Giga X Pipe vs Mega Exo vs ?

Ron Ruff said:

Since my Ultegra bottom bracket has died after a mere 7,000 miles, I'm
considering one of the newer external bearing designs. Primarily, I'm
hoping that the external bearings will last longer. I want a compact
(110mm) bolt circle though, so that limits the options a bit. It looks
like the Truvativ Elita and FSA Gossamer are the least expensive. I
wondering if those of you who have experience with these two models (or
the BB systems) could offer some advice:

Are there any notable issues with either one?... like assembly issues,
play in the system, noise, short bearing life, poor crank or ring
quaility, etc.

Sold a bunch of Gossamers but as you would expect for a $174.99 crank,
it doesn't have the hardest CR or best bearings there are. Cannot swap
for bettr bearings but standard 110mm bolt diameter so TA rings or the
new Campag Centaur rings will work.

Quoted message said:

Is the Q-factor and/or heel clearance any worse with external bearings?

Yes to both.

Quoted message said:

Can the bearing seals be removed for cleaning/relubing like regular
sealed cartridge bearings?

yes for FSA, not for shimano

Why not a Centaur aluminum compact with a new Centaur BB-$220 complete,
Record quality rings and BB..

OBTW-the new shimano compact is $270 w/o the BB, $320 with it...ala the
Campag carbon cranks.

Quoted message said:

Thanks for the help!

-Ron

Qui si parla Campagnolo said:

Quoted message said:

Can the bearing seals be removed for cleaning/relubing like regular
sealed cartridge bearings?

yes for FSA, not for shimano

Thanks Peter.

Do you have any experience with the Truvativ BB? Can their seals be
removed?

Ron Ruff said:

Qui si parla Campagnolo said:

Quoted message said:

Can the bearing seals be removed for cleaning/relubing like regular
sealed cartridge bearings?

yes for FSA, not for shimano

Thanks Peter.

Do you have any experience with the Truvativ BB? Can their seals be
removed?

Sorry, don't know. Have only sold the FSA and Campagnolo.

An Ultegra BB only lasting a year is pretty unusual; they're about the
most reliable one around.

I'm not sure why you want to replace your entire crankset ($300)
instead of just getting another BB ($30). Even if they only last 7,000
miles each, you'll have ridden 70,000 miles before you've paid off the
new crankset. Save the money and put an external BB on your next bike.

sunderland said:

An Ultegra BB only lasting a year is pretty unusual; they're about the
most reliable one around.

The LBS owner thought 7,000 miles was pretty good. He mostly sells MTBs
and the splined BBs on those tended to go much quicker. He claims that
the external bearings seem more reliable.

A lot of times I wish for the "old" days when stuff tended to last for
many 10s of thousands of miles...

Quoted message said:

I'm not sure why you want to replace your entire crankset ($300)
instead of just getting another BB ($30). Even if they only last 7,000
miles each, you'll have ridden 70,000 miles before you've paid off the
new crankset. Save the money and put an external BB on your next bike.

I could get $100 on ebay for the cranks I have, since they are nearly
new Ritchey Pro compacts. Ultegra BBs are $40-55 generally (not $30)...
and who knows about next year. If I could get a crank/BB system for
$150 or so (Elita or Gossamer) that would be more reliable (hopefully
with bearings that are relube-able), I'd be money ahead.

But... maybe it would be better to wait a year or so to see how the
design shakes out.

I'm also considering a Sugino SR... which is a nice looking square
taper crank for less than $40.

Another issue... I don't think my BB shell was ever chased-faced
properly. I'm getting that done today.

Ron Ruff said:

The LBS owner thought 7,000 miles was pretty good. He mostly sells MTBs
and the splined BBs on those tended to go much quicker. He claims that
the external bearings seem more reliable.

Ridiculous: I ride about 20.000-30.000 miles before replacing an Octalink
bottom bracket. You're using a Shimano Octalink crankset, right? I NEVER
had to replace it before using it at least for the number of miles I cited
above.

Prepping the frame for external bearings is far more critical than for the
Octalink system. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Greets, Derk

Derk said:

Prepping the frame for external bearings is far more critical than for the
Octalink system. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Yup. Threads is thread, but cartridge BBs don't need parallel faces, so
they don't really need the shell faced.

Jasper

Derk said:

Ridiculous: I ride about 20.000-30.000 miles before replacing an Octalink
bottom bracket. You're using a Shimano Octalink crankset, right? I NEVER
had to replace it before using it at least for the number of miles I cited
above.

I'd be happy with 30,000 miles, too.

Looking at the comments at roadbikereview.com, the Ultegra is very well
liked... but I noticed that some people rated it highly even though
they got less than 5,000 miles out of it. Some got a lot more. Tires
and chains are the only things that I'd be happy with lasting 5,000
miles.

It rains a lot here and it is warm and humid... with salt from the
ocean mixed in. I don't know if that makes a difference to a BB, but it
sure tends to corrode steel and aluminum that isn't well treated. I
didn't know if the MTB guys' experience really applied to me, since
they probably submerge their BBs sometimes.

Ron Ruff said:

Looking at the comments at roadbikereview.com, the Ultegra is very well
liked... but I noticed that some people rated it highly even though
they got less than 5,000 miles out of it.

I must have a look at that. I've never heard that before.

Quoted message said:

Tires and chains are the only things that I'd be happy with lasting 5,000
miles.

I change the chain well before, because it will ruin your chainrings and
cassette if you keep riding it. Do you measure the chain with a tool from
time to time before you decide to keep using it?

Quoted message said:

It rains a lot here and it is warm and humid... with salt from the
ocean mixed in. I don't know if that makes a difference to a BB,

I use an octalink bracket on my winter bike. Here there's so much salt on
teh roads in the wintr, that you can see piles of it where I live. Then I
ride through a mixture of salt and water/snow very often and it still lasts
for ever. A friend of mine has a pre-Octalink square BB that he used for
150.000 km's! I think it makes a big difference if you're a very strong
rider, who forces a lot or someone who makes a lot of RPM's.

Quoted message said:

but it sure tends to corrode steel and aluminum that isn't well treated.

Did you ever consider spraying liquid wax on it? I do that with my winter
bike.

Greetings, Derk

Derk said:

I change the chain well before, because it will ruin your chainrings and
cassette if you keep riding it. Do you measure the chain with a tool from
time to time before you decide to keep using it?

With a ruler, yes. I replaced the last one at 5,000 miles with a about
1/32" wear in 10". I'd used primarily furniture wax on that one ("Kleen
Guard", $1 per can at Walmart, like Pledge), with an couple of doses of
oil when it started to squeek. It lasted much longer than the pervious
one that I used ProLink on.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

but it sure tends to corrode steel and aluminum that isn't well treated.

Did you ever consider spraying liquid wax on it? I do that with my winter
bike.

What kind of liquid wax?

Ron Ruff said:

What kind of liquid wax?

This for example:
http://www.roseversand.com/rose_main.cfm?KAT_ID=0&PRD_ID=15760&spr_id=2&MID=0&CID=175

Greetings, Derk

Ron Ruff said:

Looking at the comments at roadbikereview.com, the Ultegra is very well
liked... but I noticed that some people rated it highly even though
they got less than 5,000 miles out of it. Some got a lot more. Tires
and chains are the only things that I'd be happy with lasting 5,000
miles.

Those who rated it highly probably switched to an Ultegra BB after
suffering along with an DA Octalink unit. When I was riding with the
DA BB, I would gladly have traded a short lifespan for something that
wouldn't start creaking/need adjustment ever 500-800 miles. After
'downgrading' to Ultegra, I've had about 4k quiet, trouble free
miles...

SYJ

You can use furniture wax, like Pledge, to lube road bike chains?

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Derk said:

I change the chain well before, because it will ruin your chainrings and
cassette if you keep riding it. Do you measure the chain with a tool from
time to time before you decide to keep using it?

With a ruler, yes. I replaced the last one at 5,000 miles with a about
1/32" wear in 10". I'd used primarily furniture wax on that one ("Kleen
Guard", $1 per can at Walmart, like Pledge), with an couple of doses of
oil when it started to squeek. It lasted much longer than the pervious
one that I used ProLink on.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

but it sure tends to corrode steel and aluminum that isn't well treated.

Did you ever consider spraying liquid wax on it? I do that with my winter
bike.

What kind of liquid wax?

rs said:

You can use furniture wax, like Pledge, to lube road bike chains?

That's what I've been using for the last 6,000 miles. It is very light,
and doesn't make the chain quiet, but I got longer life out of my last
chain than I have with any other lube. To be fair, the furniture wax
isn't all I use. If the chain starts sounding too "dry" or even
squeeks, then I put some oil on it... but not very often. I went for
2,000 miles with only wax before it started to squeek... and that was
with several rainy days, too.

The chain stays pretty clean, which is something I like a lot. Maybe
that is the wax's major function... to keep dirt from building up.