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Ultegra bottom bracket worth upgrading?

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Old 07-24-15, 05:33 PM
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Ultegra bottom bracket worth upgrading?

My friend is offering me a new Chris King Stainless BB for $100. Currently I have an Ultegra 6800 BB with around 5K miles. Is it even worth bothering with the upgrade?

Thanks!
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Old 07-24-15, 05:40 PM
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NO. Roger
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Old 07-24-15, 05:50 PM
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IMO, no. You can get 5 Ultegra level bbs for $100.
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Old 07-24-15, 07:08 PM
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Old 07-24-15, 07:48 PM
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Does the Chris King BB fit your crankset and is the spindle the right length? If so, I'd probably do it.
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Old 07-24-15, 07:58 PM
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Originally Posted by Cross Creek
Does the Chris King BB fit your crankset and is the spindle the right length? If so, I'd probably do it.
It does.
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Old 07-24-15, 08:39 PM
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It's like expensive cassettes. You can only show off by telling people you have it, they won't know otherwise.
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Old 07-25-15, 12:31 AM
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Cassettes are consumables. Expensive ones are much lighter and, largely because of that, typically wear out faster. That's a trade off that may or may not be worth it to a rider. A Chris King BB, otoh, will last the life of the bike for most riders. If I could get a new one for $100, I'd jump on it and not care if anyone knew I had it. Nothing about my bikes are there for bragging rights.
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Old 07-25-15, 02:06 AM
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Originally Posted by Cross Creek
Cassettes are consumables. Expensive ones are much lighter and, largely because of that, typically wear out faster. That's a trade off that may or may not be worth it to a rider. A Chris King BB, otoh, will last the life of the bike for most riders. If I could get a new one for $100, I'd jump on it and not care if anyone knew I had it. Nothing about my bikes are there for bragging rights.
That is 5 times the price of an ultegra BB. How long does an Ultegra BB last? My 105 has been OK for the past 4 years, no signs of trouble. I'd not invest too much in a mobile vehicle that gets stolen easily. If you NEVER use your bike as a means of transport and always either ride it, or leave it in your house, then it's probably a good investment... if those BBs last 5 times longer than Ultegra ones.
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Old 07-25-15, 03:29 AM
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Go ahead and buy the King BB, but keep it in a box until your Ultegra BB wears out.

You will frequently think "I should just install this King BB, I mean, I bought it to use it, right? But the Ultegra one is doing just fine and I can't just toss it."

This will keep you up at night.
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