Originally Posted by
Roasted
Wow. Really? Out of all the reading I've done, this is a first to suggest Square Taper has lasted longer than Octalink. Even in my own experience with Square Taper, something just didn't feel right when mine failed. In comparison to how long it took the Square Taper to fail versus what the overwelming majority of Octalink riders have said, I'm definitely happier to have an Octalink this time around instead of a Square Taper.
But anyway, yeah... if all else fails, I'll go with a Hollowtech crankset. Like I said, I just wanted to know what kind of prices I was looking at and I'm glad to know I have a price range in the back of my head for the crank/bb set of a new style if need be. I just hope by then BB30 doesn't... somehow... take off hardcore leaving hollowtech II and octalink in the dust with only ebay still supplying used spare parts!
As I mentioned in my post, the Octalink was designed to provide a lighter and stiffer bb - not to rip off consumers through planned obsolescence. I hardly think there is a bb conspiracy afoot. It is my opinion that while it did meet those goals, the design compromised some service life due to the smaller bearings necessitated by the larger hollow spindle.
Regarding a high failure rate for square taper bb units, I would suggest that it was unusual among quality units. The design has been around for a long time and as other posters have said, some of the best on the market are square taper Phil Wood lasting many years. Again, the Octalink also known as Hollowtech was designed to address weight and stiffness.
The Outboard bearing designs bay various manufacturers were designed to be lighter and stiffer without using the smaller ball bearings thereby answering the longevity issue. Shimano calls theirs Hollowtech II
You can find low, medium and higher quality parts for any application. The lower end parts will tend to be best suited for very casual use while the mid and higher end components will usually weigh less and outlast their less expensive brethren. I abuse my hardware racing off road and find the best overall value usually lies in the high/mid-range stuff. I get decent longevity without springing for the all out race hardware.
FWIW YMMV