Originally Posted by HillRider
Not only can they be serviced but they HAVE to be serviced. Even at that they don't last as long as the current cartridge bb's. They are more disposable in their own way than the new ones.
You have either very observant or very strange friends.
Exactly, cartridge BBs may be disposable in the sense that they can't be overhauled... but they last such a long time! When I first saw them, I thought they were "wasteful" in that sense, but then realized that because they lsat so long they're really a very good idea.
It's like the people who want a flashy red Chris King headset. How often do you ever look at a headset when there's not something wrong with it?
If you want your bike to look flashy, get yourself a nice roll of pink bar tape for $7.