Cannondale BB30A Issues - Need Someone With Real Cannondale Knowledge

Jul 27, 15 11:16

Post #1 of 19 (17979 views)

Bottom line: is there someone here on ST with real Cannondale Bottom Bracket knowledge? I need help with the following:

I'm the guy who bought a demo/launch event 2016 SuperSix about a month ago. My Post

The bike is unreal and climbs, handles, descends, rides amazing. I love it. But to ride it I need earplugs or need to blast some music because the Bottom Bracket is INSANE LOUD and ANNOYING! Click, clack, snap, crack on EVERY Non-Drive Side stroke. It is a BB30A 73mm setup with the Hollowgram SISL2 crankset. The shop I bought it from is working with me but they are slow and I suspect not real experienced with addressing this issue. The local Cannondale rep is also involved.

LBS has replaced the bearings, regreased the bearings multiple times, checked and rechecked the preload, re-torqued the crankset bolt, etc. I am riding the hell out of it and giving it a real workout. Last 3 rides a combined 16k feet of climbing...some of it 16% grade stuff.

The next thing the shop wants to try (also recommended by Cannondale rep) is to glue/epoxy in a BB30A sleeve or adaptor. The theory is that the BB30A shell is too tight and causing the bearings to wear abnormally fast. Put in the sleeve permanently and reduce it to a smaller bearing set and it supposedly fixes the issue. I've verified with them several times that this is #1 the suggestion from Cannondale and #2 will not void my warranty (yes, I'll get it in writing too).

I need some feedback, ideas and ideally someone with real knowledge of the BB30/BB30A issues with noise. Thanks.

P.S. - It is in fact the BB - all other parts seat post, headset, fork, wheels, QRs, pedals, etc have all been proven solid.

Re: Cannondale BB30A Issues - Need Someone With Real Cannondale Knowledge [JimMoss] [ In reply to ]

Jul 27, 15 11:20

Post #2 of 19 (17971 views)

I've had the same issue a couple times with my Caad10, and I have a couple teammates who have Caad10's that are much louder than mine.

My sponsor shop gives me a little baggie of thick red grease (thicker than vasoline) that takes care of the problem. When the noise comes back, I take out everything and cover it in the grease. Then re-torque and silence. I'm going on 6-8+ months now all good. And I ride in just about any weather, about 1000 miles a month.

It's worth a shot before you do anything permanent. Good luck.

Joe

-Physiojoe
Instagram: @thephysiojoe
Cycling coach, Elite racer on Wooster Bikewerks p/b Wootown Bagels

Re: Cannondale BB30A Issues - Need Someone With Real Cannondale Knowledge [Physiojoe925] [ In reply to ]

Jul 27, 15 11:33

Post #3 of 19 (17951 views)

Physiojoe925 wrote:

I take out everything and cover it in the grease. Then re-torque and silence.

Joe

So you're pulling the cranks, removing the spindle and the bearing cups and regreasing all of that and reassembling? I've never done that before and not sure what tools I need to do it.

Re: Cannondale BB30A Issues - Need Someone With Real Cannondale Knowledge [JimMoss] [ In reply to ]

Jul 27, 15 12:23

Post #4 of 19 (17918 views)

Does anyone with the Synapse have this issue as well? I believe that was the first frame to move to BB30A.

Interested in what you find though. I'm considering building up a new Evo...but probably not till next year.

Re: Cannondale BB30A Issues - Need Someone With Real Cannondale Knowledge [JimMoss] [ In reply to ]

Jul 27, 15 12:31

Post #5 of 19 (17909 views)

Loctite bearing retention compound should solve this. It worked in my past three Cannondales.

Re: Cannondale BB30A Issues - Need Someone With Real Cannondale Knowledge [topflightpro] [ In reply to ]

Jul 27, 15 12:35

Post #6 of 19 (17903 views)

What is the loctite formula number? And where exactly did you apply it? Thanks for reading and responding.

Re: Cannondale BB30A Issues - Need Someone With Real Cannondale Knowledge [JimMoss] [ In reply to ]

Jul 27, 15 12:38

Post #7 of 19 (17893 views)

I believe it is 609. It is green. You apply a little to the frame and the outer bearing races to hold the bearings in place.

It's a fairly common problem with Cannondale BB30 setups.

Re: Cannondale BB30A Issues - Need Someone With Real Cannondale Knowledge [JimMoss] [ In reply to ]

Jul 27, 15 12:46

Post #8 of 19 (17889 views)

Tell your mechanic to RTFM........

http://media.cannondale.com/...Instructions_web.pdf

Re: Cannondale BB30A Issues - Need Someone With Real Cannondale Knowledge [goodboyr] [ In reply to ]

Jul 27, 15 12:58

Post #9 of 19 (17880 views)

goodboyr wrote:

Tell your mechanic to RTFM........

http://media.cannondale.com/...Instructions_web.pdf

Excellent find. Question is, does this apply to BB30A? My BB is the 73mm BB30A like the Synapse.

Re: Cannondale BB30A Issues - Need Someone With Real Cannondale Knowledge [JimMoss] [ In reply to ]

Jul 27, 15 13:09

Post #10 of 19 (17863 views)

Yes. Only difference between the two is width.

Re: Cannondale BB30A Issues - Need Someone With Real Cannondale Knowledge [goodboyr] [ In reply to ]

Jul 27, 15 13:10

Post #11 of 19 (17863 views)

goodboyr wrote:

Tell your mechanic to RTFM........

http://media.cannondale.com/...Instructions_web.pdf

Gluing in the BB30A bearings is a such a crappy thing to have to do. Makes me weary of getting a bike with one of these. My CAAD9 plain old BB30 seems like so much better of a system.

Re: Cannondale BB30A Issues - Need Someone With Real Cannondale Knowledge [nickwhite] [ In reply to ]

Jul 27, 15 13:21

Post #12 of 19 (17850 views)

That's a good one. These instructions apply to your "plain old bb30" as well. And it's not glue, its a gap filling retention compound. It's widely used in many industrial applications far more challenging than bicycles.

Re: Cannondale BB30A Issues - Need Someone With Real Cannondale Knowledge [goodboyr] [ In reply to ]

Jul 27, 15 13:29

Post #13 of 19 (17835 views)

goodboyr wrote:

That's a good one. These instructions apply to your "plain old bb30" as well. And it's not glue, its a gap filling retention compound. It's widely used in many industrial applications far more challenging than bicycles.

Dang it. I knew you were going to say that. I guess my ire should be directed at BB30 then, although I've been very lucky with mine so far.

Re: Cannondale BB30A Issues - Need Someone With Real Cannondale Knowledge [nickwhite] [ In reply to ]

Jul 27, 15 13:41

Post #14 of 19 (17814 views)

Yes. Lol. Would agree with you there. :-)

Re: Cannondale BB30A Issues - Need Someone With Real Cannondale Knowledge [goodboyr] [ In reply to ]

Jul 27, 15 15:31

Post #15 of 19 (17783 views)

goodboyr wrote:

Yes. Only difference between the two is width.

Called mechanic at LBS. Referred him to the Tech Note. He basically said, yes, we know about the 609 Loctite solution but we've found that using teflon grease works better because the Loctite will get hard and brittle and will de-bond and then you'll have creaking again. I said well the teflon grease obviously isn't working for my bike. They say they've received these PF30 73mm adapter kits and they want to epoxy one of them into my BB shell and go the permanent route.

I don't know what to say to them. I'd like to insist on trying the 609 Loctite but I also don't enjoy transporting my bike back and forth 40 mins each way several times a week. I'd like to get this thing solved once and for all. They claim the best and final solution is the adapter.

Re: Cannondale BB30A Issues - Need Someone With Real Cannondale Knowledge [JimMoss] [ In reply to ]

Jul 27, 15 15:50

Post #16 of 19 (17773 views)

you're trying to take this frame down to accept a 24mm spindle, right? might i ask a basic and probably unintelligent question? the supersix EVO, as i recall, has an aluminum sleeve pressed into the frame. i think an sleeve that takes a 42mm adapter, that is, it would be a press fit for a 42mm adapter to sneak in there, and that yields a 24mm diameter hole for your spindle.

if you press out those 42mm aluminum sleeves, what you're left with is a 46mm hole in the frame. campy, for example, while promising a bb30-native crank (have they delivered it yet?), has a pair of adapters that will take a bb30 down to a 24mm spindle size. one is a 42mm and one is a 46mm, depending on whether you have that aluminum sleeve in there or not.

does all this sound like your bike? if so, is your adapter a 42mm adapter or a 46mm adapter, which is to say, did you press out that aluminum sleeve or leave it in there?

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Re: Cannondale BB30A Issues - Need Someone With Real Cannondale Knowledge [Slowman] [ In reply to ]

Jul 27, 15 16:11

Post #17 of 19 (17756 views)

Negative. But I appreciate you reading and responding to this Dan. The new 2016 SS Evo HM has a BB30A shell, no sleeve, just the bare carbon fiber frame shell. The press fit bearings go straight into the frame and then some spacers, washers and crap and then the spindle and cranks.

The proposed adapter would be an alloy sleeve that would be epoxied into the carbon shell and then the bearings would be inserted into the sleeve. This supposedly will solve the creaking noises.

I sometimes wonder if I should just blindly let them do the adapter and stop trying to play armchair qb. I'm covered under warranty if it goes wrong.

Re: Cannondale BB30A Issues - Need Someone With Real Cannondale Knowledge [JimMoss] [ In reply to ]

Jul 27, 15 16:27

Post #18 of 19 (17745 views)

Been there..done that. Couldnt stand it on my CAAD10.

Ended up switching back to BSA using a Praxis converter. Best decision ever.

Its a shame because the SISL cranks are very nice.

Re: Cannondale BB30A Issues - Need Someone With Real Cannondale Knowledge [JimMoss] [ In reply to ]

Jul 27, 15 16:46

Post #19 of 19 (17734 views)

JimMoss wrote:

Physiojoe925 wrote:

I take out everything and cover it in the grease. Then re-torque and silence.

Joe

So you're pulling the cranks, removing the spindle and the bearing cups and regreasing all of that and reassembling? I've never done that before and not sure what tools I need to do it.

You need either an 8 or 10mm allen key. That's it. This can be done in 5-10 minutes. I don't even remove the bearing cups, I just take the crank and washers etc off the bike and coat everything (including the bearings still pressed into the frame).

This has taken my bike from super loud and annoying to silent. Never needed loctite, although I know some people have luck with it.

-Physiojoe

-Physiojoe
Instagram: @thephysiojoe
Cycling coach, Elite racer on Wooster Bikewerks p/b Wootown Bagels

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