I am gonna install a DA 7800 crankset. Which is the better bottom bracket to go with?
I want it reliable, quiet and of course, fast!
Go with 7800, or 7900?
From a website (has 7900 on sale for $35)
The 7900 bottom bracket cups employ a wider bearing spacing for greater stiffness and stability. The seals have also been improved to reduce drag and more effectively keep out contaminates. They are designed for use with 7900 and 7950 cranks, but are compatible with Shimano 7800 and 7801 crankset/cups too.
$129 on this site…lots more than a Shimano! Is it worth the extra moola?
This Chris King external cup bottom bracket is specifically designed for Shimano-compatible external type crank/bottom bracket systems. Anyone owning a Chris King headset or hubs can appreciate their high build quality, great looks, strength, and durability. Their bottom brackets have those same traits and are very popular with many satified users. They are precision made with alloy cups and a user serviceable stainless steel bearing. With a special grease gun the grease can be totally replaced in a few seconds. With the grease injection system, you can train with high viscosity grease and switch to low viscosity for friction-free performance. The total weight is 106 grams including 90 grams for the cups and bearings, 8 grams for the spacers and 8 grams for the sleeve.
Good man. I still LOVE these folk who think that they could ever in a million years tell one BB from another due to the surface area of the bearing race to the BB shell (or external of the shell)…but marketing is all that matters
No, you should get the King. It is a wonderful piece and offers great ability to properly maintain the unit for a long long life - that they warranty even.
Yes, Ceramics are voodoo magic for any day but race day and their service requirements are just goofy (if you follow them before your BB eats itself). I really wonder how many folks with a Red BB really re-grease them after EVERY ride where the system got wet.
Back in the rollerblade racing days we would take our ABEC9 608Z bearings, remove the dust caps and lube them with TriFlow…sure they spun fast in hand…and at the end of even a short race they were packed with sand and grit…smart thinking on our part
I’ve used King as long as I can remember. I’ve abused, neglected, not maintained any of their products the way one should and have had nothing but great success. In this case, I really believe you get what you pay for. I have no metrics to back it all up, except that the stuff just works well. I did buy the bottom bracket “grease” tool when I put the BB on my MTB, but haven’t used it yet. Whereas other BBs and headsets have been disposable for the most part, the King stuff is something you buy for life.
I recently installed a 7900 BB on my training bike after I destroyed th non-drive side bearing (mega exo bb).
Sweet so far and spins very nicely (ultegra sl crank)
No. Seriously.
You’ll go just as fast with a Shimano 7800 BB (or a 105 BB for that matter).
If you have the extra bucks, then the King is a nice looking quality piece, but it won’t make you faster.
Yes, it is serviceable, so in theory it should last longer than a Shimano, but you can also buy 5 Shimano BB’s for the price of 1 King.
If you have the grease injection tool you can flush out the heavy grease in your King BB with light grease or even oil to reduce friction for races, then go back to the heavy grease. I would be interested to try some Manitou Prep M suspension fork grease as its a lot lighter in consistency. In the days of loose bearing BB’s and hubs a lot of riders would clean up the bearings and replace the lubrication. When I was first racing a lot of the old school roadies and trackies when they replaced the bearings would run toothpaste in the bearings and ride a few miles to polish them, then switch to a light grease. A pain in the arse, but those bearings would spin forever.
I’ve got the King headsets on a couple different bikes - one is 4-5 years old, the other about 13 and I have done utterly zero maintenance ever to either (also live in an area where they get used in the rain a lot). The King BB wasn’t out yet when I got my DA, but when it goes, i’d replace it with the King. Not any faster, but probably close to breaking even on the cost if you factor in having to replace the inferior BB 2-3X during the same lifespan, plus the time/fuss saved just not having to bother w/ it again. I guess it depends on whether you’re the type to hang on to a bike forever, or sell it and get a new one every few years. For me, I consider pieces like Kings to be a good hassle-free investment so I can turn my money and attention over to higher-wear items like tires, chains & gearing, etc instead.
