antdd

Hi,
I am using a Hollowtech 2 BSA bottom bracket, and the ones I installed by myself seem to wear too fast. But some more details:

In general, we have a rough winter here (snow, salt, slush...) which lasts 4 months, so bottom bracket wear is to be expected. I am commuting about 100km per week, year round. On my older bike, the bike shop had to change it about every two years. So this is what my life-expectation is (this was of the same type, and all Shimano).

When building up my Soma Wolverine, I had the first BB installed at the bike shop together with the frame prep, and I think it lasted about 1.5 years, so probably in the same range as above. This was the Shimano SM-BB4600.
Once this was worn, I installed by myself an fitting non-Shimano one (I order most bike parts from Europe to Canada, and Shimano parts don't ship outside of Europe due to restrictions from Shimano). It was therefore a Praxis Works BSA Road. Initially it worked fine, but after 3-4 months it started already feeling clicky, so after 1200-1600 km. I kept it in since I thought swapping just before the winter is stupid, and it kept running, getting a bit rougher (but so is everything in winter). End winter, I am not sure due to all the dirt on the road, but I think there was a moment when I thought grease as coming out. When I took it out not too much later, the bearings fall literally out rusty.
Alright, maybe this one was just not good or whatever, I installed a Shimano BB-R9100 which I found on reduction. But now, again after 3-4 months, it starts clicking.

So, I guess it's me. I followed the videos on the Park Tools website for the installation. The BB needs no spacers since frame and BB are both 68mm. I install the BB tight, but taking care to not kill the frame thread. Next, and I guess there my adjustment is not good, the crank. I try to get the no play but free spinning. I guess I tightened it too much and that lead to faster wear? Or is there something else I could have done wrong? Is there a better way then just visually check the crank play, e.g. somehow using a torque wrench (the Park BBT 10.2 seems to allow using a torque wrench)?

Or should I just have the shops do this? I just find it faster doing it by myself then waiting for an appointment (spring the shops are full), not having the bike for a day, bringing it/picking it up...

Black wallnut 

How and how often are you cleaning your bottom bracket? Has your city changed de-icer chemicals or frequency in the last few years? If your bearings are falling out in a rusted condition then I suspect contaminant intrusion is the problem. You need to mitigate that for longer life.

alcjphil

When you adjust the preload before tightening the pinch bolts on the crank, how tight do you do it? Using the Shimano round plastic tool you should not tighten any more than finger tight, otherwise you will have overtightened the preload

rccardr 

When I was a kid in Pennsylvania (also snow, slush, salt) we used to smear auto/truck axle grease around the outside of bearings like that to try and keep out contaminants.
Required periodic cleaning off and reapplication but it did seem to extend the life of bearings and bushings that would otherwise have been exposed.

antdd

Both started clicking before the winter started, so there seems to be an initial problem (= me installing it) earlier on. But yeah, winter is rough, and I don't overly clean it neither.

antdd

Yes, I use only the plastic tool and handtight (I actually use the crank tool of this kit: https://www.bike-components.de/en/3m...grey-universal ...)

antdd

I use some grease around, but the first symptoms appeared in autumn (and now still in summer), so probably not (only) the slush's fault.

oldbobcat

Don't do that. Preload just enough so the spindle doesn't slide sideways between the two bearings. Then, if you're concerned it might be too loose, check after a couple rides.

rccardr 

Aha. The problem, therefore, is not the weather. It’s the bits and the installation. Generally speaking, weather conditions aside, a decent bottom bracket should last for 5-10,000 miles. I’ve never personally worn one out. I’m sure others have, but certainly not in a consistent 1000 miles+/-.
I’d have the bottom bracket serviced and faced by a competent shop before installing another one.

alcjphil

The crank tool shown does not show the tool used to establish preload. This is what you need:https://fortnine.ca/en/shimano-tl-fc...CABEgKOkPD_BwE

antdd

Yes, the tool I link is a kit of both, the BB tool and the dust cap tool. You see it in the first photo, the black plastic thing inside the BB (metal) tool.

antdd

Yeah, that's what I am thinking, I adjust it too tight. Or is there anything else which could explain this?

(and yes, with the winters here, after a few winters it needs changing, multipe mechanics confirmed it. But my problem seems not be caused by this...

antdd

The tight was referring to the actual BB into the frame. The plastic cap which adjusts the preload to the crank is a different story, I tried to not be too tight, but it might be still too much. I guess it's a thing of experience...

Barry2 

When not talking about a Bottom Bracket, "finger tight" means to me, as tight as I can go using fingers as the only tools.
To me and In reference to a Bottom Bracket, "finger tight" means <10% of as tight as I can go.

It's easy to over do the preload.

Barry

Iride01 

Do you leave your bike outside or in an unheated space where any water in the BB might be freezing up and causing issue to happen later?

Sorry, but a mere 100 km per week and 2 years between them going bad just seems too amazingly soon to me. So there must be some other mitigating factor for you. I've never had a bad BB on a bike. And I've had some for decades.

rccardr 

If you have the bottom bracket faced then both sides will be perfectly parallel.
It is more than possible that your problem is caused by the BB sides not being parallel.
So the bearing races are always fighting against each other and wear out too quickly.

dsaul

Hollowtech II type bottom brackets will suffer extremely reduced life if the preload bolt is overtightened. In my experience, "finger tight" means no torque at all. Just turn it with your fingers until you meet resistance and stop. Don't put any effort into the turning it any further.

Schweinhund

One question, are you a beastly guy, or a little guy?
In other words, do you have muscles on muscles?
Are you the exception to the rule? Because 1500 miles on a bb is nuts. That's the low of the low side.
Don't face your bb unless an experienced pro looks at it and says the faces aren't parallel.

antdd

Alright, I ordered a new BB and will report back in a few months, likely it is really just me over tightening. I will be super carefully this time.

Both at home and work it is inside, but at -25C things freeze pretty fast, definitely during a 45min bike ride. Most of the winter is more in the -10C to -15C range, but still. And temperature is not really the problem, but constant exposure to salty slush. So yes, I heard the need for change every approx. 2 winter here in Montreal from multiple bike shops. This might be less needed for other types of BB (no idea, could be that square taper is more robust), but for Hollowtech2 it seems normal here. My problem is that I get less, which I was doubting my installation, especially since the shop installed BBs lasted longer.

I guess I am somewhere in between, 1.84m and 70ish kg. And as mentioned, when shops installed it, it lasted longer (2 years would mean 2 winters and maybe 10,000 km...).

Iride01 

Yeah, I'd call those mitigating circumstances for you. But I guess for you and others up there they are normal circumstances. Unheard of for us down here where it's cold even before it gets to 0°C

Don't count temperature out if you are riding your bike in those temps. Even without moisture in the BB, the lube might not be lubing as well. And seals too might get damaged from the cold letting more of that saltly slush get in.