The bottom bracket on my vintage needs to be replaced. How much would it normally cost to get it replaced at the LBS?

Between $30 and $50 plus the cost of parts. Though some shops may do the install for free or for a reduced fee if you buy the parts from them.

-j

25 for a thread in and 40 or 45 for a press in style. labor only

Then I suppose I should be happy about the $40 estimate (parts and services) from the mechanic. He told me I'm going to get a sealed bottom bracket. But I'm assuming it will be a very standard BB that can be purchased for $10-15 online.

the question is; Do you really want a $10-15 bottom bracket? Or more realistically, an $8.00 BB. bk

what are you saying? should I have provided the BB with something more durable and better quality?

I think he is saying you could buy a better BB then the minimum the LBS will probably install. It's a pay money your money and make a choice thing. A lot of LBS are willing to deal on parts. Tell them you want to buy the BB from them but the web price is half their price (example only); my LBS will usually come down a bit under these circumstances, especially if they have the part in stock.

BTW, what vintage bike do you have?

The BB is one area where you don't need to spend much to get a good part. The UN55's that are commonly used to replace the old cup/cone systems are typically around $20 and very high quality. One of the biggest bargains in bicycling. How one of these can be $20 and a single chainring can be $100 is baffling to me.

$40 for the repair sounds pretty reasonable.

- Mark

1984 fuji del rey; new rims/tire/tubes, brakes, brake levers, handlebar/tape. The mechanic was pretty giddy about the upgrades on the quality classic. Maybe I can call them up and ask them what kind of BB they're going to put in.

Can someone suggest a good durable sealed BB I can buy?
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thanks mark. so I can assume that he's going to put in shimano and not some nameless brand that comes in low end stock components?

so I just saw on the receipt "UN53". I can't dig up a lot of info on this, but how does anyone have any info on how it compares to UN54, 55, or 26?

Un53 is not much different than a un54 or un55. In reality, any of those 3 is an OK bottom bracket. No, they're not top end, but they will work just fine.

Back when Square Taper (ST) was the Standard, Shimano made numerous sealed BB. Today they have replaced the number of BB into just a few. The UN26 is the low end model, with fewer bearings but they still last a long time. Shimano has discontinued the UN52 & UN53 (similar in quality solid axles with a plastic left cup) and replaced them UN54 (hollow axle with plastic left cup); there is also the UN55 (replaced the UN71/73) with a hollow axle and an aluminum left cup. Right now most bike shops have a stock of discontinued BB that they continue to sell, they are just as good, you simply can't order that number anymore. As far as having the UN53 installed its a good strong bottom bracket that, unless you are really hard on components will last many years and often the life of the bicycle..

great, thanks.

so higher end BB like 105 or dura ace won't really last longer right? they're just lighter? As far as I know, anything beyond Tiagra is actually less ideal for the commuter because they tend to focus more on light weight than durability.

You're not going to find Shimano current square taper bottom brackets classified by component level any more. I believe the Tiagra ST crank calls for a UN-53, but Shimano only makes 2 levels, cheap and better. UN25 is cheap, the UN54 (replaced to UN53) is better and the UN55 is more heavy duty. There were some pretty high end Shimano BB in the past, such as the UN-90/91 and UN-70/71 (Dura Ace/XTR and Ultegra/XT) but as you said they were meant for light weight and some say didn't last as long as UN51/52 at the time. So really calling a modern day Shimano square taper BB 105 or Dura Ace is really meaningless because there is only 3 to chose from and the upper 2 are almost identical. You have to go to the exterior BB or oversize press to fit before you start seeing component levels that mean anything.

Higher end Shimano now is no longer square taper..

other premium square taper BBs: Phil Wood and SKF

No worries, the UN53 is a good part, easily as good as what the bike came with.

- Mark

$40 is a fair price all in for BB at a LBS all in. The retail on the BB should be about 15-20$ and it takes $20-30 worth of shop labor to replace one. Sometimes it can be real pita for the mechanic to remove a older one that hasn't been serviced in years.

I routinely use UN26 BB. OK, they are the low end of Shimano, but nothing wrong with them, work well, cost $10.