Barabaika

So, do you say if I buy a car for $500, any repair exceeding $500 doesn't make sense? Common sense tells me: buy a $500 car, spend $3000 in repairs.
Old bikes are cheap because you have to pour into them more money that they worth; especially, if you have to pay somebody to fix them.

For me, the usual sources of noise are the chain, bottom bracket, front derailleur. If I can improve the maintenance interval for the bb by 50-100% using a cartridge bb, why not? I can buy a cheap bb for $18-20, it's the price of a decent chain.

mediccody

You guys think that those plastic inserts which wrap around the spindle on cup and spindle BBs actually do anything to protect from water and filth?

markjenn

I think the main intrusion problem is from where the spindle exits the cups - the plastic insert just keeps debris in your frame and BB shell from getting into the bearings.

- Mark

aesmith

If it were me I wouldn't dismiss the cup-and-spindle option. They're not that vulnerable. For example I have just been overhauling a seriously neglected mountain bike. The headset and one of the rear wheel bearings were shot with signs of corrosion and water contamination, and pitted surfaces. The bottom bracket was OK, pretty clean grease and no sign of contamination. All it needed was to be cleaned and inspected then assembled with new grease and adjusted.

That was maybe good luck, but in general I've not found that bottom brackets wear out that quick, and I've never used anything except cup-and-spindle.

mike-on-da-bike

bearings for bikes are sealed for one very good reasonthey wont drop out, when bearings wear or things come loose caged bearing are very handy,those loose bearings wear just a fracton and you will loose the lot

purevl

Yeah, I think so, I'm sure lots of people do. It depends on the tape of course, but i don't really understand why regular cork bar tape costs $20 and is designed to last for only a single season.
I think, as I'm sure you know that that depends entirely on the car.

I don't have to pay anyone to fix them and i never put more money into a bike than what I think it is worth. Why would i spend more money than I have to though? That's sorta the crux of my original question: when it comes to cheap cartridge bottom brackets, is there an advantage over cup and spindle other than not requiring[read: allowing] maintenance? What I mean is: if I really don't mind spending minutes a year overhauling my bottom bracket with a dollar's worth of ball bearings what makes a cartridge bottom bracket superior?

Ok, fair enough I asked you to defend your position so I'm glad to defend mine.
1) Cost - In the long run cup and spindle BB's cost me less money. I own a lot of bikes, and it's much more economical to buy grease and bearings that will work on any of them and cost less than a cartridge. It's less an issue of expense vs. bike worth and more an issue of comparative value.
2) Repair-ability - I can fix the darn thing my self. Not so with a cartridge, I can replace it but I can't repair it. In a pinch, even if the spindle or cup is pitted I can get it spinning very satisfactorily while i look for a replacement. Once a cartridge is toast you're out of a ride.
3) Satisfaction - I like to take things apart and put them back together. I have a MAKE magazine shirt that says "If you can't open it, you don't own it." I like to DIY
4) Down time - I've got everything I need to fix a cup and spindle BB right here. The bike is unrideable for 20-30 mins. If I have to order a new cartridge it's at least a few days' wait.
5)Environmental concerns - This is actually the biggest and most important reason to me, more important even than cost. The three R's are in order of importance, naturally I recycle everything I can in my area but in this particular instance: I Reduce my waste by not sending yet another cartridge bottom bracket to the landfill. I Reuse the spindle and cup assuming they are in good shape. All that's left is a handful of bearings and some old grease.

The cons as I see them so far (keep in mind we are comparing apples to apples here, i'm sure phil wood bb's and the like are lovely but i'm talking about cheap shimano cartridges) are:
Availability, the stock of old parts is running out.
Effort, you have to actually learn to do something to reap the benefits listed above.
Penetrability, they may be somewhat more susceptible to dirt.
Fashion, they are out of favor with marketing.

A little yes, but that's not a seal, that's just a sleeve designed to prevent water or dirt dripping down the seat tube from getting in your bearings. You can make one out of any piece of plastic, a coke bottle for example.

Which is exactly where the seals on a sealed cup and spindle bottom bracket are located.

It occurs to me that if you abuse a cup and spindle bottom bracket, it will fail. If you abuse a cartridge bottom bracket it will fail.

Thank you!, i've had both and noticed the same thing.

That is a good point, but I've only ever noticed missing bearings on bikes with serious neglect (or maybe really flexy bottom brackets?) It takes a lot of use to wear the materials good bearings and races are made of, even a fraction.