Bottom brackets for overseas touring?
 

Lots of discussions about wheel sizes but none about bottom brackets.

My bottom bracket actually went bad in England, of course it musta been sketchy before I left but it only had about 5,000 miles on it so I just presumed it was OK. I was using an ISIS bottom bracket and just lucked out that even an establishment as esteemed by touring cyclists as Ghyllside Cycles in Ambleside UK happened to have a single ISIS bottom bracket in the back of a drawer somewhere.

So, how often to bottom brackets fail on tour and what configuration of bottom bracket are they most likely to stock in Ouagadougou?

Mike

bb's don't normally fail on tour, and even if they do, you should
have many hundreds of miles of notice before it becomes unrideable.

i had to google isis bottom bracket, never having seen one.
looks like an octolink but google says not compatible.
china taobao has a few expensive models, 5-10 times the
cost of a sealed bearing square taper.

where i prefer to tour (cambodia/laos/myanmar), square taper is
all you'll find, in a few common widths. most will be cheap
mainland chinese carp, sometimes you get lucky and find
some taiwan product. could probably find isis here in bangkok,
but mucho trouble considering the size of the city and the
language barrier.....so far, i can say "i want spicy pork" and
"i like geckos" which is sufficient for most situations.

I've had good quality square taper bb's go maybe 20,000kms, but that one in question at one point was making creaky noises, I took it all out, cleaned out all the gunge and dirt in the threads that had worked in over the years, regreased the heck out of the threads, and it went another few years before making noises again before I replaced it figuring its life has been more than enough.

my take is that a good quality sq taper, installed properly, on a bike that is kept clean and not always ridden in wet, dirt road conditions, will last a long long time.
One factor that probably helps in my case is that Im a light guy, so I dont put a ton of force into a drivetrain, and I wipe off gunge on the exterior of bb areas on my bikes regularly.

I now have a bike that is my first with a external bb, a common shimano hollowtech 2, and this bike and bb now has what must be about 7000+ kms on it. I bought the bike used (not new as I had written before), and stripped the frame, so all of the bb threads etc were cleaned and liberally lubed when I reassembled it, and since then the bike has gone about 6000kms, a good amount fully loaded.
Initially was very skeptical about this type of bb, having heard first hand stories and also being told by trusted mechanics that they dont last as long as sq taper, but probably because of my weight, power output and bike maintenance, I cant say that Im disappointed.

my take on finding a sq taper, or ISIS, is that they will be around, but will there be the axle length you need? Most likely they will be lower quality bb's also....
I suspect also that even in Ouagadougou, most mountain bikes sold will have external bearing bb's now....I can only speak for my limited experience in Latin America, but a good bike store in a city will have all kinds of bb's, disc brake pads, etc.

If your bb went after only 8000kms, I wonder what factors were the cause, and I guess we will never know. What I do know is that a very good quality shimano sq taper like a UN-54 or 55 (cant recall) installed properly, can last a really long time for me, so if I know a bb in in good shape before a trip, I wouldnt be that concerned, especially given that mine was giving indications of sounds long before it was an issue, and even at the end it was still turning very well.

A bike of my wife once had a sq taper bb become slightly loose while on a trip, but I had never touched the bike as it was bought new, and the problem was an easy fix by a mechanic, remove it, clean all the gungy stuff out of the threads, liberally regrease and reinstall with a proper amount of torque.

I'm still wondering how this hollowtech will last, but there is no doubt about it, they certainly are easy to work on.

I wanted to add, as with most bike part stuff, paying a bit more usually is totally worth it for long term quality. Ive had sq tapers replaced on bikes before and they have charged something like 20 or 25 installed, for sure the actual bb's were cheap ones that cost the store very little. Last time I looked or checked, a UN-55 can be bought for about 25-30 dollars, completely worth getting a very good quality one like this if you are actually planning to use the bike a lot and or for a long trip.

(and of course, there are bb's that cost 50, 100 bucks or more, sq tapers or whatever, but I figure these shimanos are a great balance of cost/durability/findability in most of the world, as is most shimano stuff)

installing yourself also is good so you know its done properly, like all bike stuff, plus you know how it works and understand better how to take care of it---I learned taking my apart how particles work their way into the grease in the threads for example.

I only started getting serious about bicycles four years back when prepping for my 2014 TX-NY trip. At that time I switched out the original bb on an '89 Schwinn Voyageur. I went to an ISIS config bb simply because it was compatible with Nashbars 44-32-22 $55 Mountain bike crankset/$20 bb combo (I still am flat puzzled why cranksets gotta be more money than that).

Been using ISIS ever since. Just last week I pulled the original bb out of my '95 Specialized Hardrock I'm riding, IIRC it was sealed, didn't try to rebuild it.

So maybe the best Ouagadougou bb is a rebuildable square taper?

Phil Wood & Co.
lasts a long time
expensive

Shimano ships components to shops planet wide. square taper has been made in the millions per year for decades.

Factories like those in Asia making many brands each, get truckloads from the component factory..

just buying one has a higher cost ... any how get a cold forged crankarm ,

and dont hit a pedal on the ground in a corner or let the fixing bolts or pedals get loose , & they will last decades.




...

I've used Isis cranks/BBs for years and tens of thousands of miles and rarely have issues. In fact I have the same Nashbar Isis BB on at least one of my bikes (and a few new spares), and they have been a good BB (great BB considering the low cost). Isis cranks began their decline in popularity ten years ago, and disappeared entirely once Shimano/Truvativ/SRAM adopted the large spindle/external bearing GPX-style BB standard which redefined cranks and BBs for most bikes.

Isis was developed to remedy an issue with square taper cranks/BBs - their tendency to loosen and become rounded off at the interface. Square taper cranks/BB would give you a more universally-available replacement option, but at greater risk of wallowing out your crank, which would never happen on Isis. Current Shimano/SRAM external bearing cranks/BBs would be a better choice since they are widely available and less likely to follow the square taper failure mode.

I suspect you just got a bad Nashbar Isis BB, although 5,000 miles is pretty good longevity for offroad/MTB use. Keep using them if you're otherwise content with them.

re rebuildable, this is my take, I dont think Im wrong, but perhaps someone else can correct or confirm--sealed square taper, or octalink, or ISIS, bb's arent really made to be rebuilt. Like I said, the very few times Ive had to replace one, I just went with another new one. For the price and how long they last, it just made sense.

another example of sealed bearings, I still use an old set of shimano clipless pedals, mtb ones, that I bought new in 1992 maybe. The sealed bearings are still turning smoothly, with hardly any play, and they have never been opened (not sure they can be, but who knows). They have been ridden on for most of the years since then, even after I got other bikes and they got put onto other commuter bikes, so they have lots and lots of kms on them, but are still working and the quality bearings have held up.

are you planning a really long trip, is this why you are asking, or just wondering about bb lives in general.

oh btw, with the hollowtech 2 external bb's, Ive seen vids on youtube showing how folks can carefully extract a seal and regrease the large circular bearing of that system--whereas in stores they always say that you just buy a new one, so I guess there are always two views on things like this, rebuilding wise.

again though, my experience with taking apart and regreasing hub bearings, ball bearings, is that higher quality hubs have better built parts, harder metal, and better seals, so it all keeps dirt and water out , which then affects less the grease on the bearings, which last longer, and which are better than low end stuff, so lasts longer etc etc.
I figure the same thing applies to bb's too.

I did a group tour several years ago, 16 riders for one week. Only mechanical failures was a front derailleur spring broke and an external bearing bottom bracket failed. The bottom bracket failure was over several days, not a catastrophic stuck-on-side-of-road type of failure. Rider continued to ride it until reaching the bike ship where he had a new unit shipped to.

All of my bikes use square taper except for an old three speed that uses a one piece crank. Most of my square tapers are Campy which has a slightly different taper (ISO) and a different installation tool, but if I had a failure my research suggests that I could get by with a Shimano (JIS) taper in a pinch.

I think that the external bottom brackets use a fairly common sealed bearing unit, but I have only heard this as I do not have any direct experience with that. But if that was true I would carry a couple spare bearing units if I was going on a long trip with an external bottom bracket.

In Iceland, one of my crank arm self-extractors self extracted and was lost. To fit the frame in an S&S case, I need to pull both crank arms. If I do a trip like that again, I will bring a real crank arm remover instead.

Consider taking one in one of your spare pockets on your bags, or, change it to a new one before you set off, then when you get back, stick the old one back in.

Mike, If you are referring to a part's availability, square taper is a safe answer... Whether one of the correct size or taper or even correct threading is available is a case by case problem.

Brad

I don't think I'd worry too much about it. Ride what you like. If the bb is at all questionable, replace it before you go. If you plan on putting so many miles on that you're likely to need a new a bottom bracket, go with a square taper. But unless I had reason to think my bb bracket would fail, I'd use what I had, and accept the fact that if it needed replaced mid-trip, I might also be replacing my crank arms.

NB: SKF BB @ Compass Cycle, of Premium quality and ISIS splined https://www.compasscycle.com/shop/co...-bracket-isis/

I wouldn't recommend the SKF Isis BB IIWY. The one I have will not install without binding up. It's expensive pretty junk based on my sample of one (I did try to fit it in 3 bikes, no go, but my other Isis BBs fit fine). I suspect the SKF's unique tapered roller bearing has something to do with the poor fitment - or maybe I got a lemon.

IME the Nashbar Isis BB is long-lived and inexpensive. TH Industries Isis BB is a good one too too (maker of the Nashbar, once distributed by QPB).

Here are some old but pertinent comments on this topic:

https://www.bikeforums.net/12201958-post12.html

https://www.bikeforums.net/12202967-post14.html

Seems to me that a loose bearing system would offer the ultimate in reliability. If you have to replace anything, it is likely only generic steel bearings and axle grease available anywhere.

That said, UN55s are cheap and effective.

External Hollowtech II Bottom Bracket
the modern cranks are stiffer and easier on the knees. The old style square taper have more side to side play.
The cups are light and it is .
easy to carry a spare

Hey Sharp,
I just assumed that "Ouagadougou" was a made up name, but now see its in Africa, are you planning to ride in Africa?

Agreed!

Had a Shimano BB that kept "unscrewing" on my first outback trip (along the Savannah Way) because the LBS used the wrong screw-in ring (from a Truvalev). Had to get it spot welded in at an outback (Australia) machine shop at a mining operation.

Installed a square tapered PW after I returned and never looked back. Did several more outback (Australia) tours and the PW is still good as new.

Yes, expensive - BUT reliable.

I dunno, sealed units are just so much less work, ie go and go with basically no maintenance, whereas loose ball systems always needed to be looked after regreasing wise, adjusted properly, and the bearing surfaces can get scored just like with ignored hub cones.
I guess you are right in the sense that if you have access to the tools, you can regrease them at any time, but my experience shows that the sealed units can go a long time with no maintenance.

Yeah, that was more my point, for cycling somewhere extreme they can be serviced with regular tools and are utterly simple and reliable. I do agree after ditching one setup for a sealed Shimano, it is every bit as good.

If I was going to try to go somewhere where I expected almost no ability to order a new cartridge unit that I could depend on, I would consider using an old cup and cone version. I saw a cup and cone unit that was used in a bike shop's used bin, it was the right size (about 122mm spindle, 73mm shell) so I bought it just in case I ever might want something like that. But when I cleaned it up I found that the spindle bearing surfaces were badly pitted.

I was thinking that if my bottom bracket started to act up, I could even use cooking oil to clean it out and re-lube it virtually anywhere. I think my S&S wrench could also be used as an old style bottom bracket wrench. But the condition of the spindle told me that it probably is a pretty bad idea. My UN-55 on my expedition bike is holding up just fine.

But, who knows, I might still get the urge to go somewhere far from civilization some day, might find a use for it yet if I can find a new spindle?

I would have had the BB shell 'chased and faced' with a precision bike BB frame prep too, if I were you.

particularly with a taste for B stock Nashbar frames .. there would be the suspect alignment problem..

You are misinformed, as I've never built or ridden a Nashbar frame. I wonder where you got that idea.

My SKF Isis BB wouldn't fit the Cannondale, Bianchi, Litespeed or Surly frames that I owned/rode without binding. None of these frames, like most modern frames, needed to be chased/faced to work with the Isis, square taper and GPX BBs that I've used.

The problem was the SKF BB, and Jan Heine/Compass seems to be the only one selling this product in the USA for at least the past 7 years. I'm not willing to spend $150 on a second SKF BB to determine if they have resolved their manufacturing issues. Have you actually used this product yourself and had a positive experience?

https://janheine.wordpress.com/2011/...rld-exclusive/

I just installed one of these IRD Defiant BB's with a 10 year warranty. I'm skeptical that it will actually last 10 years, but you never know.

My last touring bike had the 4 tubes butt welded to the BB shell which has no penetrations, other than a grease zirk..

so its half full of grease, and the bearings are lubricated sufficiently for my lifetime ..

We built it from Burly Tandem parts in 1990, the Stoker's BB shell used oversize bearings..



FWIK. SKF were going to drop making them entirely before mr Heine offered to do their distribution work for them,
so it is just him, retail and wholesale.







....

the ISIS standard BB uses really small bearings that don't tend to wear well. If you are a lightweight cyclist you might be ok but as a clydesdale I didn't find they lasted well compared to a standard Shimano outboard bearing BB.
YMMV

I have about 2,000 miles on the SKF ISIS bb on my '89 Schwinn Voyageur. Dropped right in, its working fine.

There was a small burr on the face of the spindle that made installing the crank difficult, I found that odd on such an otherwise quality unit but in light of Seeker's experience with a lemon, maybe they are having QC issues.

Naah, 'nother couple of years in debtors prison for me. Back in the '80's I lived in a small village in Ghana for three years (Peace Corps). I was fairly remote, but Ouagadougou? Now that was the sticks 😀

righto, wasn't sure if you were serious when I realized the name is an actual place.
We have a neighbour from Ghana, but have no idea where she was from within Ghana.