MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
[url= http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=23&products_id=188 ]Ignore the name look at the product[/url], SKF are good yeah, is it worth £30 and is there anything better for the price?
I hae some enduro bearings to go in Shimano cups, would they be a better bet?
Pink is the only one in stock = not on my bike so question about performance no relevant.
Oh, and no experience of BB either...
its sold by shit stars so it got to be junk
As i stated if you please ignore the seller!! Doh!
i wouldn't as if it goes wrong they will tell you its youre fault even if it came broken 🙂
I have never been one to embrace new (unproven?) mtb technology so I was running internal BB's longer than most. After watching others and doing my research I decided that SKF were the boys who knew their bearings so that very same Aerozine BB was my first ever HTII BB. The cups are well finished but unfortunately the bearings only lasted 6 months and then went graunchy. It was from that same seller and all he had left was the pink too but I don't think it is anything to do with him. It was then that I heard that 6 months was about the going rate for external BB's whatever price point you entered at. Hence I replaced it with a £20 Shimano XT job but that is still going after 18 months. I am not sure what price point to jump in at now with Shimano, those £20 cups are now £30, there are now some Deore ones at £15 and the XTR are £40. I may try some Enduro bearings in those pink cups next.
SKF are the daddies in the bearing industry
Unfortunately, Superstar components don't seem to know how to seal a BB properly.
I bought one of the above mentioned BB's at Mountain Mayhem last year, it lasted approximately 15 rides (even though I thoroughly greased the bearings before installation!).
BB life is far more to do with the quality of the sealing from muck, than it is the quality of the bearings used sadly.
No no no avoid
I had one, lasted ok, about 14 months but when I came to remove it after it developed a creak (it creaked intermitantly from new) it just crumpled and came out in pieces the shell cracked and I was very lucky it didn't get stuck and ruin a very expensive titanium frame
The shell seemed very thin and quite fragile and obviously with hindsight quite brittle too
It was instaaled correctly, I had cleaned all the threads, applied copper grease and tightened correctly with a torque wrench, frame was also faced
Mine came with plastic spacers not alloy but that hadn't bothered me as I reused some old alloy ones anyway
It may have been a one off fault but personally I wouldn't risk it again when a perfectly adequate shimano one can be got cheaper
I love the way we all jump on the superstar bashing wagon, but they're Aerozine BB's so now we should all start berating Rutland cycling...
[url= http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/AEROZINE-HOLLOWTECH-2-EXTERNAL-BEARING-BOTTOM-BRACKET-/330563807086?pt=UK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&var=&hash=item7dbca4bf8f ]Linky[/url]
Jay
Jay - I think the issue most people have with SS is his somewhat, errm, idiosyncratic approach to customer service rather than (mostly) any beef with the products themselves.
He's had a bad batch of pads int he past and cheap external BB's will be a gamble wherever you buy them. It's how the retailer behaves when there is a problem that is important.
I agree, I had an SS BB and it was sh*t, but I think cruzheckler wants to know if the Aerozine BB is any good!
What I'm trying to get at, everything that SS sells isn't junk, but yes their customer service does "occasionally" suck!
Jay
It was then that I heard that 6 months was about the going rate for external BB's whatever price point you entered at
Cobblers. Try a Chris King and watch this theory get shot to bits
read the review on the site.
Which review?
Which site?
What?
I may try some Enduro bearings in those pink cups next
Personally...wouldn't bother, mine lasted no time at all
you can find XT for £25 without to much trouble online
This is what i'm currently running
XT seems to strike the right balance between longevity and cost...for me anyway 😉
My XT one has lasted 10 months - about 2000-2400 miles in the Peak District ridden in all weathers
Bit like bottom bracket world at the mo.
A bottom bracket is just an alloy cup with a £2 bearing pressed in, suppose sealing could be better on some than others but most can be whipped apart and grease applied to the bearings. Cant imagine these are any different.
What I'm trying to get at, everything that SS sells isn't junk, but yes their customer service does "occasionally" suck!
And rutland dont have the same issue?
take a look at some of their negative ebay feedback..
Poor customer service, rude...
I have a pink one on my hardtail and a purple one on my DH bike. Both have been perfect, in that I fitted them and haven't had to touch them for well over a year. I am a lardy (used to be called Clydesdale) rider with not so much finesse or skill, and enjoy riding at all times of year.
They have outlasted Shimano BBs I have had.
Don't get the Superstart one. I got one very cheap at some bike show and while very pretty (in black) it has some issues:
The notches in the cups are very shallow and soft so it's increasingly difficult to remove without resorting to a pipe wrench
The bearings lasted around 2 months of dry conditions. I now have a big box of replacement bearings and they are easy to swap so I'm now leaving the cups in the frame and knocking the bearings out in-situ. I change the bearings every 2-4 months.
Best bet is to buy a new SLX crank from Rose bikes for £80, use the BB yourself and sell the crank on ebay for around £100...
I have had the none SKF one in for ages and its been ace to be honest, and thats with peaks riding. We had them in at MTB Direct when i worked there and other than the small notches they seem fine.
I dont know why people harp on about BB's as one really wet ride can knacker a BB after its sat and gone ginger. None have seals worth speaking of, thats what kills them not distance!