UnfilteredDregs

**** happens with PF...

Luckily there's solutions like: BBInfinite Bottom Bracket Ceramitech Ceramic Bearings

RoadLight

Greetings,

I've been struggling with the same issue---some of the new frames that I'm interested in do not come with threaded bottom brackets and that's a deal-breaker for me. I prefer threaded and my all-time favorite is still GXP because it requires no pre-loading. Plus, I use mostly SRAM groupsets. Some very well-known experts prefer threaded (like Lennard Zinn who also uses GXP). So I feel like I'm in good company.

Kind regards, RoadLight

joejack951

Press fit + Loctite on a threaded adapter. Done. Possibly slightly heavier than a typical threaded frame but you have tons of options for cranks.

zandoval 

RATS - PF Bottom Bracket Tools, another set of tools to purchase if ya wanna work on newer bikes...

OH WELL... I wonder how many people now days buy a bike with the intention of keeping it long enough to need a bottom bracket refit.

Just yesterday the biggest problem on BB was those pesky French threads. Or was it the day before? Can't remember.

But if ya really think about it our transitions to the modern day bike has been quite slow and now this transition to the PF bottom bracket just another thing...

Personally I still feel "Loose Balls Rule"... But thats another matter...

dr_lha

Well my BB30 bike needed 2 refits in the first 12 months. Factory install failed, LBS rebuild failed, third I did myself with loctite seemed to stick.

My friend has a 3 year old OSBB Roubaix, and it's been to the LBS probably 6-7 times to fix creaking. Yes, I know, the LBS must be awful.

He got so mad with it, he bought another bike, a Cannondale, whose BB30 BB is now creaking. So much for once bitten!

FlashBazbo

There's no reason to fear press fit BB's, but there are many reasons to despise them. They are definitely more acceptable on road bikes that never see rain, sand or gravel -- thus, not requiring much, if any, BB maintenance. (Both my bikes have press fit BBs. I even had a Lynskey custom made -- and made the huge mistake of having them do a press fit BB.) Between installation/deinstallations, press fit is okay. I've experienced the creak issues in the past, but good prep with Loctite (including primer) will maximize the amount of time between creaking episodes. It won't cure the problem forever (except maybe in titanium frames). But, no matter how good the installation, having a press fit BB on a fair weather road bike means you will be changing BBs not because the bearings need replacement but because the creaking has begun. If your bike will be making any deep stream crossings -- gravel bikes, mountain bikes, etc. -- and, as a result, you may replace a BB a couple times a year, DO NOT get a press fit BB. You will HATE it. You will risk damaging your frame every time you remove the BB -- and even a small risk is too much. With threaded BB's, there's never any risk of frame damage from pounding out the bearings. Press fit BBs install easily, but removing one is a brute force situation.

Here's an additional press fit issue I've experienced but never read about: In titanium frames, Loctite works EXTREMELY well. The same Loctite that binds reliably in CF frames makes an essentially PERMANENT bond in titanium. I've used heat. I've used solvents. But removing a well-installed press fit BB from titanium also requires a lot of heavy hammering -- utterly destroying the bearing in the process. The bearing shrapnel gets sprayed around whatever room/garage you're working in. I've never gouged the BB shell or bent the frame, but I've worried about how close I might have come.

And all this, because the bike manufacturers wanted to save the cost of threads in their bike frames. (Not an insignificant cost.) Arrrgh!

UnfilteredDregs

(t47)

redlude97

Are you using the park tool remover?

FlashBazbo

Yes. The Park Tool remover just acts to distribute the hammer force over more of the bearing surface. But when the bearing disintegrates, you have to angle the tool to knock out the outer components.

RoadLight

Such kluges may serve in a pinch but it is ill-advised when shopping for a new frame. The bottom bracket shell is a very important feature of a frame. When buying a new or used bike or frame that you plan to keep for many years, get one that is designed for the bottom bracket you want to use.

Kind regards, RoadLight

RoadLight

Hi zandoval,

I'm not sure if the above statement is meant to be "tongue in cheek" or not. Considering the high cost of a high-quality bike nowadays, most of us have to plan to keep our bikes many years. My family made the transition to composite frames a few years ago. We expect to keep our frames for a minimum of 5 years---much longer if there are no compelling reasons to "upgrade". I put 5 to 6 thousand miles on my bike per year. Depending on the rainfall each year, I may have to replace a bottom bracket with steel bearings annually or semi annually. I'll have to clean and regrease a bottom bracket with ceramic bearings twice per year plus each time the bike goes through heavy rain.


Shimano agrees with you. Many of their wheel hubs still use loose balls. This includes their Ultegra WH-6800 wheels that are on some of my family's bikes.

Kind regards, RoadLight

Bike Gremlin

It looks promising, waiting for 10 and 20 k mile experiences on durability.

It has bearings on the inside, like older Octalink and square tapper, right?

joejack951

The bottom bracket itself is important, at least as important as any other bearing on a bike. The shell, so long as it fits what you want to use, not so much. If you have the option, might as well get exactly what you want, but I think it would be silly to pass on a frame you really wanted because it requires an insert to run a threaded bottom bracket.

scott967

It looks just like any other PF30, except the cup has notches on the exterior. The bearings of course are still inside the shell. For installation you press in the DS cup, then insert the NDS cup and thread it into the DS. The threads are pretty fine. Final torquing is sort of like installing an old fixed cup side of a square taper BB, in that you have to be kind of exact about getting the wrench squarely onto the cup.

scott s.
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