Which cankset/bottom bracket for reliability

I found Shimano 24 more reliable.  Don't know if it is because the others function in a different way, i.e Shimano only relies on light preload whereas something like Sram is held on by tightness alone.

Rotor do a range of light crank arms that can use a 24mm spindle.

Personally I think Shimano nailed it with their BB and crankset, it just works.

I think most, if not all BB longevity issues are probably frame misalignment, and the 24mm Shimano system just copes with that better, especially press fit BB. I don't think DUB is particularly worse than an equally spec'ed Shimano BB, they use the same sorts of materials, they're probably assembled similarly, I've had them last a couple of years at a time (although at that point they are rough) it wouldn't necessarily bother me if a bike came with a DUB crank, both my bikes have DUB cranks and while every now and then I price up a XT crank and BB and promise myself I'll do the swap, I never have.

So yeah, Shimano 24mm every time really

My bike uses a threaded DUB BB and they've lasted well, but I don't like the stupendous torque on the crank bolt and the fiddly pre load adjuster. Or more accurately I don't like undoing the stupendously torqued crank bolt - I could probably strip a shimano crank on the trail with a multi tool, but to undo the DUB bolt I've found it easiest to use a socket with a length of pole over the handle and a rod through the hole in the crank with a length of timber braced against that to lever back on the opposite pedal.

Tldr - go shimano.

nickc +1

yeah, DUB needs a "method" to get it off, but then I've never had to take a crankset off mid-ride. [shrugs]

But...still Shimano.

I think SRAM knocks Shimano pretty much everywhere else these days, their brakes are better, their 1X is better their electronic is waay better, but Shimnao nailed the crankset first time, and thankfully they've left it alone.

MIne are all a bit old now but I prefer the raceface type where the crank is tightened to a hard stop.  I've never had the shimano type with the crank with a pinch bolt but that has an extra point of failure / thing to get wrong.  race face ones you cannot over tighten and sideload the bearings

I’ve never had the shimano type with the crank with a pinch bolt but that has an extra point of failure / thing to get wrong.

Could go wrong, but has it ever gone wrong?  I have had loads of Shimano cranks and the 12nm torqued pinch bolts have never been a problem in the slightest, ever.

Whereas every GXP BB I have had has never lasted anywhere near as long as Shimano.  I try and avoid GXP but I have just built up a light road bike on a budget (6.7kg, £900) and couldn't resist some old SRAM Red cranks arms at 400g so now have a GXP again.

I have seen others with the shimano ones fail because of the pinch bolt ( and a few tales of woe on here) and I fitted one for a pal - its was tricky to get set up right whereas the race face ones you just tighten to the stop

I love XT cranks and BB too, never given me any issues, apart from not coming with the direct mount chainring tool. Think I've mastered the perfect amount of preload, torqued to 12nm, bolts never been a problem, even with Uberbike titanium ones, people who mangle them have only themselves to blame, they're fit and forget in my experience, look at saving 100g or so elsewhere, the crank area is probably the best place to have an extra 100g anyway.

Xt cranks and a Chris King bottom bracket. Touch wood ... they seem to last forever. I'm 14 years in on one BB but the cranks are a bit newer as I wanted 1x12 a few years ago.

race face ones you cannot over tighten and sideload the bearings

They (like SRAM cranks) still specify 50+nm though, which is why they all need a breaker or similar to remove, whereas Shimano want finger-tight to preload the bearing and Shimano make the tool to do that from plastic to prevent over-tightening and you're nipping up the crank bolts to keep it there, it's effectively a headset turned 90 degs. If you can set those correctly; congrats, you can do up a Shimano crank. There's nothing tricky about it.

<p style="text-align: left;">I've had many sets of Shimano cranks over the years and a big fan of the pinch bolt system.</p>
Never had the slightest issue until last week when my left hand XT crank fell off at the far end of my ride. I tightened it again and it fell off. The splines were knackered, as was my right leg by the time I got home!

First time for everything but be aware they can fail.

New arm was cheap enough. I'll be keeping an eye on it.

Shimano 24mm cranks just work - no need for anything else. Saying that, only two of my bikes have Shimano - one has Hope EVO as I needed 83mm BB axle, and the other has a set of RaceFace 24mm cranks as they came on a full build in 2017.

One positive for RaceFace and reliability is the steel direct mount N/W chainrings that last for ages and cost very little.

Shimano 24mm, have a pair of XTR cranks and XT bb on the stumpy, 3000miles in and the BB is still absolutely fine. Fairly sure the BB wasn't new when I put it in either !

Just like @Fat-boy-fat above- Chris King & XT.

I've very sadly just scrapped a Chris King /Shimano-fit BB  after a shade under 18 years.  That's 'Years' not months...

It's been fitted to 5 frames in that time, always in either my main off road 'big' bike or in my commuter, which got hammered with 3 times a week, all year round on an xc return trip of 33 miles over the Sidlaws into Dundee.

Ok, I did buy the grease injection tool for it and used it at least once a year.  But that's hardly a hardship.

Shimano all the way, the only thing they were missing with their HTII cranks was a direct mount chainring, which they now offer. As nick says, it's basically a headset and can easily be done with trail tools.

Fwiw, I also own SRAM, RaceFace and e13 cranks and prefer the Shimano ones.

I have snapped a non-drive side XTR crank at the pinch bolt, it was a good 8 years old at the time and had done thousands of miles across a few bikes, had run with a Hope ceramic BB since 2010.

When I wanted shorter cranks on my Cotic a couple of years ago I went SLX and was very happy to remove the need to buy yet another DUB BB, installing the Hope BB.

For value vs weight hard to see past SLX.

still specify 50+nm though, which is why they all need a breaker or similar to remove

Breaker not so much but a longer handle allen key or socket set hex head. 50nM is not that hard to remove. Yeah your unlikely to remove it trailside but that is kind of the point. There is no reason you should need to. IMO it is a lot easier to over-preload the Shimano bearing design as many of the tools available can be used with a long handle (rather than finger tightened on a small diameter tool which they are supposed to be).

Another one here with King 24mm BB's that are pretty old.
One bought in 09 the other 10.
Both still working and creak free on Shimano cranks.
Both been on multiple frames with multiple cranks. I do though have to be careful when using the grease gun on the older one or it can pull the inner race out.

The Raceface crank I had was really bad for destroying BB's due to there being no adjustment on it bar a rubber washer.

IMO it is a lot easier to over-preload the Shimano bearing

That is pure user error and has no bearing on whether the system is good (when installed correctly)

Not sure how hand tightening the preload bolt and then tightening two pinch bolts to 12-14nm is that difficult for anyone but then I am quite mechanically minded.

Shimano fan here. Although both my MTBs are running XTR cranks with the separate preload adjuster collar. One set are M970s and have been caned - I bought them S/h well over 10 years ago. The other set are 9120 - the only reason for purchase was bloody stupid Boost spacing meant my other set of M970s wouldn't clear the stays. I've never had any issues with the pinch bolt style ones on road and gravel bikes, or my other half's bikes either. They just work - and its not rocket science to install them right.

BB wise, I've always had good luck with Hope, (between us we must have 5 or 6 Hope BBs, all over a decade old; only 1 has needed new bearings). However the new, smaller OD, Shimano ones seem unbeatable for the price - she runs one on her gravel bike - lasted 4 years of all weather grinding inc 3 Dirty Reivers a Distance and a C2C plus the training for them.

I'd only move away from a 24mm axled crank if it was on a frame that had an OS BB specifically designed for larger diameter bearings - eg T47 or PF46.

it is a lot easier to over-preload the Shimano bearing design

"If I ham-fistedly install this thing incorrectly, and do my usual trick of overtightening everything because I'm an oaf; I can make a real hash of it"

Isn't really Shimano's fault though, is it? I mean don't get me wrong, leaning on a SRAM DUB to the required spec isn't difficult either, they just need different approaches.

I still have, in use on two different bikes, Hone cranksets, those have both got to be well over a decade old and have been moved between several bikes over the years, one is currently spinning on a Hope BB the other on a bogo Shimano, all fine...

Remember Hone? - Basically they're 1st gen LX HT2 with a darker grey finish, so even old, relatively cheap HT2 are/were pretty bulletproof...

24mm is plenty of axle girth I'm not sure why anyone would buy a DUB crankset unless it was a really cheap option fat axles mean skinnier bearings and bearings are the bit that drives durability...

I've also got several square tapers still going nicely on road, Gravel and CX bikes, those are truly the most durable option in terms of bearing life IMO, but do come with a weight and stiffness penalties.

Thanks all. Seems like most are in agreement about DUB. I'd forgotten the other benefit of Shimano being so easy to remove.

Interesting the comment about pressfit and misaligned frames contributing to short lifespan. The new frame is threaded, thank God, so maybe I'd risk DUB if I got a bargain on the crankset.

I always go Shimano with a Hope BB. All our bikes run Hope BB what ever the configuration - screw or push fit.

24mm is plenty of axle girth I’m not sure why anyone would buy a DUB crankset unless it was a really cheap option fat axles mean skinnier bearings and bearings are the bit that drives durability…

No two riders are the same, and everyone has different standards they apply to what's acceptable in terms of how long a BB lasts; throw into that mix their cleaning routine, the conditions they ride in, how often and how long they ride for, the type of terrain, how well made their bike's BB shell is. I don't think anyone is going to say that GXP was better than DUB, and (unlike Shimano up until recently) you can pretty much always get a DUB/Eagle crank to fit your bike and I don't think that DUB has a particularly bad lifespan in comparison to a similar shimano BB

I personally think the Shimano interface is better, and the 24mm BB seems to be the sweet spot for most folks, but I don't think DUB is terrible either.

That is pure user error and has no bearing on whether the system is good (when installed correctly)

“If I ham-fistedly install this thing incorrectly, and do my usual trick of overtightening everything because I’m an oaf; I can make a real hash of it”

Yes granted it requires user error, my argument was that when many tools (non-shimano) come like this the first thing many users will do is crank it up using the arm for leverage, rather than removing the black end and doing it finger tight. They even helpfully have a hex fitting to make you think that is the correct usage.

Making the same mistake is much harder with the systems with a preload collar. The point is while the design will work as it should it is flawed in that it does not make it difficult to over tighten.

I for one prefer the 30mm collar systems or the older 24mm Raceface system where the preload is provided by an elastomer in the crank arm. I would not touch DUB with someone else's stick.

FWIW I have only ever had one non-sq taper crank fall off and that was a 24mm Shimano.

Sure, You can make a similar argument that for most applications; press fit is a much better BB solution, It's lighter, has finer tolerances, reduces unnecessary components, reduces manufacturing time and effort, requires no threads to be cut. The reasons are pretty compelling, but the execution of the design has killed it in the eyes of most folks.

I reckon most of us have done up a Shimano pre-load too tightly, I'll also bet money the second one that we all installed lasted waaaay longer.

+1 24mm

Either Shimano or RaceFace

I think Shimano have got the best bb system.

Sram have a better direct mount chainring option / tooth profile (if we ignore new transmission) and lighter cranks.

Ive got GXP on one bike with an x1 carbon crank. I find the sram gxp bbs go rattly earlier than I’d like so have a Praxxis gxp bb which is lasting much much better. Was £27 for said Praxxis bb so pretty cheap.

I’ve got Dub on another - didn’t find the dub bb lasted well at all so have a wheels manufacturing dub bb on there - again - this is lasting much better than the sram one. I think it has slightly bigger outside cups so they fitted in a slightly bigger / better sealed bearing. Was a bit spendy - about £90

Got a pressfit Shimano bb in my road bike with Ultegra ht2 cranks. Recently started getting a funny clicking sensation through the cranks when pedalling slow cadence but high pressure. Changed my pedals out and it was still there with different ones to just whipped the cranks off and regressed / put them back on and it’s gone. I think that’s the stupid press fit standard that’s the issue though. I reckon I’m going to bin the Shimano bb and get a screw together aftermarket one to fix the stupidity of the standard. Probably Token or Wheels.

So overall reliability I think I’d go Shimano ht2 and pick up an XTR cranks. If you want some carbon bling and lighter weight then the XX1 crank you mentioned but use a wheels manufacturing dub bb instead of a sram one.

I have seen others with the shimano ones fail because of the pinch bolt ( and a few tales of woe on here) and I fitted one for a pal – its was tricky to get set up right whereas the race face ones you just tighten to the stop

Just wondering whats tricky with shimano, seat everything, use the (shimano supplied) tool to provide endload, tighten the pinch bolt to "quite tight". Ride bike.

I've done hundreds.

The only ones i've seen screwed up are those who use a massive long spanner for the preload. Christ, you can provide the requisite preload by pushing the crank arms together with your hands, you don't need a 10" spanner. It's almost like when the aheadset was launched, selling aluminium top caps to idiots who didn't read the instructions and tightened the top cap in the same way you tighten an expander bolt...

And those who tighten the pinch until the slot closes up, which is going to be 20-25 Nm at least. Which is a lot.

But still i've seen it done lots of times (usually stems clamping onto steerers or bars).

Mine all have old XTR. Only downer is single ring availability since they're mostly 104BCD which puts a limit on minimum size but they last forever, they take proper BBs, they're even pretty light. I went through an idiot phase of carbon raceface and of course they all broke but it was only after the fact that I threw them on some scales and discovered they were all of 30g lighter than my ancient XTR M970s when complete with ring.

Nixie - on all tools I've seen similar to the one you posted, the preload tool spins on a locating pin - just to save you from losing it. The lever does nothing with respect to the preload tool as it is independent.

Nixie – on all tools I’ve seen similar to the one you posted, the preload tool spins on a locating pin – just to save you from losing it. The lever does nothing with respect to the preload tool as it is independent.

Exactly this. I don't think I've ever seen a tool like that with a "fixed" handle.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a tool like that with a “fixed” handle.

A mate of mine has a 1/4" square drive shimano preload tool. And i've got a spanner in my tool box (it's not even 3" long, so not a big deal) they also have 1/4" hex bit inserts and tools with a 6mm hex hole in the middle, so they are out there.