A few years ago I replaced the Ultegra BB on my road bike with a Chris King ceramic BB. Without the chain attached, I can give the pedal a shove and the crank will make 1 to 1.5 revolutions and stop. This is a little better than when the Ultegra BB was installed.
The amount of friction (excessive) in the BB has always seemed a bit fishy to me - like the one derailleur gear that spins much slower than the other.
It’s not an over-torque issue, as it acts the same with the left crank only hand-tightened. When I re-assemble the BBs, I always apply a thin layer of Phil Wood grease to the moving surfaces.
Take off your chain. Give the cranks a spin. How easily do they turn?
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Here’s the impetus of my question: I replaced the chain on my Rockhopper 29er MTB this weekend (Deore level components). Internal BB, whatever came with the bike. I gave the pedal a shove & it made 5-6 revolutions. Much, much less friction than the $$ Ultegra/CC BB setup on the road bike.
On a properly installed crank, the amount of revolutions your crank can do when you spin by hand has to do with how tight the seals on the BB are, and how much/thick the grease is.
Ceramic BB’s spin really freely because they load them with very thin grease and weak seals, which is why they also tend to get really dirty really easy.
I tried Ceramic BB’s on my road bike for one season, then went back to good ol $25 Ultegra cups. Same with a lot of the folks I used to road race with, all tried them, then went back to Shimano.
I have no data but for me the $$$ vs. $ is the deciding factor. I can replace my BB once a year on my TT bike for around $30 (angular bearings, seals, washer) and it spins like butter.
Wheels Manufacturing bearing are a great value IME.
Spinning my cranks without a chain… they spin smooth and free.
I have no data but for me the $$$ vs. $ is the deciding factor. I can replace my BB once a year on my TT bike for around $30 (angular bearings, seals, washer) and it spins like butter.
Wheels Manufacturing bearing are a great value IME.
Spinning my cranks without a chain… they spin smooth and free.
Xeon makes a great point in that with BBs and jockey wheels, the age and wear has more to do with lost watts than the small difference beteen best in class and nearly as good but much cheaper options. you are better off getting a less extensive one more often thsn an expensive one you keep forever.
As an aside, I have yet to see a Press Fit BB that matches either of these. So maybe that’s the first answer: get a bike that doesn’t have a pressfit BB. IME, Chris King is somewhat over-rated, producing extremely reliable, but high-drag components.