I have an '08 Cannondale Capo with Sugino 75 Cranks and BB and this is my main bike used for commuting about 20 miles a day. I'm curious as to how the 75 BB will hold up to an entire winter of riding through the rain/snow/salt/etc. I guess I don't mind tearing apart the BB after a few messy rides and repacking everything, but I was thinking about maybe switching to a sealed cartridge BB since it's an all-weather bike. At first I was thinking I'll just get a super cheap cartridge BB for the winter and then switch back to the 75bb in the spring, but I need to ride rain or shine so I started to think about a getting a really quality cartridge BB.

Curious if anyone has any thoughts on the matter and if you think cartridge is the way to go, any you would recommend? (I'm running formula hubs). Thanks so much for all your help!

i'm curious too...i only have to deal with dirt and water though

Try this...
https://www.benscycle.net/index.php?m...oducts_id=3499

yeah that /\ is a good option... also teflon tape if you dont have the $.

Hey Mihlbach... do you have any idea if those BB's are able to be user-overhauled? If so I'm drooling over that ****. Enduro puts out some very nice bearings and it's so cheap to overhaul with them if you do the labor yourself..

Dunno. I don't own one. I use the 75 BB with my 75 cranks.

You could also try a Miche BB with a 110 spindle. There ain't much selection in ISO taper BBs, it's the only option under $30 iirc.

Thanks for the input. I don't mind spending a bit if its gonna be a sealed BB that will last me a long time, not just through the winter. I was looking at some Phil/Campagnolo stuff. The thing that I'm still pretty unsure of is whether or not it is bad to ride the 75 bb in the rain/wintery stuff. And Mihlbach, thanks for the link to that White Industries BB it looks pretty good.

I'd go sealed. One messy ride is enough to ruin the sugino BB. You won't repack after every messy ride (or in the middle of one)

I had one that ran beautifully for over k miles - thenI got caught in a heavy downpour during the last 25mi of a 75mi ride and it was ruined by the the end. I could feel it start to grind ~15mi into the rain.

I replaced with a sealed Shimano BB and would be hard pressed to tell a difference.

Al

If you are looking at high zoot BB like the one in an above link go with a Phil Wood one as the bearings are sealed to submersible pump standards.

As an avid scuba-cyclist I find that this feature alone makes PW worth the money.

submersible pump standards my ass.

I used to run a Phil BB with my 75s, and the bearings were shot after about 1000 miles, and I didn't even ride it in the rain. My cheapo Shimano BBs have all asted more than ten times that long, even on my winter bike. Phil Wood products are good but they are not magically superior to everything else and sometimes fail. Its mostly just reputation. Personally, unless I was riding in some extreme slop, I would use the Sugino BB and overhaul it 1-3 times a year, depending on conditions. Its a very nice BB. People have this false perception that a little rain will kill an unsealed BB, but they actually hold up quite well.

i rode one through a winter and expected it to be toast when i opened it up. it was perfectly alright with a bunch of good grease left in it.
not that i would do that again..
sell the 75 and pick yourself up a sealed one to save yourself the worry..

Sounds like you got a defective bearing. Did you contact PW about it?

I've got 3 northern MN winters on a hodge-podge bb that I cobbled together out of a square tapered spindle, and cups/bearings from an old cottered bb. I pull it apart before every winter and clean/repack. Zero maint. from November till April.


I'm sure a modern high-quality one would hold up just fine

Also, hit up the winter biking forum.

Yes...they replaced the bearing wihtout question. My point, though, was that Phil is not flawless. Cheaper BBs (and hubs) work just as well most of the time, and even better some of the time.

Uhh, so how did the replacement bearings hold up?

i put a cheap shimano bb in my singlespeed bike before winter riding and it is still working great...i am thinking about riding this bike through the winter again this year

what is everyone's take on riding fixed in winter conditions?...i hate to bring it up but its been on my mind


does teflon tape work that well?

Don't know...I replaced it with a 75 BB (which is still smooth and has yet to be overhauled). The Phil BB is just sitting there. I have another bike that can use it, but I'm gonna wait until I wear out the cheap BB thats currently installed.

Um, jaa, every company has manufacturing defects, that's not what we are discussing here, we are discussing quality bottom brackets for nasty weather riding, at least that's what I thought we were discussing.

Only have a 3 fixed wheel winters in, but have to say that I enjoy it. My first year winter commuting was on a MTB that would loose shifting capability and often brakes after a few miles in sand/salt/slush. I switched to fixed because:

a). I wasn't shifting anyways.
b). Still can (kind of) stop in an emergency, even if brake/rim are iced up.
c.) Simplicity.
d). Cheap to maintain.

My tips:

1. Toss on a plastic BMX saddle, no more wet seat/butt.
2. Fenders.
3. Make sure you can change a flat fast.
4. Extra layers in bag, take routes with possible stops for warmth (ride down to -20F and have yet to bail due to cold).
5. Helmet.
6. Helmet.
7. I've got crap on here before, but an old tube makes a nice bar wrap that doesn't retain moisture like cloth or cork, plus adds some diameter to grip and makes small bars more comfy with big gloves/mitts on.

thanks a lot for the suggestions...i did ride last winter on the singlespeed so i would think it would be a similar experience, i am curious about better control and traction with a fixed from what i have heard

the old tube for bars sounds like a great idea...i guess i need to get myself some race blades since i can't put full fenders on, hopefully they do the trick

*one other thing should i try out something like cross tires for certain conditions or are my skinnies ok?

If you are in Maine get studded tires, they really are essential if you want to keep your ass on your seat and not on the pavement. Nokian make the best.

Planet Bike also makes some nice clip on fenders. I have a set and am quite happy with them.

Check out the winter cycling forum for more ideas.

I run a cx in back and crusty old 27" up front... haven't had too many problems.

thanks a bunch for the help
i rode some regular tires last winter and managed ok...i did go down on some ice once, not too shabby
i am going to check into those planet bike fenders too