Bottom bracket - symptoms and diagnosis of impending failure

[wafter]

The only nasty failure I've had was SRAM GRX (?) which seized solid. Absolutely locked. I don't know why but I did have a very wet ride with some deep puddles (but not BB level deep!) the week before. It was fairly new.

Aside from that I had a shimano hollow tech thingy start grumbling after quite a lot of distance (not sure how much). I just replaced it as soon as I thought there might be a problem.

I have a track record of breaking SRAM things.

Thanks - that's pretty shocking about the SRAM GX(?) BB seizing; I suppose corrosion from being left to stand after getting damp could do that.

Personally I've never liked SRAM as a brand, however I think this is due more to their corporate-American-ness (and to be fair pursuit of mechanically-questionable standards like 1x and 10t sprockets). That said the limited bits I've had here and there have never given problems.

The BB in question is Hollowtech and is predictably still on the bike due to my lack of productivity and intrinsic desire to wring out as much value from stuff as possible. Objectively this is pretty pointless in this instance as I plan to retire the bike once its replacement is finally built whereupon it will likely only see occasional use at the homestead so shouldn't ever reach the point where the new BB needs replacement..

 

[Punkawallah]

but they can happen....
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/my-bottom-bracket-is-making-a-hell-of-a-racket.283211/
View attachment 826189

Oh! That one! Not really a square taper BB for me. Let’s see you break one of these ;-)
:

 

[presta]

The BB that Dawes put on my Horizon was an unbranded one. It lasted about 16,000 miles, by which time it was still 'useable', but it had bags of radial play.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

The chance of a catastrophic failure with a square taper is very remote.

Same for any BB really.