[Closed] BB: XTR or Hope?

XTR's functionally the same as XT (SLX and XT are the same part btw). Slightly different internally but not better. Premature BB failure with Shimano almost always means overtightening though, it kills them very fast and mountain bikers overtighten everything... XT aren't super durable but they should last [i]reasonably[/i] well.

Gusset EXT24 is a good middle ground, for traditional screw-in. Well priced, come in pretty colours, slightly servicable, fairly long lived even if you don't bother, easy to change bearings and uses standard sizes (unlike Hope) so cheaper to run in the long run too. As long as you don't break the tophat anyway, definite weak link.

I would go for hope. I have a stainless steel one that is about 6 years old, maybe more and it's still on the original bearings. Expensive compared to others but good value long term.

I went Hope ceramic. Outlasted the frame.

Can't fault the XTR BB's I've had - especially for £24 a pop. They seem to last longer than the XT ones I've had in the past. The Deore ones are a joke.

Hope ceramic 5 years old & still on original bearings, just pop the seals off & fill with quality grease every 6 months.

Agree that over tightening is a main reason for shimano units failing prematurely, have you seen the Phil wood external BB's after ordering one for a customer I was sold and now have them in all my bikes well worth the cost as the quality is perfection in every way.

uberbike ceramic cant go wrong for price etc 20% off sales quite regular as well.

Hope..there bombproof 🙂

Was just going to suggest the Gusset but beaten to it.

I've been running Hope hubs and headsets for years and am inclined that way - but cheaper stainless option. Tempted to do it on the 'cheap' with XTR (I know) as cash it tight right now, hence question.

Not convinced about overtightening - really, with a hand tool, not an allen key?
[img] [/img]

I've been running an xtr for nearly 1000 wet gritty horrible miles now, with numerous axle deep river crossings. It was s/h when I got it with some m970 cranks so no idea how far it had done before that.

I'm impressed anyway. Enough that I'll probably buy another if this one dies.

montgomery - Member

Not convinced about overtightening - really, with a hand tool, not an allen key?

Oh yeah, absolutely- the recommended torque is 0.7nm-1.5nm, which is almost nothing. Fix a weightless lever 1 metre long to the tool and put an apple on the end, it's that much. I don't know what the max you could apply with the shimano tool by hand is, but lots more than that. Maybe 15nm?

Arguably it's a design flaw, this- Hope designed their BB with a bit of pragmatism, it's pretty resistant to overtightening. Shimano trust us to do it right, but mountain bikers overtighten [i]everything,[/i] except when we forget to tighten it at all.

Hope, then replace the bearings with Enduro BB90 bearings, at £13 a pair off ebay. That's what I do.

Hope has outlasted every frame.

My first Hope bottom bracket is now on its third frame and about to enter its sixth year of life, on the original bearings. Might have been regreased when it went into the second frame but that was back in 2011, definitely hasn't been regreased since then. 1000+ hours riding time in all weathers. My last Shimano one managed less than 6 months (it was free with the cranks - it's been replaced with another Hope).

My take is either cheap Shimano from Germany or King and the grease tool and look after it.
I have a few King BB's that are getting on a bit now but still faultless.
But they have been regreased on a regular basis. Piss easy to do with the King greasegun adaptor.
Still use Shimano on bikes that get light summer use.

Hope for me too, at least 4 years old and 3rd frame been through some slop in its time, not the highest milage rider but still havent had to do anything to it, shimano in the other bike will be replaced with hope when time comes, probably soon. Im a sucker for the union flag products though.

as Northwind pointed out, its super easy to overtighten a shimano HT2 crankset setup even with the nylon tool Shimano designed - which was made in nylon in an effort to stop people really cranking up the pre-load.

its then surprising that companies make a metal tool for that job

[img] http://i1.adis.ws/i/washford/544835?$pd_main_v2$ [/img]

if you check the pre-load when bikes come into a workshop, its often +10nm which is way too high for long term bearing durability, and I'd say from my experience the cause of quick BB death.

I was swapping over to my old Middleburn cranks and square taper BB this morning when, while screwing in the BB, I suddenly realised I had bigger problems...
[img] [/img]

Blimey! Did you fit a chainsaw chain by mistake?

I generally get on pretty well with XTs but I pack them full of grease when new and check/top up every 6-9 months.

As long as you don't break the tophat anyway, definite weak link.

I think the top hats uberbike sell for theirs also fit the gussets, although I haven't checked. I wouldn't guarantee how well they'd seal in a different frame either. Marginally easier to swap out, too.

Hope - after years of Shimano I'm gobsmacked at how long Hope last.

Thing is, given the fact that all the other 'industry standards' have changed in the last couple of years...why haven't they changed the BB standard? Enlarged BB shells so you can run well-sealed, protected bearings inside them rather than sticky-outy where they get blasted with crap? This is a 'standard' that, unlike the others, perhaps actually [i]needs[/i] changing....

What like press fit or bb30?