The Tester Approves thread (see first post)

Well that’s shit. :(

If the bolts are currently M5, they've stripped themselves to the correct size hole to tap it straight to M6...

They tell me Shimano UN-300 is the new UN-55?

See https://www.lfgss.com/comments/15681391/incontext/ et seq for a discussion of how this is more or less the case.

Probably better to ask here than AQA. I have one of these Race Face bottom brackets for their cranks with 24mm axle, which is known for premature death. Mine has indeed died prematurely. I’m a bit new to this type of bb. Are they interchangeable between brands and, if so, which one should I get? It’s for a threaded 68mm shell.

Edit: or are the (6805 2RS?) bearings replaceable? Without taking it all off the bike, I’m not actually sure what the common failure is, if it’s the bearings or if it’s the plastic top hat shims that have collapsed or scrubbed themselves to death.

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They're compatible with standard Shimano Hollowtech II BBs, so a BBR60 would be my first choice.

Thanks. I think I’ve actually just found what the problem is. The type of bearing used in the Race Face bb might not be the most appropriate, so I might just switch them to a higher quality SKF or Fag bearing. Not the cheapest bearings in the world but cheaper than a new BB and ought to solve the problem. Only issue might be the clearances getting the new bearings in because of the very thin outer race.

Brommers is right, just get a Shimano.

If it's got spacers it's probably an MTB one you want rather than the BBR60.

Well most of the Shimano bbs are cheaper than a pair of SKF bearings so I think that’s that answered!

So is the difference between road and mtb Hollowtech 2 cranks just the longer axle length with mtb cranks? Only actual difference is if one were to use a BBR60 with road cranks in a 73mm shell, the nds spline wouldn’t stick out far enough. I think I need one of the mtb ones, as snottyotter said, just so I get a fresh set of uncompressed spacers. Plus the nds cup may be slightly deeper threaded to accommodate the use of spacers.

Road:
-Ultegra BBR60 (68 or 73mm shell, no spacers).

Mtb:
-XTR BB93 (spacers for 68-73mm shell)
-SLX BB-MT800 (as per BB93 but cheaper?)
-Deore BB52 (as above but entry level bb)
-Saint BB80 (for 68, 73 & 83mm shell. Has a very wide looking drive-side cup. Probably don’t want this one in case the threads aren’t deep enough in the bb shell)

Then with those you have the problem of which fits the old (yeah right) standard tool (BB52 and BB80, I think) and which are the smaller new standard which need the crappy plastic adaptor with the old tool...

Main difference between BBs is the plastic spacer between the cups because you don't use a spacers over the threads, I've had to use a couple of MTB ones and reuse an old road center spacer recently because of difficulty getting stock. MTB cranks have a longer axle, which if the raceface one used spacers is probably the case there too, but worth checking, Shimano MTB BBs use one 2.5mm spacer (or smaller ones to make that up) NDS on a 73mm shell or two NDS and one DS on a 68mm shell, ignoring all the ones for wider shelled boost etc stuff or BB fitting mechs or chain devices.

Shimano MTB BBs use one 2.5mm spacer (or smaller ones to make that up) NDS on a 73mm shell or two NDS and one DS on a 68mm shell

Isnt it the other way round. 68mm; 1 x NDS & 2 x DS. 73mm 1 x DS. Also MTB cups are 10mm wide as opposed to road which are 11mm so a road chainset fitted to an MTB BB will be 2mm too wide, so spacers needed if cant take up difference using the preload nut.

Ok, thanks all. Current setup is 68mm shell with 2x spacers on the DS and 1x spacer on the NDS. So I should be sorted if I go for a MTB one which has a bit more allowance with the plastic tube and more thread on the DS cup. And just check my BB tool fits...

1. Shimano 16-Notch X 44mm: Fits 16-notch, 44mm diameter external bearing bottom bracket cups including Shimano® Hollowtech II, Campagnolo® Ultra-Torque and Power Torque, Race Face®, FSA®, SRAM®, Truvativ®, Chris King®, and Phil Wood® outboard bearing. Also fits disc brake rotor lockrings with 16 external notches. NOTE: Will fit Shimano TL-FC24 and TL-FC25 adapters.

2. Shimano 16-Notch X 41mm: New for 2015. Fits Shimano® BBR60 (Ultegra 11-speed 6800 Series) and BB-MT800 (DEORE XT M8000 Series ) bottom brackets.

3. Shimano 16-Notch X 39mm: New for 2015. Fits Shimano® XTR BB93 and Dura Ace BB9000 bottom brackets.

BB52 it is, then. Bloody hell, glad I asked!

Yeah, of course it is, woken up early for the kid's birthday so bleary eyed. I did measure cups before using and they came up the same 🤷.

What's the tester approved flat pedal for the cheapskate?

Who knows? I don't think I've ever bought a flat pedal, and flat pedal means different things to different people. Are they for a 17st hooligan jumping 40 foot gaps or his 6st grandmother to go to the corner shop?

My fave is the MKS MT-FT, rebuildable with cromo spindles.

They're for my mate, who is relitively new to cycling, for his tandem. It came with some Keo's but, rather than go down the buy bike shoes route, him and his teenage stoker would prefer flats.

DMR V11s, basically the same as their vaults, which are good, but plastic bodied and half the price. Or welgo whatever if you want cheap, not the mega long pinned ones if you're friend wants to keep their shins.

All the brands you've heard of are basically fine (MKS, Xpedo, Exustar, Wellgo, VP) and give you what you pay for, i.e. the cheapest ones are a bit shit, the mid price ones are fine and the high end ones are a waste of money. The choice is going to come down to what you can find in stock for an agreeable price.

cheapest ones are a bit shit

If you don't mind the rattle, a V8 has outlasted many pedals with tiny cartridge bearings,In my experience anyways. Closer to hooligan doing big jumps than 6stone granny.

DMR V8s are well into mid-price territory by the standards of the OEM manufacturers listed, my definition of cheap in this case being stuff that retails for under a tenner 🙂

my definition of cheap in this case being stuff that retails for under a tenner

Hah right

Has anyone „sex-changed“ their traditional rear track hub as per the tester method? I’ve done it on the front a few times with success but not sure if m6 would hold the wheel enough to prevent it slipping in the dropouts….

Opinions and experiences gratefully received ✌️

not sure if m6 would hold the wheel enough to prevent it slipping in the dropouts….

Probably not. All my M6 bolted rears also have chain tugs.