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I am debating a bike change and on the list is a frame with BB92 and after all the various posts around pressfit etc I am curious about some real life experiences with that bottom bracket as at this stage it scares me.
For a bit of context I ride twice a week, week in week out all year, through son (3 weeks a year) and mud / bog (49 weeks a year) and my original screw fit dub BB used to get replaced twice a year due to wear, so a press fit of any type worried me hence the question to find some real life truth aside from the "press fit is bad" generalisms.
Only have one bike, ride it a lot and don't have space for a trailer queen bike that gets emotional, moody, or munches bottom brackets more.
Ta
James
Got a 2015 stumpjumper Evo. Had it from new. It's still on its original PF30 bottom bracket. Gets used all year round mainly in the Peak
BB92 on my road bike.
The only way I stopped it creaking like a bastard was a C-Bear ceramic bearings and Loctite 641 on the cups in the (aluminium) frame.
Its been great since though ?
EDIT - FFS - the question mark was a smiley face...
No issues with mine, gone through two on my MTB which was purchased in 2017 and used all seasons of the year.
BB72 on my fatbike and that's seen all sort of conditions - snow, ice, mud, peat, sand, sea. It's now on its second BB.
BB72 on my MTB. That lasted even longer.
BB72 on my road bike. That's only two years old, so maybe too soon to tell?
The first lasted 4 years. I really don't think they are near as much of an issue as folk made out.
No worries or issues on the Yeti ARC I use all year round.
I've used SRAM GXP BB86 bottom brackets and I found them to last longer than the thread BSA ones. Perhaps I was just riding less.
If you buy a good quality press fit bottom bracket then I can't see why it wouldn't last as long as a good quality threaded bottom bracket.
Creaking likely comes from poor frame tolerances/poor installation. As mentioned above, Loctite will solve this.
If it’s a decent manufacturer I wouldn’t let it put me off. Or rather, a threaded vs pf bb might be the deciding factor between two similar bikes and I’d definitely prefer one, but it wouldn’t be a showstopper.
Mine ended up ovalised and started chewing through bottom brackets.
Gravel bike has a Press Fit. Ridden in all weather and conditions, and often out of its comfort zone (small jumps, drops etc). The stock BB lasted around 1500 miles before developing a creak. It actually outlasted 2 chains, 2 cassettes and a set of wheels. Replaced it with a Dura Ace and have put just under 600 miles on it with no issues.
Still prefer threaded for MTB though.
BB92 on my Stumpjumper FSR.
Lifetime isn't great and it tends to get very stiff to rotate after wet & muddy rides. It normally frees up after a minute or so, until it doesn't. Which is a pain. Never had issues with creaking or that kind of annoyance.
I'd avoid when it comes to replacement.
My Pivot has been brilliant with a PF92 - really does depends on the manufacturer as I know Pivot are really hot on QC on their BBs.
Had bb92s on my last 2 bikes ridden all year round and raced from the alps to Ae
OEM Sram ones lasted a few months, wheels manufacturing screw together ones, bearings last a couple of years, don't creak at all and bearings are just tapped out when they do go.
I have a shimano pf92 on my hardtail which I thought I'd have to replace summer, I've ridden all through the last very wet winter and it's still running fine.
Had a 2015 specialzed enduro with a pf bb, I heard all the horror stories before purchasing but really wanted the bike. Used to go through a bb a year, the same as every other kind of bb I’ve used, never creaked and I used to just hammer the new one in with a wooden mallet!
The PF BB on my Neil Pryde road bike had an absolutely incurable creak. I tried a screw-together Wheels MFG BB, extra strength Loctite bearing gap filler, Loctite primer - nothing worked.
I've avoided them ever since.
Put a wheels mfg thread fit to replace a pf30 on my orro road bike. Has been completely flawless for last 2500 km
I've had a lot of bikes with press-fit bottom brackets. None have creaked. I hate creaking so would soon notice. Lifespan seems the same as BSA. Can only imagine those that creak are poor quality/out of spec frames/bottom brackets or assembled dry.
That is super helpful, thanks all, particularly interesting to hear from @nickc as that is the very frame I am looking at - Yeti Arc.
James
Fitted a Hope PF30 to my GF's Yeti SB5 back in 2017 and still not had to change it out yet (and no creaks).
BB92 with shimano is fine. Easy to swap in and out when they do wear and also not too expensive. Plenty of room for decent size bearings with a 24mm axle.
They've been fine for me with one big caveat - only with cranks with 24mm axles. Anything with a 30mm axle, the bearings just disintegrate. A decent BB92 pressfit BB (like a Hope) with a Shimano crank will last a very long time.
So in summary it works but only if you use 24mm spindle, bugger, so how does that fit with transmission then? As I think, but don't know, it's just SRAM cranks and their all 30mm 🙁
Ours has a 30mm spindle.
My Arc runs the pressfit Hope/Enduro bearings and a 30mm Hope cranks. I’m on the same set for 18 months now.
Ours has a 30mm spindle.
Yours also has a BB30 bottom bracket though, not BB92.
Maybe run the SRAM dub one and if it doesn't last very long then change to a Shimano/24mm crank/BB and sell the dub crank. Yeah big initial cost but that v lots of future BB swaps. BB92 is a pressfit system designed around Shimano and the 24mm axle.
Thanks all really helpful, makes me wonder if that Hope crank and BB have better tolerances perhaps from @blazin-saddles comment and run it till it dies then review has always worked for me 🙂
i used the xt pf92 for years in my remey in all conditions, it was absolutely fine- as good as any other 24mm. Also had the hope one which was ridiculously overcomplex and barely any better in practice