.....what are the benefits and disadvantages...thnx guys

no one?

by placing the bearings outside the bb they can be larger -- providing less friction, more stiffness, etc? that's the story i'm hearing.

On any type of shaft the closer the brg's are to the ends, gives a tremendous amount of support to the shaft. Therefore the closer the brg's are to the cranks the better the support and brg's will also last a lot longer.