Posh HT2 BBs

[dan_bo]

Hope and so forth- are they worth it? Do they last 4 times longer than the shimano jobs as the price exttapolation may suggest or are they just bling?

 

[ianrauk]

Just bling. I've used both Hope and Shimano extensively.

 

[dan_bo]

Just bling. I've used both Hope and Shimano extensively.

yebbut would a Hope stainless job outlast a Shimano one? You'd bloody hope so....

 

[I like Skol]

The current xt version I have on my hybrid appears to be a goodun' but this may be due to previous units being badly installed (from the factory I might add!). To be honest now I have got the BB70 item Lasting more than 2k (I think this current one must have done at least 6k) I don't think I would bother trying an expensive alternative. When they were failing every 1.8-2k I might have paid anything!

 

[ianrauk]

yebbut would a Hope stainless job outlast a Shimano one? You'd bloody hope so....

No it doesn't.
The good thing about Hope BB's though is that you can change the bearings where you can't with Shimano.
However... you would have to buy a Hope BB tool which cost's more then a new Shimano BB

 

[Bodhbh]

The good thing about Hope BB's though is that you can change the bearings where you can't with Shimano.
However... you would have to buy a Hope BB tool which cost's more then a new Shimano BB

My memory is shakey on this, but pretty sure I've changed the bearings on a Hope BB without a tool. You can knock them out with hammer + screwdriver, and use a headset press to put the new ones back on. Okay, that is a tool. I imagine of the bodges for getting headset cups in would work on the bearings.

/edit on the subject I used to get about 2k from the Shimano BBs and not really counting on the Hope, but it seems to be lasting longer.

 

[ianrauk]

My memory is shakey on this, but pretty sure I've changed the bearings on a Hope BB without a tool. You can knock them out with hammer + screwdriver, and use a headset press to put the new ones back on. Okay, that is a tool. I imagine of the bodges for getting headset cups in would work on the bearings.

If you had a headset press of course..not many people do

 

[dan_bo]

The current xt version I have on my hybrid appears to be a goodun' but this may be due to previous units being badly installed (from the factory I might add!). To be honest now I have got the BB70 item Lasting more than 2k (I think this current one must have done at least 6k) I don't think I would bother trying an expensive alternative. When they were failing every 1.8-2k I might have paid anything!

You wanna try two ultegra jobs over 11 cyclocross races last season....

 

[dan_bo]

No it doesn't.
The good thing about Hope BB's though is that you can change the bearings where you can't with Shimano.
However... you would have to buy a Hope BB tool which cost's more then a new Shimano BB

Ok cheers.

 

[Cubist]

If you had a headset press of course..not many people do

Bit of threaded bar, some nuts and appropriate washers. Ghettotastic.

 

[Cubist]

The best bit about Hope and similar are that you can remove the bearing seals to flush and regrease them. Extends life by several factors. One of the easiest I have to work on is a Gusset 24. (madam).

 

[Yellow Saddle]

All these aftermarket BBs are sold on the premise that better bearings and "stainless" bearings will solve a problem. It wont because the problem is not rust, but design. You may have noticed that the left hand bearing always fails first. This because the left bearing is the only one that sits on a shaft end that transmits torque. The right crank's torque goes directly into the chainring and not through the tube. The left crank's torque goes into the tube to the other side, then into the spider.
The tube deforms under torque, causing the bearding to run misaligned. Deep groove bearings cannot tolerate misalignment and fail quickly.

Further. So-called stainless bearings are just that, so-called. Stainless steel is not a good bearing material. It has all the wrong properties. A few molecules of chrome in the bearing does not make it stainless, as they claim.

Obviously a serviceable bearing is a good thing and will help to prolong life a bit - just a bit. The real solution though lies in a different design. Ideally BBs should have angular contact bearings. I believe one or two after-market companies have tried this. I would be keen to give this a go when the opportunity arises.

 

[KneesUp]

Square taper sealed ones are very robust. Just saying, like.

 

[Venod]

I was going through Raceface and Shimano BB's at an alarming rate on the MTB, I put a Hope in and it lasted until I sold the bike, it was well over a year and a lot of miles, if I recall correctly Hope don't use the top hat design of seal that fits in the bore of the bearings of Raceface and Shimano, the bearings fit direct to the shaft on Hope.

I have managed to change bearings in all make BB's without special tools.

 

[Drago]

I always liked the higher quality Octa jobs, though I seem to be in a minority.