Several questions - Thanks in advance for any insight from the forum.
Who here is replacing their own press fit bottom brackets? If so, did you invest in a bearing press, or make your own from threaded rod/washers/etc.? I’ve looked at a few DIY options online but if you have a link to a DIY one that worked well for you please share.
I’m pretty handy in general, but still building up my bike wrenching confidence. I’d like do be able to do this at home, but I only have two bikes (TT, and road) and so wouldn’t be doing it very often. But, n+1 bikes and tools and all : )
From what I can tell (without taking anything apart yet) my bike (Argon 18 E-118 NEXT) has a BB86 type shell, but for some reason I let the shop convince me to buy my SRAM/Red Quarq dzero PM (165, 110BCD, non hidden 5 bolt) in BB30 (not GXP) which would be a 30mm spindle so I’m pretty sure I have limited options in bottom brackets. I believe I need 86.5mm wide, 30mm ID, 41mm OD. It seems like most options are only 2-piece in these specs.
There’s this Rotor press fit 4130 for relatively cheap.
Or Wheels Mfg has a few options for more money, although I may have to check my spindle length to make sure this works.
And then Bbinfinite has these options for way more money, in a 1-piece or 2-piece.
Any obvious options I’m missing? What am I getting for the really expensive BBs? I assume more longevity, and a warranty in some instances.
Edit to add: my PM + crankset were installed about 3 years ago. I’m just looking to swap out the BB now as it’s creaking (which is a change).
Just get the Rotor or Praxis option and expect to replace it often. Squeezing a bearing into the space between a 41mm shell and 30mm axle is not good for longevity.
just a thought, you can usually borrow bearing press tools at advance auto or similar parts store. You can try to see if one of their adapters fits. It might help you from buying your own for one or two time use.
I’ve made my own DIY version, but in all honesty, you can get much better ones from amazon (like this one) for pretty cheap (~$60). The benefit of buying one is that they normally come with all the parts that make it easy to push old BB’s out.
I can vouch for BBinfinite. Got their 1pc BB for a bike once and it stopped creaking. Then got it for another bike along with their tool, which is top quality, too. Haven’t installed any other brand since then and never had a creak on any of them. Highly recommend them.
I made my own as well years ago, but I already had the bushings from a BB30 removal kit. That is around $40 by itself and seems to be the expensive part of the DIY route. The rest of the stuff you can get at a local hardware store for around $5-$10. Basically just a threaded rod with two bolts, and two washers with the bushings facing each other. The amazon link posted here would probably be better than the one I made.
Mine looks really similar to this one from Pinkbike:
Bonus if your hardware store has a long enough threaded bolt.
Ended up ordering a Praxis. Couldn’t find the Wheels Mfg anywhere, and I didn’t want to pay the premium for the BBinfinite if I might change out my cranks to a 24mm or DUB in the future.
Praxis calls for a really specific loctite silicone adhesive sealant for the BB. Any idea if that’s really necessary, or can I just use performance grease?
Praxis calls for a really specific loctite silicone adhesive sealant for the BB. Any idea if that’s really necessary, or can I just use performance grease?
Much higher likelihood of creaking with grease, the loctite prevents that. But a lot of people find grease works ok, just might require a re-grease occasionally
To OP: I installed a Hambini one piece BB into my Cannondale Supersix Evo HiMod, and my wife’s Cervelo S5 & P5. His customer service was phenomenal.
FWIW: I measured his BB’s against a Rotor BB and an Enduro BB, and against Cervelo and Cannondale BB shells, using high quality calipers. Hambini BB & Enduro BB were the closest to spec, with rotor next, and the Cervelo and Cannondale carbon BB shells being abysmal. Hambini BB’s have performed very well, though I have no way to test drive train losses. Any losses are certainly not perceptible.
