Originally Posted by
Duragrouch
That's exactly what I used to use. But even bone dry conditions, with the miles I put on, would start to get a little bit of slack after 6 months. And with no way to readjust, that's when the wear accelerates, that's the key; The cartridge is good quality, but the ability to maintain correct preload, I'm finding, is key for long life. It's the only thing I don't like about internal cartridges, I was a diehard taper-spindle guy, eshewing newer designs like the plague. Then I tried hollow spindle, mostly because the square taper cranks on amazon for my 2X conversion weighed a ton and large Q, this one was light and road Q. Needed to buy bearing wrench (bought a 4 way one, I'm set for future). Made me a convert. Couldn't believe the price for the whole kit of crank, rings, and bearings. Noticeably *smoother* and uber durable. Even looks good with traditional 5 arm spider.
The cartridge bearing in square taper units are no different than the ones in hollow spindle cranks. If the bearings are worn enough to have noticeable play, you can't adjust that away because that isn't the way cartridge bearings work.
But despite your extensive experience with cartridge bottom brackets, most any of them last a long time and any small amount of play they develop doesn't matter until it is enough to make replacement worthwhile.