Squawky bearings

[CharleyFarley]

I'd guess other cyclists have done this in the past.

Slightly over a year ago I had a BB adapter with new 30mm bearings installed in my Specialized Fat Boy by a bike shop. Yesterday a squawk sounded with each turn of the cranks. I'm hard of hearing but I had no trouble hearing it .The squawk stopped when I stopped pedaling. Could the bearings be going dry after about 1,500 miles?

So today I removed the chain and cranks, picked the blue dust seals out and stuffed White Lightning grease into them with my fingers. The squawk is now stopped, permanently I hope.

This isn't the first time I've had bearings get noisy so quickly. Three years ago I bought an Electra cruiser from a bike shop. As I wheeled it out, one evening, for a ride, it didn't want to roll, and the wheels were grinding. It only had 600 miles on it yet the bearings were shot. I installed new ball bearings and had no more trouble with it in 4,500 miles. It seems that some manufacturers are trying to save money by using hardly any grease in their bearings. If I'm ever in need of new sealed bearings, I'd stuff them with grease before installing them in the bike.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Charley, you've been in the game long enough, and have enough bikes, to know that BB30 is absolute rubbish and there's an entire industry based on solutions to replacing BB30 in unfortunate frames smited by the devil's spawn.

Yes it is possible and it is also amazing that you got 1500 miles out of it.

The problem is not the quantity of grease though - bearing manufacturers know what they're doing. It is the misalignment and out-of-round of the BB shell in just about all BB30 bikes.

 

[CharleyFarley]

Charley, you've been in the game long enough, and have enough bikes, to know that BB30 is absolute rubbish and there's an entire industry based on solutions to replacing BB30 in unfortunate frames smited by the devil's spawn.

The problem is not the quantity of grease though - bearing manufacturers know what they're doing. It is the misalignment and out-of-round of the BB shell in just about all BB30 bikes.

I've had the fat bike for seven years, and put 13,500 miles on it. 12,000 before I had the adapter installed. I consider that pretty good, and it remains to be seen how these bearings fare. If it's not the quantity of grease that made it squawk, it's odd how a bit of grease stopped it. Ain't it!

I have never heard from anyone else that the BB30 is "absolute rubbish" or that the BB shell is misaligned and "out of round." So your opinion is your own. If someone else has the same opinion, I haven't heard it.

 

[Cycleops]

I'm surprised that the negative aspect of BB30 has passed you by Charley. Plenty of content on here about it.

 

[CharleyFarley]

I'm surprised that the negative aspect of BB30 has passed you by Charley. Plenty of content on here about it.

When I've had no problems with it in a total of 13,500 miles, then I have seen nothing negative about it. I don't always go by what others say. I look, consider and then accept or reject.

 

[presta]

My Horizon came with a cheap unbranded BB. It lasted 16,000 miles.

 

[fossyant]

OP lives in Florida. Bearings are getting blessed in sunshine, rather than Peak District grit !

 

[Yellow Saddle]

OP lives in Florida. Bearings are getting blessed in sunshine, rather than Peak District grit !

BB30 doesn't need any contamination to fail prematurely or click.

 

[fossyant]

BB30 doesn't need any contamination to fail prematurely or click.

And it's why I'll never buy a bike with pressfit BB. Stupid idea.

 

[FishFright]

When I've had no problems with it in a total of 13,500 miles, then I have seen nothing negative about it. I don't always go by what others say. I look, consider and then accept or reject.

It's not from the 17th Century so still dangerously new to the 'every thread' posters on here .

 

[Ajax Bay]

I have seen nothing negative about it

Feast yourself (though the video offers a good overview of the BB30) - ffwd to 8:30 for the negatives:

View: https://youtu.be/7gxTmL5m9PU

 

[CharleyFarley]

BB30 doesn't need any contamination to fail prematurely or click.

Why hasn't mine failed prematurely or clicked?

 

[Bristolian]

Why hasn't mine failed prematurely or clicked?

Luck?

 

[Cycleops]

Why hasn't mine failed prematurely or clicked?

Or as Clint might said 'Are you feeling lucky punk?'