Chris King Bottom Brackets Anyone ?

Oops, my bad. Had a bit of a brain fart there. :wave:

Remember that this is still comparing a BB that's in poor shape to one that has no friction at all.

 

my truvativ stylo BB felt like it had gravel for bearings after the second week of riding it back in early 2006. I'm still using that BB to this day. I just cleaned it and changed the grease in it for the first time last month after it started squeaking, and now it's almost acceptable. I will continue to ride it for probably several more years. My XTR BB i had on my other bike still feels like new, and i cannot tell the difference when riding between the 2.
These are both external bearing BB's.

 

I was thinking about the ck bb but decided to go with the Hope Ceremic BB and I've been very happy. Had it for almost a year now and no issues whatsoever.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=25571

http://www.hopetechusa.com/voir_bbcr.html

 

Crankbrothers Cobalt Ti, even more blingtastic at $200 MSRP:

 

My CK BB makes less noise than my XT BB ever did.

 

I don't thinks it works any better, but it sure does say "BLING BLING" :lol:

 

Where do I get a transparent BB shell?

 

those only comes in ISIS...

 

I thought about shelling out the money for King but instead I went for a set of Enduro steel bearings and a home made Enduro BB puller / press. When all is said and done a little more than half as much as a CK but I don't get all the bling...

Though i did press the bearings into a set of Gold Race Face cups... So theres some bling I suppose.

 

+1. I did have a King installed on my new ride ONLY because 1) my RaceFace BB was fried and (most importantly) the navy blue matched my other components and it looked soooo cool\\/!!!!! Purely a bling thing for me. I could have easily put on an XT and it would have been fine.

 

don't buy a new one, repack it.

Don't buy a new one, clean it out and repack it with grease.

I repacked my XT external bottom bracket, and its just like new. The original grease Shimano puts in the External BB has a very low viscosity, and pretty much disappears after a few washes bike (okay maybe more than a few).

Rubbing Alcohol (Isopropanol) which you can get from your local drug store (ie. wallgreens) and I used Phil Wood Grease to repack it.

I followed the directions from the post that was originally on MTBR, and its quite easy to do. (do this at your own risk, but it doesn't hurt cause you are planning to replace it anyway)

~Michael

*Originally posted by Hecubus*

Lately I've been reading a lot of posts asking how to service, clean, and regrease outboard bottom bracket systems. I took pictures of the process while working on my bike to explain how it's done. Maybe the moderators can make this thread sticky if people find it useful.

Manufactuers specify not to open up the cups and seem to claim that they are disposable once they wear out and should be replaced. That is quite silly since they are incredibly easy to service. They also claim they should last for years and not need service.The problem is the either low quality or very thin grease they use from the factory is normally not up to the challenge. If you keep them greased up they will last many years and will outlive any other bottom bracket system by a lot. If your bearings feel gritty and seem to bind and spin unevenly and prematurely worn out, they are not. These bearings are huge and quite difficult to damage. The problem is they are most likely dried out. Ride with them like that for too long and you will eventually damage them. Follow this guide and chances are they will start rolling like new again. As you should see the process is quite simple. These instructions are for the Race Face and Shimano versions but I'm sure they should apply to other brands as well.

Start by removing the crank arms from the bike. Don't remove the bearing cups from the frame though. Its actually easier to work on them on the frame. Use a long and thin flat head screwdriver or similar thin object to pop out the plastic dust cap covers. You need to insert them from behind. Wedge the scredriver GENTLY between the dust cap and bearing cup shell on the opposite side.



Tap the screwdriver gently until the cap starts popping off. When it starts comming out pull it out with you fingers. I can't emphazise the gently part enough. The caps are made of rather brittle plastic and they will crack if you force them too much. Make sure the head on the screwdriver is as thin as possible and not too wide. Otherwise it will stretch the cap too much and break it. NOTE that the Shimano cap has a thin rubber o-ring around the large outside edge of the cap. Be carefull not to damage it. The Race Face model does not have that o-ring.



Now you should see the bearing cartridge exposed. Pry off the dust seal from the cartridge with a sharp pointy tool. I use this dental like pick I got from a hobby shop.



The moment of truth. Now you will see how dirty or dry the bearings are. Flush out the bearing with the solvent of your choice or just squeeze fresh grease as it is. You can take the cup off the frame at this point if you want to dunk it in solvent or work on it more easily.



Once the bearing is cleaned out apply the grease of your choice. I've found very thick grease such as Pedro's Syn Grease to be an excellent choice for this application.



Squeeze the grease in all around the cartridge making sure it squeezes all the way inside. Once thats done. Snap the cartridge seal back in and clean off all the excess grease from the cup.



Finally snap the dust cover back in and you're good to go.
Putting the dust cover on is a bit tricky. It has a lip around the inside which will make it deform and not want to snap back in. The trick is to press the cap firmly and evenly parallel to the cup, straight in. Don't work it around. You can use a piece of wood or firm flat object to press it in evenly. You can also put the seal on a table and press the cup firmly firnly onto the cap until it snaps in (with the cup removed from the frame obviously!). The Shimano cap is considerably easier to put back on than the Race Face one.



Put the crank arms back on and you're crankset should now roll better than ever!
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