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I think I saw
I think you imagined it. Still listed on shimano.com, still widely available in shops. If Shimano ever stop making them, you will need to buy new cranks in order to cycle around the post-apocalyptic wasteland🙂
FWIW, the Token ones are sound (sometimes sold as Tifosi), and TH Industries make various grades under the RPM and FSA brands to compete with UN26 and UN55 for OEM sales, and they can also be found in the retail channel.
gbj_tester-
I've been using a Token square taper BB for a while now, model with hollow Cro-Mo axle and crabon shell.
Weighs 220g with a 113mm axle, which is substantially less than the ~300g+ of the Shimano equivalents if that matters to you. Bearings feel great still, and the cup design precludes binding them by over-tightening.
The seals seem flimsier than Shimano ones though, so I packed the inside of each cup seal with grease prior to installation to give the seal lips a chance to stay moist. This was harder on the drive-side as the seal doesn't want to pop out without damage, so I injected a load of grease under it via a syringe.
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is it really still widely available? At the moment I looked for it on the different places I bought it before (here example of Bike24) which is why I asked if there was any recommended alternative, but I noted the Token ones so thanks :)
ectoplasmosis
paulbiche
out of curiosity @gbj_tester I think I saw that my BB of choice BB-UN55 (that you recommended also) has been discontinued, what would be your recommendation?