Originally Posted by
hazben1
Mostly price. The best price I found for the FSA was $42 + shipping. I got the Ultregra from Nashbar for Just over $20 due to coupon. I was also already ordering a chain (also Ultregra) and other stuff from Nashbar. Most of my components on the bike are Ultregra and I tend to try to keep the same level of components when possible. I searched thru several posts on the FSA cranks and some folks on here felt FSA is not that great. Don't know if Ultrega is any better. Nashbar did not carry that specific cartridge and I try to use the same vendors I have used in the past and had good results with.
Not to stretch this out, but it is hard to understand what you were trying to do. All that is necessary is to change the single faulty bearing cartridge. Based on the prices you mentioned and the fact you bought from Nashbar, it sounds like you are replacing the whole bottom bracket assembly which wasn't necessary. All you needed was a bearing cartridge for one side, or two if you wanted to be rigorous about preventive maintenance. My point was only that the bearings are not made and branded by the bike parts manufacturer, they are purchased and installed into the cups. There are better and worse brands of bearings, but great bearings can be readily used with any brand of bottom bracket cups. In other words there is no advantage buying the Ultegra name for a bottom bracket. The cups are just a holder for Japansese, or Taiwanese, or German, or at worst Chinese bearings. The FSA cups can hold a "best" bearing cartridge just as well as an Ultegra cup can. If you wanted to upgrade your bottom bracket, all you had to do was spend that money on better bearing cartridges, not on new cups. No big deal. I just wanted you to understand what is going on.