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So; it looks like my DUB BB is on the way out; question is; what to replace it with ?
Options seem to be:
another SRAM - cheap; but I only got two years out of the original
Nukeproof Horizon - more pricy; but looks nicer and has replaceable bearings
Hope 30mm + Dub adapater - even more pricy; but should last for the longest ?
Any thoughts ? Is 2 years considered normal on an external BB ? I'm used to square tapers that last for decades tbh !
2 years is pretty good. Go with sram again on that basis. For a longer life repack the bearings with grease from new.
I went with nukeproof mainly as I couldn't fine anywhere with sram in stock. That was mid lock down so maybe easier to find now.
I'm in the same position.
Got 2000km and a small amount of play.
Trying to suss out pf92 for 29mm cranks is doing my head.
2 years?! Holy cow. I'm lucky to get 2 months out of a DUB.
Careful with the Nukeproof DUB, the cups are wider than SRAM so they were too wide to accommodate my SRAM crank axle in a 73mm BB shell.
2 years is fine from an external cup bb. I’d just pick up another Sram one. I don’t see Nukeproof as an upgrade particularly as a brand.
Hope are generally considered an upgrade but it depends if they are proper dub designed or if they’re just using a bb30 type bb with an adapter to bodge it.
Rickon - 2 months for a dub bb - what are you doing to them?!
I've been a Hope fan for many years and have one of their original external bottom brackets still going after years and multiple bike changes.
However, the 30mm and Dub spacer kit (along with yet another tool needed to put it in) that has done no more than a few hundred miles has developed play and a gritty feel already. Need to strip it down before deciding what the problem is exactly although the cranks are tightened to torque (X01).
A basic Sram one on two other bikes in the household have held up much better.
@rickon - repack them from new. Make all the difference. We were at 2months per bb until I started doing this.
I went with an Uberbike one as SRAM ones were out of stock anywhere in UK and EU sites that had them wanted quite a bit for delivery.
Think it has replaceable bearings which is a positive, but no idea how long it will last on this set yet.
I've still yet to replace any of my DUBs... Although each one only gets a portion of my total riding.
And the other thing was to add a drain hole to the frame. I don't think that internal sleeve is up to much. Ben - all your Birds have drain holes already, so that must help.
I had my cranks off a few weeks ago so decided to take a look at my 16 month old external DUB BB that's been ridden through all sorts. Still smooth and I even popped a seal to check the grease which was pristine.
I'm really not sure what is going on with hope just lately but their quality seems to have really dropped away and I actually try not to buy their stuff right now. BB with GXP adapter lasted barely a few months before it sounded like tosh and a brand new set of bearings on my much older one did nothing and meant a month or so later the BB was completely replaced. I'm not convinced by standard BB's with then adapters to make them fit a different standard, just release a version designed for it or don't bother at all.
Good to hear about people's opinion on hope. Have been looking at them as an option as an upgrade to my DUB BB/cranks after i managed to bend one of my sram cranks on an uplift. Think I'll look somewhere else after these reports, thanks folks
Mu DUB is 14 months old and starting to creak, well at least I hope it is, need to find that bastard somewhere. I'm on the fence between another SRAM onew, or binning the lot in favour of a new SLX or XT Crankset.
@P-Jay - that's the boat I'm in. I've ruled out every other source for my creaking and it's getting progressively worse. I'm sure it'll go pop at some point if I don't catch it soon enough ! I'm guessing I'll also need a new BB tool ? I've got an old style shimano BB tool and the adapter for 'current' shimano BB's - another one to add to the tool chest?
Packing DUB with decent grease from new gives me a year, which is the same as hollowtech 2 used to give me.
I suppose if I was dilligent enough and packed them again after 6 months I'd get longer.
that’s the boat I’m in. I’ve ruled out every other source for my creaking and it’s getting progressively worse. I’m sure it’ll go pop at some point if I don’t catch it soon enough ! I’m guessing I’ll also need a new BB tool ? I’ve got an old style shimano BB tool and the adapter for ‘current’ shimano BB’s – another one to add to the tool chest?
Yeah you'll need some kind of SRAM BB tool, you can buy ones online that priomse to fit all sizes but they made a right mess of my mates bb. Funactionally fine but looks very ugly.
In my case, and I'm sure it's the same for all DUB cranks you'll need a big torque wrench because the bolt needs to be tightened to 54Nm, I don't know if you can get away with REALLY ****ING TIGHT or it needs to be exact.
My crank (It's a TRUVATIV that came with my GX build Bird) has been pretty faultless in 14 months, apart from the self-extracting outer ring thing self-extracting itself and falling off on the trail somewhere, but I look at the complexity of it, the cost of the BBs and availability (pre and post COVID) and I'm starting to miss my Shimano HTII cranksets, I could remove one in 15 mins, BBs were £15 and on the shelf in ANY LBS or for under a tenner online if you were tight / could wait. I had some older HTII crank arms fall off due to poor fitting on my part, but mostly bullet proof for the last 4 or 5 years.
I don't know if SRAM are using a solution looking for a problem or they're hamstrung by Shimano Patents, but it all seems a bit unnecessary.