[Closed] Falling out of love with Hope 🙁

Do you own a powerhose?

[url= http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-deore-bb52-hollowtech-ii-bottom-bracket/rp-prod129632 ]Deore BB. £6.99[/url]

I'm getting (only replaced 1 bearing) in about 4 years of use...

Are you applying too much reload when fitting the cranks?

Was the frame faced to ensure the BB shell faces are parallel?

I cant get more than four months out of a shimano BB in the winter. And that's with me popping the seals off to re grease a few times as well.

External BB's are just so exposed with not much room for good seals. Does anyone make a BB with grease nipples?

Run Chris King if bearings are a faff a splurche with a grease gun is very satisfying !

I have used Hope BB's for 10 years on a number of different bikes, I have not needed to replace the bearings in any of them. I have got through six or so sets of XT shells in the same time on other bikes, so replace with Hope when I can. I must not be putting as much effort in as you. Must try harder.

A year is more than twice the time I got out of Shimano HT2 bearings before I gave up on them (4 months was closer to their livespan).

Not sure about press fit variants but if its a threaded BB shell does it need facing?

Hope's ceramic BBs last for years and years. Not tried their steel ones.

scratch that, more like 8 years of hope

£6.99 for a HT II, bargain !

Everyone will have varying lengths of service as everyone rides / washes / cares for their bikes differently.

So basically just buy something that's cheap and easy to replace.

Try Shimano cheap BB and see how long it last for your style of riding and washing. They are cheap enough to warrant an experiment.

I'm actually very confused now because I've got a Hope stainless steel external BB on my Orange Five and it has plastic (top hat shaped ) shims that protect the bearing and extend between the crank axle and bearings. Is this just a peculiarity of my setup? 2009 Orange Five / Hope BB / Raceface Evolve XC crankset, because even though I don't go through bearings as quickly as you (replace them every couple of years), I do have a BB wibble that I've always kind of put down to wear on the crank axle.

Now that I think about it though, I don't think I got my replacement bearings from Hope. I think I got them from a guy off t'internet, and they came supplied with the little dust cover / shim things. I wonder if the wibble will go away if I ditch them?

Sorry, I can't help, but I do the same as you for all the bearings on my bikes. I buy them in bulk, generally £10-£12 for a tube of 10. This is my 'local'

http://www.scotiabearings.com/

Still think it's more economical and less wasteful than buying non-serviceable throwaway BB's.

Stick with em' I say. Stand up and support great British engineering!

B. 🙂

Deore's not that great a deal, they don't last well- works out pretty cost equivalent to XT, with extra hassle. I wasn't that impressed with my Hope, lasted maybe twice as long as an XT... discovering they'd cunningly specced hard-to-find bearings was the last straw so I sold it.

(I reckon most of the complaints about Shimano come from them not liking overtightening, Hope are more tolerant of bad fitting)

Gusset ext24 in all my bikes now- the lifespan's not quite as good as Hope, but it's just as servicable (giving it an occasional clean and grease is worthwhile) and uses standard bearings (6802s IIRC) so it's cheaper to buy and run. There's probably others that are just as good but I'd always choose it over XT and Hope now.

Hope last twice as long as XT at 7 times the price. I'm going back to Shimano.

This one comes up repeatedly, why do some people seem to mash BBs quickly and others get them to last ages? I don't know but my answer is cheap and cheerful. I usually get through 2 per year which at online prices is a lot cheaper than Hope etc. my new bike however has a press fit so we shall see what bearing life is like fairly soon.

Can't remember the last time I had to replace the XT bearings on two of my three bikes, they seem to last me ages.

My PF-30 bike has had grumbly bearings pretty much since the day I bought it, but they haven't died yet...but it's probable that I'll explore the Hope option.

Three years on with a Hope bb on my commuter and no issues. Other than taking off the plastic dust cover now and again to clean and add grease, no maintenance at all and it has 'endured' three winters on Sheffields less than smooth roads!

Some interesting answers there.

No, I don't use a power-washer, just a hose on domestic pressure to clean.
No, frames haven't been face (by me). Maybe I 'll get them done...

I wonder if the sealing is compromised as the shell wears, the outer plastic seal floats around a lot more and can let more crap behind it?

I might drop Hope a line (and buy an XT for the time being)

The Deore that came with my chainset lasted a year before getting crunchy on one side. I just replaced it with a Gusset ext24 following Northwind's advice in similar threads.

I think my Hope one is a good 4 years old and now fitted to a mates bike and he is a serial pressure washer.

It's probably had one or two re-greases in that time.

I'm a fan of Hope, but can't really justify a BB from them, when the lifespan in comparison to XT isn't reflected in the price jump. Ceramic bearings are mostly a con as well.

I tend to agree about over tightening the preload as a prime suspect for lifespan issues as well.

Thanks for the info Northwind, will be picking up a Gusset bb!

I've been able to source replacement bearings at trade price by buying in bulk (10+) from an online shop

Care to share where?

Sharing [b]is[/b] caring

Might be worth checking out alternatives tbh, I hear good things about the uberbike one.

Was the frame faced to ensure the BB shell faces are parallel?

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😆

I used to munch through BBs. Now I don't. The difference I think is where I live now and how much riding I do and the times of year I do it.

I used to do all my riding in the Peak, all year round and tonnes of it too (I was unemployed).

Now, I'm a Southern softie, ride on Sundays only and tend to avoid rain, BBs last for ever.

If this sounds like you, it might explain why BBs do/don't last for ever with you too.

Do Hope BB bearings actually wear out?

Neither of mine (one stainless and one ceramic) have - upwards of 8 years.

I have a hope which is about 4 years old and has been perfect since day one.
If buying now I go for raceface as I had a tool machined to remove the bearings. Cheap bearings last about 6 months until they start creaking at which point I change them which last time cost around £5.
I have one raceface bb that I put some trailbright ceramic bearings in and that's been used for nearly 2 years on my battered old cove stiffee that I use daily as a commuter/ muddy ride bike. These are what I will put in any that need changing in the future.
It will annoy me having to pay £30 for replacement bearings from hope but that's offset by how long they have lasted.

Try buying the proper bearings....

I tried wholesale, Chinese and cheap ebay bearings in my pro2 hubs. They all lasted about a month, if that, before developing play. Bought proper hope bearings and they've been going for well over a year now.

My hope (stainless) BB has just started to click and run rough on the non-drive side. It's 8 years old and has been in four bikes! I've got a proper hope bearing to put in when I get around to it.

I briefly dabbled with the Enduro bearings. Briefly cos they wore out in weeks, rather than months.
I've only used Hope SS bearings since then. Are ceramics longer lasting?

I do have a reputation with BBs. I rather foolishly followed the cult of ISIS for a while after spanking a lot on some Middleburn RS8 cranks. I got through a brand new RaceFace BB halfway round the Whinlatter Enduro once, and killed a Crank Bros one in 15 minutes of riding in the Peak. SKF were good while they made them, and surprisingly, Superstar too.

I read on here(a long,long time ago)that you could extend the life of HT2 bearings,by popping the seals and re-packing with better quality grease.It's a bit of a faff ,but since doing it,I have not replaced any bearings for ages. I use ..

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and as scotroutes says,don't got OTT with the pre-load.

Rarely replace a BB they last me years. The silky feel of a new one goes off after a few rides but after that it's months and months and months before it starts to feel even slightly grumbly. Have had some proper evil RF/Truvativ/FSA BBs but no complaints. Might get a Hope one day to see what all the fuss is about.

A quick question if you're suffering short life on HT2 BBs, how tight are you doing up the cranks (Shimano) using the plastic top cap? IME HT2 BBs suffer short life if overtightened as you're side loading the bearings and they're not designed for that.

I've recently decided to give Hope another chance.

I had one before but wasn't getting enough life out of the bearings to justify the increase in cost so went back to XTs.

After a year and about 5 XT BB's I've decided to give Hope another try. In hindsight maybe I should acknowledge other brands exist 😕 Just already having a couple of spare bearings the tools to change them persuaded me to try them again.

(I am always careful with how much I preload the bearings and my bike is only ever washed with a sponge. It does get a lot of use in even the worst of conditions though.)

I tighten the cranks up using the plastic tool, by hand. I guess as tight as I can, but the tool is designed so that's enough.

3 Hope BBs here over 5 years old all of them never had to change anything yet and do 100+ miles every week thorough out the year.Carefull washing and installation is the key.

OP think your tightening them too much?

IMO hope do great hubs, brakes and finishing kit but don't see the point in upgrading to their drivetrain bits.

I just use hollowtech; always find it to be cheap as tits and very stiff and reliable. probably change the BB x2/x3 a year. No dramas

although I've got a pressfit BB on my DH bike and haven't changed it yet. reason is that's cos I never ride it

That's too tight Mr. Muscle!

Im almost certain that its the excessive preload that kills HT2 BBs.
I've had a secondhand hope on my main bike for 2 years now and I've regreased them perhaps once.
When Im adding the preload I leave the crank with perhaps 1/2mm of side to side float, so that the rubber contact seals on the inner face of the crankarms is just touching the plastic outer seal on the BB. Not enough so that you'd notice, but enough so that the bearings aren't really under side loads.
I've got a 5yo XT HT2 BB on the HT / winter bike which is quite grumbly, but its already lasted a year more than I expected.
So occasional re-greasing and very little pre-load seem to be the solution.

Yep, they should be as loose as possible without there being play. If you're doing them up tight (even by hand/finger) that's too much and you're side loading the bearings. Do them up just enough to get rid of play (I do it until I can feel that the crank is in contact with the BB and then back off 1/4 turn) and IME the bearings last ages. I've got one on a SSC HT2 BB which supposedly die after two rides still going strong 4 years later...

I tighten the cranks up using the plastic tool, by hand. I guess as tight as I can, but the tool is designed so that's enough.

That's far too tight, all you need to do is remove the slack. There is a Hope bb fitting vid and the chappy says you only just nip it tight.

Hope bb and headset have been astounding for me, three years on a headset and still fine and my BB is about two years and thousands of kms. I always put some grease over the seals before assembling, not sure if that helps. I've found the hub bearings less reliable and have moved on to DT hubs now.

There is a nice little Hopetech 'how to' video that shows how to pre load the external BB. Nip the plastic wheel in the crank up finger tight to ensure bits are in the right place, back off 1/4 turn then re-seat gently.

I've also got 2 mk1 Hope headsets and they've had NOTHING done to them for nearly 5 years.
As long as the slack is taken out they just last. I always have an external headset seal (bit of neoprene shock cover) on the lower cup which keeps 99% of the crap out.

Ok.

Consider my wrists slapped.
I'll buy some more bearings and watch the preload...

I would say the bearing quality is a majot factor here.

Buy hope ones or similar high quality, kInetic are good.

i have had hope last years

What am I doing to get through so many bearings?

I'm in the same boat and have actually gone back to XT bbs.

I'll try the nip and tuck technique too, before consigning it to the sales forum.

It really is better to have the slightest bit of side to side movement (less then 1mm) than too much.You're literally closing the gap, not applying any side loading.

you dont want any side to side movement.

nip it up but you dont want play.

I'd rather have a little play than be overloading the bearings. But neither is right, it's just that one's more destructive than the other

I found XTR went from smooth but not very free running to shagged with no middle ground. After 3 in a year (faced Soul) I fitted a CK and now just regrease occasionaly with the tool that makes me grin every time.

Sancho - where do you get the Kinetic bearings from? Found the details, but website says trade accounts only.

I didnt know they were trade only but they are what we fit in the workshop

Why would they die? Can't see why stainless bearings shouldn't last. Perhaps taking the seals out and 'maintaining' them isn't a good idea.

I tighten the cranks up using the plastic tool, by hand. I guess as tight as I can, but the tool is designed so that's enough.

With all the wrist exercise you get, you may need to reconsider what is meant by 'hand tight'. ;-p

Why would they die?

taking the seals out and 'maintaining' them isn't a good idea.

I've got a Hope SS which is about 3 years old it has been subject to minimal maintenance and maximum riding through water & mud, the thick gloopy clay like stuff near Winchester. It still runs perfectly, I did take it out a couple of weeks ago, removed the outer 'seal' (top hat type plastic shield) and they looked like new, spinning them on my fingers they felt really smooth.

When I re-assembled (and originally fitted them) I followed the Hope video and made sure the tension on the bearings was just right.

the00 - Member

Why would they die? Can't see why stainless bearings shouldn't last.

WARNING: INTERNET FACT

It's often said that stainless is just a less suitable material for a bearing, apparently they're less hard and wear differently. True? Nonsense? No idea. With pushbikes corrosion's obviously more of an issue than with heavy machinery

I have 3 hope bottom brackets in use. Had one of them 10 years, the others 5 & 3.
Changed the bearings on the oldest after 6 years & the middle one I've greased up once.
Which reminds me I should have a look at the "new" one.
All three frames were faced .

I've never faced a frame. I've never had a problem with HT2 BBs failing quickly.

I'm still convinced it's a myth based on early BBs having a manufacturing problem that the distributor wanted to get out of paying for so they dreamt up the facing myth. You'll note that there's no mention of it in the instructions that come with Shimano BBs

(slight caveat - yes there are rare instances of BB shells needing facing but that's no different to poorly faced head tubes, etc that happen from time to time. It's not the norm)

With all the wrist exercise you get, you may need to reconsider what is meant by 'hand tight'. ;-p

Man speakth the truth. 😉

how do you adjust the prelaod on something other than shimano cranks then?

If they don't have a method for preloading, at least some have shims to adjust the effective BB width to adjust it.

Others have a spring or elastomer washer to take up slack.

Is there a drain hole under your bb shell? If not, drilling one might stop it living in a damp puddle at the bottom of the seat tube.

To help get a better gauge of how much preload you're applying I find it helps to make sure the axle spline and corresponding interface on the crank arm is spotlessly clean.

A lot of grime seems to accumulate here. If it has then it becomes difficult to judge when you get to the point of turning the plastic tool hard to push past the grime, and turning the plastic tool hard building up the preload.

Spotlessly clean on reassembly then manually push the drive side crank so that the little rubber seal next to the outer bb seal is just touching it, then do the same with the NDS using the tool. If both rubber seals on the inner face of the crank are just touching the dust cover on the BB you're fine.

Here's a weird one. My Five is in one of the local shops at the moment while the shock is being serviced. Thought I'd ask them to face the BB shell while its in there. They replied "you didn't buy the bike from us and we're not an Orange dealer so I can't help you with it"

Odd.

Helpful shop.....

They replied "you didn't buy the bike from us and we're not an Orange dealer so I can't help you with it"

Eh? It's not rocket science...

Presumably it will affect your warranty?

Presumably it will affect your warranty?

Speaking for IR, the frame is second hand. That aside, why should it affect warranty?

dunno! just trying to think of reasons why they wouldn't face it, sorry!

Maybe it was Al's shop and he asked to have it done for free??

On facing the BB sheel edge: My bike came as a complete bike with an xt crankset and external bottom bracket. If it needed facing then it would not have been supplied in a fit state for use. You can check this with a set square by holding it against the bottom and side of the shell and moving it around a bit. In my case my shell was fine, i.e the angle was very very close to the square at 90 degrees. If you buy a bike or frame and the manufacturer can't machine the shell face to within the required tolerances you are wasting your time. It shouldn't need re-facing at a later date.