Bottom Bracket Bearings

I am considering changing the late model Shimano crank set on one of
my bikes to the old fashioned square tapered axle type. Partly due to
nostalgia and probably equally because I've got all the bits and
pieces to do so.

The square axles will limit the actual bearings to the older "loose
ball" type with the adjustable bearing cup and the later Shimano
cartridge type ( BB-UN xx).

The question is which are better bearings, the actual bearings
themselves. Which type will have the longest life.... assuming
intelligent care and lubrication?
--
cheers,

John B.

On 9/3/2016 3:22 AM, John B. wrote:

I am considering changing the late model Shimano crank set on one of
my bikes to the old fashioned square tapered axle type. Partly due to
nostalgia and probably equally because I've got all the bits and
pieces to do so.

The square axles will limit the actual bearings to the older "loose
ball" type with the adjustable bearing cup and the later Shimano
cartridge type ( BB-UN xx).

The question is which are better bearings, the actual bearings
themselves. Which type will have the longest life.... assuming
intelligent care and lubrication?


With regular maintenance a premium loose-ball will run
virtually forever.

That said, once dirt or salt water penetrates you will have
rapid wear. 'Regular maintenance' will be very different for
Chicago winters than for clean roads in a dry climate.

Add a liner between the cups. Those really help.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

John B. wrote:

:I am considering changing the late model Shimano crank set on one of
:my bikes to the old fashioned square tapered axle type. Partly due to
:nostalgia and probably equally because I've got all the bits and
ieces to do so.

:The square axles will limit the actual bearings to the older "loose
:ball" type with the adjustable bearing cup and the later Shimano
:cartridge type ( BB-UN xx).

:The question is which are better bearings, the actual bearings
:themselves. Which type will have the longest life.... assuming
:intelligent care and lubrication?

Loose ball. They're somewhat bigger than what's in the cartridge
bearings, so if set up right, they should last much longer. The
cartridge bottom bracket is easier to set up, though.

--
sig 24

On Sat, 03 Sep 2016 07:10:47 -0500, AMuzi wrote:

On 9/3/2016 3:22 AM, John B. wrote:

I am considering changing the late model Shimano crank set on one of
my bikes to the old fashioned square tapered axle type. Partly due to
nostalgia and probably equally because I've got all the bits and
pieces to do so.

The square axles will limit the actual bearings to the older "loose
ball" type with the adjustable bearing cup and the later Shimano
cartridge type ( BB-UN xx).

The question is which are better bearings, the actual bearings
themselves. Which type will have the longest life.... assuming
intelligent care and lubrication?


With regular maintenance a premium loose-ball will run
virtually forever.

That said, once dirt or salt water penetrates you will have
rapid wear. 'Regular maintenance' will be very different for
Chicago winters than for clean roads in a dry climate.

Add a liner between the cups. Those really help.

That was essentially what I had thought, but I thought I'd ask.

--
cheers,

John B.

On Sat, 3 Sep 2016 18:41:58 +0000 (UTC), David Scheidt
wrote:

John B. wrote:

:I am considering changing the late model Shimano crank set on one of
:my bikes to the old fashioned square tapered axle type. Partly due to
:nostalgia and probably equally because I've got all the bits and
ieces to do so.

:The square axles will limit the actual bearings to the older "loose
:ball" type with the adjustable bearing cup and the later Shimano
:cartridge type ( BB-UN xx).

:The question is which are better bearings, the actual bearings
:themselves. Which type will have the longest life.... assuming
:intelligent care and lubrication?

Loose ball. They're somewhat bigger than what's in the cartridge
bearings, so if set up right, they should last much longer. The
cartridge bottom bracket is easier to set up, though.

That is what I had thought. As an aside, I never found adjusting the
old style B.B. to be that difficult.... assuming the proper tools at
hand, of course :-)
--
cheers,

John B.

https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...2&category=347

One of 2

This is the way Togo

On Sunday, September 4, 2016 at 2:02:21 AM UTC-4, DATAKOLL MARINE RESEARCH wrote:
https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...2&category=347

One of 2

This is the way Togo

https://www.google.com/#q=shimano+sq...acket&tbm=shop

John B wrote:
The square axles will limit the actual bearings to the older "loose
ball" type with the adjustable bearing cup and the later Shimano
cartridge type ( BB-UN xx).

The question is which are better bearings, the actual bearings
themselves. Which type will have the longest life.... assuming
intelligent care and lubrication?

The other posters are possibly right in that the cup-and-cone bearings are
of higher quality if you like to adjust and re-grease them every now and
then. That said, I've standardized ally family's bikes to the cheapest
Shimano cartridge bearings (BB-UN-something, with the plastic left-hand
shell) and never had one break in years.

robert

On 4 Sep 2016 19:18:41 GMT, Robert Latest wrote:

John B wrote:
The square axles will limit the actual bearings to the older "loose
ball" type with the adjustable bearing cup and the later Shimano
cartridge type ( BB-UN xx).

The question is which are better bearings, the actual bearings
themselves. Which type will have the longest life.... assuming
intelligent care and lubrication?

The other posters are possibly right in that the cup-and-cone bearings are
of higher quality if you like to adjust and re-grease them every now and
then. That said, I've standardized ally family's bikes to the cheapest
Shimano cartridge bearings (BB-UN-something, with the plastic left-hand
shell) and never had one break in years.

robert

For that matter, the only BB bearings I've had that did actually fail
were on a 10 or 15 year old aluminum frame bike that I kept on the
boat for shore transportation and which had fallen in the ocean a time
or two and no maintenance had, to the best of my knowledge, ever been
accomplished on the bike.
--
cheers,

John B.

On Sunday, September 4, 2016 at 4:57:56 PM UTC-7, John B. wrote:
On 4 Sep 2016 19:18:41 GMT, Robert Latest wrote:

John B wrote:
The square axles will limit the actual bearings to the older "loose
ball" type with the adjustable bearing cup and the later Shimano
cartridge type ( BB-UN xx).

The question is which are better bearings, the actual bearings
themselves. Which type will have the longest life.... assuming
intelligent care and lubrication?

The other posters are possibly right in that the cup-and-cone bearings are
of higher quality if you like to adjust and re-grease them every now and
then. That said, I've standardized ally family's bikes to the cheapest
Shimano cartridge bearings (BB-UN-something, with the plastic left-hand
shell) and never had one break in years.

robert

For that matter, the only BB bearings I've had that did actually fail
were on a 10 or 15 year old aluminum frame bike that I kept on the
boat for shore transportation and which had fallen in the ocean a time
or two and no maintenance had, to the best of my knowledge, ever been
accomplished on the bike.

I've had pitting with conventional cup-and-cone BBs, shot cartridge bearings in a variety of designs from Phil to Octalink -- and I went through ISIS BBs like Kleenex. Those were a really, really bad design. Anyway, I've never found any of the BB formats to be bullet proof.

I like the current outboard, threaded BB cups like the Ultegra. Even if the bearings go bad, it cost $17-20 for a replacement, or even cheaper if you find a super-sale, and it takes ten minutes to put them in. Press in bearings are not really that bad either, but installation takes more finesse and tools. I think we hit the pinnacle of BB design with the threaded outboard bearings.

Square drive and cup and cone is fine for dry climates, but I wouldn't buy one for here in Oregon -- unless I were committed to routine maintenance. The internal sleeve helps some, but grease still gets washed out.

-- Jay Beattie.