carleton

I have Sugino 75 cranks. I'm a big guy 6'1" 240lbs. The Sugino 75 BB is the loose ball type.

After I ride 20-25 miles or so (which is about 2 or 3 days of commuting and general transportation), I hear them start making noise. If I have them removed, greased, and repacked they sound fine.

Do I switch to a sealed BB? If so, which model can handle my weight and Baltimore streets? Spindle is 109mm.

What other options do I have?

C

chrisgraham81

yeah i had the same problem. I got a phill wood BB 109mm . I havent had any problems with it what so ever. It handles the DC and baltimore streets just fine.

If you dont want to spent that much i would go with one of those sealed shimano joints. I ride one of them on my pursuit bike and i can put that bike through some $h!t. Its never felt crunchy at all.

absntr

Maybe new bearings?

No one except Dura Ace makes a 109 symmertrical sealed cartridge BB. It's as expensive (around $90) as the Sugino.

Most people on a budget or who want to run a sealed cartridge BB for less but that works just as well run a Shimano 107mm BB (which is what I'm running now) which seems to work just as good. That would be a 1mm difference on each side, but if my chainline's off, I don't notice it.

absntr

Phil Wood makes a 109 now? I thought they made a 109.5. Still expensive though (but worth it of course) and you can move the spindle a little to adjust for perfect chainline.

You'll need the Phil BB tool though.

Paul And Pista

I don't really know thing one about bearings and so on, but I'd definitely take the bike to a shop to see if they can tell whether or not the bearings or cups are pitted. If that's the problem, it could be a lot cheaper than replacing the BB outright.

carleton

Thanks for the info!

46x17

For Phil the 108mm standard works best with the Sugino 75 assuming you are riding standard hub and your dropouts are spaced 120mm

shants

sounds like your adjustable cup might be loosening, causing the bearings to not be held in as tightly. retighten and see if that helps. if that's the problem, use some mid-grade (blue or some such) loctite next time you tighten it down. also make sure that your bottom bracket lock ring is really tight.

if it's not that, "crap" is probably getting into the races. do you have a plastic "accordion"-style sheath over the bottom bracket when you install it? also, are you using a LOT of grease? if the bearing area is saturated with grease, then it can help keep things (mainly moisture) from getting in.

and, of course, there is always the possibility that your bottom bracket races are pitted/indexed.

carleton

The last time that the BB was repacked, the grease (some sort of clear grease) was clear as the day it was applied before. So, not grit, grime, or dirt was getting in. The mechanic didn't use an accordian sheath. Yes, there was lots of grease used. The last time it was repacked (Wednesday) the races were smooth and not pitted. One did have a bit of corrosion, but no pits.

Do you think I can do a hot fix by just tightening the adjustable cup without removing the entire BB between cleanings?

C

shants

if there is no indexing or pitting and no dirt/grime in the races/bearings (even one piece of dirt can make your bottom bracket sound like hell), then my assumption would be that your bottom bracket is loosening, creating a gap between the races. this could cause a rattling sound. don't tighten too much, of course... basically, once you hear the sound start, tighten things up a bit. if that makes the noise stop, then you are having a problem where the adjustable cup is loosening up on you. use loctite (nothing too hardcore since you want to be able to adjust it later) and make sure that you crank the hell out of the cup's lock ring.