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Trek BB90 Bearing Fit

Old 08-31-20, 03:25 AM
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TBra
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Trek BB90 Bearing Fit

Hi all,

When servicing the BB90 bottom bracket on my 2014 Trek Madone (approx. 4000km ridden) I noticed that the bearings on both sides are able to be removed and inserted by hand. They seem to sit fairly snug in the frame, so I didn't use a press to reinstall them and there's no movement or creaking whatsoever.

I've read numerous explanations online e.g:

- "The BB90 is 'slip-fit' and doesn't require a press"
- "Use Loctite 609 on the outer race to keep it in place"
- "The carbon has worn away so use Trek's oversized bearings and press them in"

However I can't find a definitive answer. I'm assuming everything is fine because there's no creaking, but any information to give me peace of mind is much appreciated.

Thanks!
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Old 08-31-20, 06:14 AM
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Never Fix A Running Piece
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Old 08-31-20, 06:25 AM
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I can't answer your question but I can direct you to this as a cautionary/what not to do tale. https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycl...mance-non.html
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Old 08-31-20, 09:14 AM
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Ex Trek employee here. The bearings should need a press to be installed. If you can remove/install them by hand the frame has worn. You need to first try the V2 OS bearings. They are .1mm larger in diameter than the stock 37.0mm bearings. If those are not snug Trek has supplied a kit to it's dealers...well, at least the company owned stores have them...that can be used to machine out a little more carbon which is then replaced w/ a glued in carbon ring that brings the bearing interface back to the correct size. Only use grease when installing the bearings. This has happened on thousands of frames and has been repaired thousands of times at Trek in WI. It's an easy fix for a truly annoying problem...which is why Trek is slowly going back to threaded bottom brackets.
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Old 08-31-20, 12:43 PM
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Originally Posted by shelbyfv
I can't answer your question but I can direct you to this as a cautionary/what not to do tale. https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycl...mance-non.html
You had to send him down that rabbit hole!
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Old 08-31-20, 01:09 PM
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Originally Posted by cxwrench
Ex Trek employee here. The bearings should need a press to be installed. If you can remove/install them by hand the frame has worn. You need to first try the V2 OS bearings. They are .1mm larger in diameter than the stock 37.0mm bearings. If those are not snug Trek has supplied a kit to it's dealers...well, at least the company owned stores have them...that can be used to machine out a little more carbon which is then replaced w/ a glued in carbon ring that brings the bearing interface back to the correct size. Only use grease when installing the bearings. This has happened on thousands of frames and has been repaired thousands of times at Trek in WI. It's an easy fix for a truly annoying problem...which is why Trek is slowly going back to threaded bottom brackets.
That's neat, used to work at an (independent but fairly high volume) Trek shop. Didn't know they had anyone else do bb repair. Was always a bummer when we had to send off a frame. Most bikes needing it benefited from a teardown and overhaul at the same time, but certainly not all.
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Old 08-31-20, 04:37 PM
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Originally Posted by cxwrench
Ex Trek employee here. The bearings should need a press to be installed. If you can remove/install them by hand the frame has worn. You need to first try the V2 OS bearings. They are .1mm larger in diameter than the stock 37.0mm bearings. If those are not snug Trek has supplied a kit to it's dealers...well, at least the company owned stores have them...that can be used to machine out a little more carbon which is then replaced w/ a glued in carbon ring that brings the bearing interface back to the correct size. Only use grease when installing the bearings. This has happened on thousands of frames and has been repaired thousands of times at Trek in WI. It's an easy fix for a truly annoying problem...which is why Trek is slowly going back to threaded bottom brackets.
Cheers for the info! Just wondering what the risk would be of keeping things as-is for now, given there's no play or creaking?
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Old 08-31-20, 05:47 PM
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Originally Posted by TBra
Cheers for the info! Just wondering what the risk would be of keeping things as-is for now, given there's no play or creaking?
It's more likely to accelerate wear of the bore. It's a good idea to order the oversized v2 bearings, it is likely to prolong the life of your bb shell.
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Old 08-31-20, 09:38 PM
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Originally Posted by cpach
It's more likely to accelerate wear of the bore. It's a good idea to order the oversized v2 bearings, it is likely to prolong the life of your bb shell.
^This^
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Old 07-30-21, 10:33 PM
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Originally Posted by cxwrench
Ex Trek employee here. The bearings should need a press to be installed. If you can remove/install them by hand the frame has worn. You need to first try the V2 OS bearings. They are .1mm larger in diameter than the stock 37.0mm bearings. If those are not snug Trek has supplied a kit to it's dealers...well, at least the company owned stores have them...that can be used to machine out a little more carbon which is then replaced w/ a glued in carbon ring that brings the bearing interface back to the correct size. Only use grease when installing the bearings. This has happened on thousands of frames and has been repaired thousands of times at Trek in WI. It's an easy fix for a truly annoying problem...which is why Trek is slowly going back to threaded bottom brackets.
cxwrench THANKS!!
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Old 08-16-21, 03:09 PM
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There are two loctite products for slip fit bearings, one for loose and one for snug. Buy and use.
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Old 08-16-21, 04:08 PM
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Originally Posted by afm199
There are two loctite products for slip fit bearings, one for loose and one for snug. Buy and use.
I trust the knowledge shared by Mr.CXWrench, so I used grease and so far so good. Thanks for your input.
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Old 08-16-21, 04:09 PM
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Originally Posted by afm199
There are two loctite products for slip fit bearings, one for loose and one for snug. Buy and use.
I trust the knowledge shared by Mr.CXWrench, the pockets were tight so I used grease and so far so good. Thanks for your input.
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Old 08-16-21, 04:34 PM
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Originally Posted by afm199
There are two loctite products for slip fit bearings, one for loose and one for snug. Buy and use.
Not in Trek BB90 frames.
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Old 08-16-21, 07:05 PM
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Originally Posted by N2deep
I trust the knowledge shared by Mr.CXWrench, the pockets were tight so I used grease and so far so good. Thanks for your input.
You can say that again!

I don't use the loctite if the TREK bearings fit tight. I use it if they don't.
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Old 08-16-21, 10:05 PM
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If the standard bearings don't fit tight you need the V2 oversized bearing...not Loctite.
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Old 08-16-21, 11:45 PM
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Originally Posted by cxwrench
If the standard bearings don't fit tight you need the V2 oversized bearing...not Loctite.
The problem with one size fits all solutions is just that.
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Old 08-17-21, 09:28 AM
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Originally Posted by afm199
The problem with one size fits all solutions is just that.
Exactly.
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Old 08-17-21, 05:54 PM
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Originally Posted by cxwrench
Not in Trek BB90 frames.
what about the trek frames is different such that loctite shouldn't be used? Plenty of other carbon shells can be used with loctite without issue
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Old 08-17-21, 07:35 PM
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Because my experience tells me that is what works. I don't exactly trust the Trek engineers that recommend grease because they came up w/ the stupid idea in the first place, but I do trust my rather extensive experience w/ these frames.
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Old 08-17-21, 08:26 PM
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I was replacing these before Trek supplied the carbon ring. The first line of repair, always, was the oversize bearing. If the customer managed to booger his frame with those, we'd put in another set of oversize bearings and hold them in place with Loctite 640. After that I never had one work loose, but I also had the good fortune to never have to pop a worn one out for replacement. I retired, and then the shop shut down.

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Old 09-23-22, 02:56 PM
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I had a non drive side bearing fail on a 2017 Trek Domane. Drive side bearing still spins smooth. Should I leave well enough alone and leave this bearing in place?
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Old 09-23-22, 03:47 PM
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Originally Posted by Sasquatch16
I had a non drive side bearing fail on a 2017 Trek Domane. Drive side bearing still spins smooth. Should I leave well enough alone and leave this bearing in place?
If it's still tight in the frame, sure...leave it alone.
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Old 09-23-22, 04:16 PM
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Still tight and runs smooth. For when I have to change in future how would I get this bearing out? There was a space behind non drive side so I could tap bearing out with drift. On the drive side the bearing is right up against a plastic sleeve of same diameter leaving no lip.
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Old 09-23-22, 05:39 PM
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The plastic sleeve is 2 piece and overlaps in the middle. Should be the same on both sides. Ideally you pull the bearing out with a tool that's made for that job. I used to use the Enduro press/remover tool. I have hammered them out with a drift, just be careful not to damage the carbon.
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