Roughstuff

Hey folks. My Fuji touring bike came, as many do these days, with a sealed bottom bracket. That is, when ya take the crank arms off the thing is removed as one single unit, though I am sure there are ways ya can snoop inside and see whats going on.

I notice when I was riding every once in a while i heard aand felt a 'snap' or 'ping'. What it felt like was the kind of skip ya get when a chain link is too tight, and for the longest time thats what I thought the problem was. But i never found a tight link. But one day, my sealed bracket just destroyed itself; when i turned the pedals i heard grinding and snapping noises.

I had it replaced, obviously. But not with a vary expensive/high quality unit. Lately i notice the same snaps and pings...and am wondering if the same fate awaits this bracket.

Is the problem the way I ride? (I sometimes stand up in the pedals, no big deal.) Or is the solution just to buy a much higher quality bracket? And what IS going on inside? It feels like the bearing cup is just gradually being destroyed.

roughstuff