The original Shimano Hollowtech I "Octalink" bottom brackets were durable and I had excellent service from two of them in two different bikes. What gave the concept a bad name were the "ISIS" look-alikes, many of which were very cheaply and poorly made and did wear out quickly.

Actually one of them was a bike shop mechanic for 10 years before going back to school and getting his Masters in engineering and taking a job at a space tech firm.

Your point about the abuse is accurate and why I qualified my statement about treatment. Don't power wash them.

Cheap bearings- which are probably spec'd on 98% of the bikes sold- are more prone to failure.
"Seals only reduce the size of grit to what can be "dissolved" in water and water will still get past most every seal given enough time and pressure." This is ONLY true for cheap or inappropriate bearings. A properly spec'd bearing will not have that type of failure but what the engineer spec's and what the sales/manufacturing department orders are not always the same.

My bike, an S-Works, was apparently spec'd and built with the appropriate bearings. In this case the price does reflect the quality.

At $500-$1,000 for a complete bike you know the quality isn't going to be the same. At $2,000 the components improve but the hidden bits remain crap. At $3000 the wheels improve, etc. I have no idea how much you have to spend on a modern bike to get quality bearings from the factory. There is also the concept of "planned obsolescence" which keeps bike shops and car repair shops busy.

In my Gios - more than 30 years and still going ( knock on wood ). Complete bike purchased from Excel Sports. Shimano 105 group - whatever bb goes with that.

Even as a pastor, I can't remember when in scripture this is frowned upon, but I'm sure it's not a good thing.

Hah, thanks for resurrecting! I have a similar question about how long I can expect the frozen BB on my '93 Stumpie to last. I apparently waited a bit too long for servicing, LBS broke the vice trying to remove it.

I've decided to just ride it until it dies, and then maybe bore it out and make it an e-bike. Kind of curious how long it will keep going, and how I'll know it's finally given up the ghost.

:lol:

Sometimes, bike mechanics must call on the Dark Side to deal with particularly vexatious problems. It's like making sausage; often it's best not to know how it's done. :)

Had to chime in here: I have a 1996 Diamondback Response that came with a set of Sugino 175's and a sealed bottom bracket. This bike has at the very minimum 10,000 miles on it and it has been submerged, stored outside, ridden in deserts and snow and has lived it's life for the most part next to the Pacific Ocean. I am refurbing the bike because I am a sentimentalist and I got to wondering "How long does a sealed bottom bracket with a sealed bearing case last? Mine is functioning at 100% and does not have any play side to side or front to back and makes about as much noise a chain does so to answer your question, I have hammered mine and at 25 almost 26 years, the bastard is nowhere near done. Sugino doesn't f' around!

Nice! In contrast, the cheap VP bottom bracket in the Trek FX 2 I bought in late 2017 lasted < 5 years (maybe 1,000 miles) before developing a slight clunk per rotation, despite being kept in the garage in sunny Southern California and having never been ridden in the wet.

I replaced it with a Tange Seiki bottom bracket. Made in Japan for the win when it comes to mechanical components.

I’ve got a SKF square taper BB that must have lasted 60 000 miles or so. https://www.renehersecycles.com/shop...-square-taper/
one side has a roller bearing, which I’d assume is what makes it last so ridiculously long.

BB depend on conditions but for the record my Shimano 6800 BB came with my Habanero has about 31,000 miles in what will be 5 years this spring. Never have touch it and the cranks spin effortlessly and smooth. Riding in rain and mud can make this a bit different.

Perfect example... over all I have much less wear and tear and repair on my bikes since getting down to 240 from 300+ pounds. At my upper weights I was popping spokes, wearing out freewheels and chains, and repacking my loose ball bottom brackets frequently. Keep with it stud, catching and repairing wear and tear on your bike before a major problem is fun, fun FUN...