary thought, since I use my bike for everything, but I didn't want to part with it early. Two months later of observation - increased drag, that grinding vibration from the downtube when I pedalled away.... was enough. Somehow I remembered that Rotor made these SABB (self aligning bottom bracket) and I just got it fitted into my bike. Haven't done anything adventurous with the bike yet - but it was nearly hell-to-heaven in a 15 minute operation at the bikeshop, fitting the SABB on.

I'm sharing this experience I just had... with two external-type bottom bracket units that died with identical signs - from what I guessed was improper factory-facing/tapping that killed the non-driveside bearings much earlier. I also had this "rust ring" where the plastic spacer from the bearings kind of ate into the key shaft that joins both crankarms together. The Q-factor on the bike might have been adjusted slightly with the change, but so far I haven't noticed anything major... yet.

Happy riding!

for over a year i had this very annoying clicking noise in my look road bike could not for the life of me find out were it was coming from until i discovered it was the external bottom bracket seem's there only good for a couple thousand miles.
i had one fitted to my thorn tourer but this time i got the bottom bracket shell properly faced and so far so good.

antokelly, luckily you could face the Thorn.... i can't do so because i'm on aluminum. i suppose you got it faced before building up, without the BB threads tapped already?

Why can't you face an aluminum BB on a bicycle?

I'm sure you can get your aluminium frame face should not be a problem .

if i remember correctly, i was told that there's a good chance that my threading might have already been off-axis to the crank-shaft, facing the BB would still maintain that off-axis problem - which doesn't solve the problem. worse still, assuming the off-axis threading, it could end up having my threads will be eaten up once tapping is attempted. best solution, when i came to either likelihood - was to get the SABB.

i've learnt to not hurry and get a bike set up in the future....

when i removed the bottom bracket from my look bike all the threads seemed to be completely stripped i thought my bike was goosed ,but a friend who
s a tool maker and a very keen cyclists told me to use a an old steel bottom bracket to re thread the shell .
and believe me this worked a threat ,so don't go throwing out you old steel bottom brackets you never know when they come in handy.