Just curious. What is the average lifespan of a sealed BB?

I ride about an hour or two a day, weather permitting, and I seem to be going through 3 BB's a year. That includes riding for a month or two on the bad one too. If I were to replace them as soon as they started clicking, they would last about 2 months. Is there a better BB I can upgrade to that'll last longer?

RK

Better than what?

Better than the sealed cartridge square taper Shimano POS that's in there.

RK

Well, I've got a BB-6500 Octalink bottom bracket that's got over 36,500 miles on it and it's still smooth as glass and free of play, a BB-5500 Octalink with 6,000 miles that's like new and a Shimano BB-UN52 square taper with about 10,000 miles used exclusively on rain/errand bikes and always wet but still in fine shape. So, not all of Shimano's sealed bb's are a POS.

When you remove the old worn BB is it spinning roughly? Does it feel like the lube is gone (spins smooth but with out the buttery feeling)? Before you take out the BB is it different feeling? How much rain does it see (hard to quantify)? How big are you? how much off the saddle pedalling do you do?

The life span is a hard answer to give you. By my assumptions you are riding, maybe, 5000 miles a year. If the above factors are all in the "wrong" directions then only getting 2k miles on a BB might be all you can expect. But if the factors are all in the less stress/exposure direction then a BB a year would be more likely. One of the questions i have is whether the wear is from stress (weight), cycles of use (# of miles), exposure (rain/mud) or some not yet discribed.

There can be issues going on that make it seem like the BB is worn out. Like it's loose in the shell or crank arms are not tight on the axle. But one would think that if you've been replacing the BB so often that you've learned how to check these things out and stay on top of them.

The only way to really answer your question is for you to up the anty and shell out for a high end BB. Like a Phil. Then see what happens. And do let us know what you find out. Andy.

If you're going through BB's that fast for that amount of riding, there's clearly something else going on, presuming your hour or two of riding every day doesn't including fording a river. Who is installing them? You, or a shop?

FWIW, the Shimano UN55's are supposed to be better than the 54's. OTOH, my Pelican came with a Velo Orange BB and I've put around 2500 miles on it since March through a LOT of rain and dusty trails, and it's still absolutely silent.

If you're really beating up on BB's, you might want to consider going higher end with SKS or Phil's.

What kind of conditions are you riding in that you're wearing out three Shimano square taper cartridge bearing bb's each year? You say they click, are you sure the noise couldn't be solved with a thorough greasing of the bottom bracket shell's threads, and perhaps some plumber's teflon tape? Cartridge bottom brackets will sometimes develop noise, a creak, squeak, and/or click because of slight movement between the bb and the frame's bb shell. A thorough greasing and in the worst cases an application of plumber's tape will usually solve it. Shimano square taper bb's are very durable, probably the best bang-for-the-buck bb out there in terms of durability. They will last for years and years in most conditions.

Is your drain hole at the bottom of the frame open?
Only time I had a premature BB failure was because water pooled in there and rusted everything and almost seized the bearings.

Just one data point for the average, my UN55 has about 6000 miles and is still working perfectly as far as I can tell. It's been under water a couple of times, and out in all weather.

Get a Phil Wood BB. You won't regret it. bk

I do almost no wet riding. The only time I do is when I happen to get caught by surprise and I usually wait them out under shelter. My bike has no weep hole for the BB. My last BB was done by a shop because I was on travel and my tools were at home. Yes, the cranks are on tight.

My typical riding is VC style at 15-20 mph, all pavement. The only time my bike sees dirt is when I ride with my daughter to/from school and I hose down the bike before the next ride to get rid of the sand from the chain.

RK

"and I hose down the bike before the next ride to get rid of the sand from the chain."

One possibility is that the hosing is at too high a water stream pressure. Not saying that this is the cause (and that's the problem with interweb diagnosis, we can't see you doing whatever) but if the hosing off is at a high pressure level then you could blast water into the bearings. Once there the clock is ticking. Andy.

"My bike has no weep hole"

You might consider drilling one.

Water is going to get in, even if only as condensation from temperature changes and it needs a place to get out. Don't forget to paint the raw metal if you have a steel frame. And go easy with the hose, flood, don't spray the BB area.

Phil is good , they now offer an accessory mud shield. additionally,
when sliding an O ring on the spindle
or a few if using a long spindle, before re attaching the crank arm adds another seal,

I did this with a Campag *Triple, O ring squeaks a bit when the weather is dry, because its there
and the O ring seal is touching both arm and the outside of the BB.

* ISO square taper.

Looks like you found your problem.

Any moisture that gets in there stays. Even if you don't ride much in the wet.

He might if the bb bearings aren't the problem. See post #7, which the OP still hasn't addressed with his "yes, my cranks are tight" statement. A click in the bb area with a Shimano cartridge bearing bb is much more likely to be caused by what I described in post # 7 than by worn out bearings.

I suspect that you're replacing perfectly good BBs that are clicking for another reason. It's impossible to wear out a BB in that short a time, and being a fair weather rider rules out rust or weather related premature failure.

If you're doing tour own work, spend the time to fully diagnose the source of the clicking, which is probably from movement of a crank on spindle, a spindle within the bearing, or the BB cups within the frame. There are also other possibilities, so don't immediately blame the BB.

If you're having a shop do your service and they're replacing BBs so often, get a new shop.

Well, I agree that it seems pretty much impossible with the type of bb the OP reports using, that's why I'm not buying that the bb's that the OP is replacing are truly worn out, I think there's very likely something else going on.

However, it IS possible to wear out a bottom bracket in the time frame the OP is talking about. The perfect storm for VERY early bearing failure in a bb is: a wet, muddy cyclocross season with FSA outboard bearing bb cups. You'll replace those sometimes after every race if the conditions are bad enough.

The cranks are tight and a friend of mine uses a power washer on his bike with no ill effect. My garden hose should not be killing the BB. I'll just spend the money on a Phil Woods or something.

RK

Seriously, it probably isn't the BB. Worn BBs don't click, they feel rough. If you do feel it's the BB, take it apart, and check the races for rust or wear.

The fact that you keep repeating that your cranks are tight indicates that you're not understanding the potential problem of bb/bb shell interface causing the problem.

+1, your efforts to save money by doing your own work is costing you dough. When you have chronic problems that others don't have, it's time for a second opinion, preferably from an expert who has it in his hands, rather than from a forum where people don't and have to speculate.

In your shoes, I ask around and track down the local mechanic with a reputation for solving problems (not someone who just keeps replacing parts). You'll know you're on the right track when he gives you an explanation of the actual problem, and fixes it without replacing the BB, or shows you a field stripped BB indicating the exact damage that warranted replacement.

[QUOTE=mulveyr;15074340]If you're going through BB's that fast for that amount of riding, there's clearly something else going on, presuming your hour or two of riding every day doesn't including fording a river. Who is installing them? You, or a shop?

FWIW, the Shimano UN55's are supposed to be better than the 54's. OTOH, my Pelican came with a Velo Orange BB and I've put around 2500 miles on it since March through a LOT of rain and dusty trails, and it's still absolutely silent.

If you're really beating up on BB's, you might want to consider going higher end with SKS or Phil's.[/QUOTE

I gave up on my Phils and went with the shimano sq. taper.

I have been to multiple shops. I travel for business and bring my bike, so I almost never go to the same LBS twice. The first time the BB started clunking, I took it to a LBS in the area. It was more than a noise, the cranks were popping in and out and traveling side to side as I pedaled. The bike was almost not ridable. The first LBS I went to about this problem told me it was the BB without even looking at it. So, I took it elsewhere. The 2nd place tightened down my cranks and told me that if the noise continued it was the BB. I then had to travel. The 3rd place I brought it to took it apart and said, "Yup. It's the BB." They showed me the BB and how it would barely spin with grinding noises.

That 3rd shop arraigned for Fuji to pay for it under warranty which was great. Two months later, it started again. I happened to be back in the city where I bought it, so I took it back to the original LBS. They said it would be two weeks before they could get me in, so I bought the tools and OEM part and did it myself. The BB was trashed. It wouldn't spin right.

Now this one (#3) is doing the same thing as the previous two. Technically the bike is still under warranty, but only technically. Every time I go to or call a Fuji dealer, they tell me to take it back to the place where I bought it. Fuji is of no help. They told me that they do not deal with customers directly and that I had to go through a LBS. Nice.

So, according to Fuji, I have to drive 800 miles to drop off my bike, drive 800 miles back home and go back again in two weeks to pick it up.

This is what I am trying to avoid:

RK

Just a guess, but is there something tweaked with the BB shell (frame)?