Originally Posted by
samkl
Thanks, I'll try to avoid mashing. I weigh 165, plus 40lbs or so of panniers. I'm guessing the panniers won't add much stress to the area, though.
No sweat related to panniers.
The major local stresses on the bottom bracket area are due to pedaling. Nothing you do or don't do now will make much difference. The tube will last until it cracks, which will happen sooner than it originally would have,
In the meantime, focus on enjoying the bike as if I had never given you a reason to be worried about it.