richbrown

I have a road-version hollowtech II bottom bracket (shimano 105 model - BB-R60). over the last couple of days i noticed a very slight clicking feeling as i pedalled.

removing the crankset i find that the left-hand side of the BB cup feels smooth and snug with no play. however the right sided cup has a very small amount of lateral play.

i last replaced the bottom bracket less than six months ago (at which point the old one had developed a significant amount of play after around 1000miles) and i would estimate that the new one has only done around 400miles since. These bottom brackets are non-serviceable, sealed units.

searching these forums suggests that it's not uncommon to get through these BBs pretty quickly, although this does seem odd to me as i thought that outboard bearings were supposed to be more durable and I have hardly ever had to service, never mind replace, the older BBs on my older bikes.

i'm about to leave in tour again (around 3000 miles) and I'm wondering how to interpret this small amount of lateral play

- is it indicative of impending BB doom? will it definitely get worse, and if so how quickly?

- should i just replace it now, or should i take another one with me and replace it when it has developed more play?

i'm also worried that this relatively new bottom bracket is already showing signs of wear.

- is this indicative of me doing something wrong during installation and/or usage?

it's worth noting that although the first bottom bracket came with the bike, i did replace the crankset a few hundred miles before before it started to show play so feasibly i could have done something wrong then; i could have possibly overtightened the plastic pre-load screw on the crank. the second BB didn't have an ideal installation as i did it at the side of the road on tour and there was a tiny tiny amount of drizzle, but i don't think i overtightened the pre load and if any water got into the shell it was only a minute amount.

as it's a touring bike it has also had a fair amount of use in the rain and with heavy rear panniers and the occasional rough road.

- is this a normal lifespan for these BBs? i.e do i need to be thinking replacing the current BB and taking another one or two spares with me for a 3000 mile trip? so far my BBs are looking like their average lifespan is going to be around 1000 miles and i'm planning on cycling 3000 over 3 months..

thanks for your help!!