# Ultra Torque?



## RoyIII (Feb 24, 2007)

Can anyone comment on ultra torque? I can either get a new UT carbon chorus, or an older one and use my present bb. Is the extra money worth it?


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## fabsroman (Jul 14, 2006)

The only other crankset/BB combo I have is a Super Record set from 1985, so I really cannot compare the UT's to other modern crank/BB sets out there today. With that said, I own 5 sets of UT cranks, 4 Record and 1 Veloce, and I love them. They are really easy to maintain. In fact, I tore down one bike's drivetrain over the weekend in less than an hour. Now, getting everything clean took a little longer, but it was filthy. I just think the UT's are the easiest BB/crankset combo to work on. Campy Record chains, are a PITA because it takes forever to find the link pin.


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

RoyIII said:


> Can anyone comment on ultra torque? I can either get a new UT carbon chorus, or an older one and use my present bb. Is the extra money worth it?


I never got more than a year (7-8K miles) out of a campy cartridge bottom bracket. I starting using a centaur UT setup about a year ago and have been very pleased. It was easy to install and IMO, the design is superior to anything else out there. As far as price, there doesn't seem to be much a difference. The only additional items you need for a UT is the cups and tool to install them. The tool is the same one that is used to install FSA, SRAM, and Shimano external bb cups. You will need a 10mm allen wrench, I suggest a socket allen on an extension. 

BTW, I am a proud graduate of Lancaster HS and my cousin is the baseball coach at WHS.


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## RoyIII (Feb 24, 2007)

Hi bigbill-

WHS Indians baseball is strong!


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## fabsroman (Jul 14, 2006)

By the way, if the option is between the new UT carbon Chorus crank versus an older Chorus crank, I would say the extra money is definitely worth it. You could get a Centuar UT carbon crank for even less money than the Chorus UT carbon crank. They just made the carbon crank available in the Centaur line this year.

Kind of kills me. They make the shift levers crappier in the Centaur lineup, but they offer a nice carbon crank. Makes a person scratch his/her head.


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## toonraid (Sep 19, 2006)

The old BB seems much more durable than the new outboard UT so I think it would last longer - but it is also more expensive so while the cranks are cheaper the BB would be more.


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## Guest (Feb 9, 2008)

I think the UT cranks are a worthy upgrade from the old square taper. I have and use both types but prefer the UT.


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## wankski (Jul 24, 2005)

i too prefer the Centaur Alloy UT system over my old chorus bb/ rec alloy cranks setup.

mainly installation reasons, but the bigger bearings cant hurt.... its pretty cool the new affordable centaur alloy has the same q factor and weight of my old setup.... very cool campy !

jury still out on the longevity of the bearings and what to do when they are shot...


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## fabsroman (Jul 14, 2006)

I destroyed a bearing in one of my Record sets after 2,500 miles. I replaced it with ceramic bearings from Boca bearings for around $100. I'll do the same thing if I ruin any more bearings. However, I have learned to tear down and clean out the bearings on these things every season. I did that on my Arte, which probably had 1,000 miles on it, and the amount of crud around the bearing seal was a little scary. I bought a bearing puller from Cbike and I pound them back in place with a Park crown race installation tool. They all seem to be working fine. The UT bearings require more maintenance, but the maintenance seems pretty easy.


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## RoyIII (Feb 24, 2007)

I bought the last old style chorus 170 carbon crankset from Excel Sports, and I'm going to put it in with a Phil ti 102 bb. It's all I can do to remember to overhaul my wheel bearings every year. If the Phil or the cranks ever wear out maybe I'll upgrade. Heck, I don't even use the camera in my phone yet.


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## fabsroman (Jul 14, 2006)

Seriously, are we supposed to overhaul these sealed wheel bearings every year? I barely ever overhauled my Campy Super Record hubs and I was putting 10,000 miles a year on them back then. I thought these sealed bearing jobs were supposed to be virtually maintenance free. I learned otherwise on the UT BB, but I thought they would still be maintenance free on the hubs.


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## BeeCharmer (Apr 30, 2003)

Fabs, I had the same experience with Record/Chorus BB's the past five years; every 5000 miles or so the outer, driveside bearing would disintegrate. This was fine until it happened while we were on sabbatical in France last year. I discovered that Campy is rare in the Perpignan area and had to wait two weeks to get a new BB.

Got back to the US and now own an UT Chorus crank. Just took it apart last night and, voila, after 10000 miles the bearings are still smooth and the grease doesn't even look dirty. Regreased anyway. 

I think the position of the bearings away from the crap in the frame and farther out is the reason for the longevity increase. And it was so nice to break down the crank set with one tool.


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## yanksphan (May 18, 2005)

fabsroman said:


> Seriously, are we supposed to overhaul these sealed wheel bearings every year? I barely ever overhauled my Campy Super Record hubs and I was putting 10,000 miles a year on them back then. I thought these sealed bearing jobs were supposed to be virtually maintenance free. I learned otherwise on the UT BB, but I thought they would still be maintenance free on the hubs.


Heh...."back then" - you mean when information, tools, and replacement parts weren't readily available to every consumer at the click of a button?

I hope it's never like "back then" again.


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## fabsroman (Jul 14, 2006)

Yeah, well some of the replacement parts for Campy are still just as hard to find as they were "back then."

Nobody has answered my question yet. Are we supposed to overhaul bearings on the cartridge hubs every year? I hope to God not, but I guess it would give me something to do for the month of May.


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## yanksphan (May 18, 2005)

fabsroman said:


> Yeah, well some of the replacement parts for Campy are still just as hard to find as they were "back then."
> 
> Nobody has answered my question yet. Are we supposed to overhaul bearings on the cartridge hubs every year? I hope to God not, but I guess it would give me something to do for the month of May.


You certainly can. Jelly Belly actually serviced them prior to each race.

Quite simple - pull the cranks, blast the bearing (it's exposed on the inside) with some WD-40 to flush out the old grease and grit - then with a grease gun, add some white lith.

Takes a half hour tops....you'll have to find some other stuff to do in May.

EDIT: Sorry - didn't see you were talking about hubs. I have a set of Neutrons from 2004 - haven't opened them once. When the bearings go bad, you'll know it....nothing you can do as far as preventative maintenance goes since the bearings are sealed up on both sides.


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## Hawkeye (Apr 3, 2004)

I just a Chorus UT for my Cannondale. Great product. Easy to work on.


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## olli (Jan 30, 2009)

^bump^

One question about installation: Is 10mm Allen key and a wrench enough to do the job or do I need to get the campa special tool.


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## ultimobici (Jul 16, 2005)

yanksphan said:


> You certainly can. Jelly Belly actually serviced them prior to each race.
> 
> Quite simple - pull the cranks, blast the bearing (it's exposed on the inside) with some WD-40 to flush out the old grease and grit - then with a grease gun, add some white lith.
> 
> ...


WD-40 is evil. It leaves a residue that disolves the new grease.


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## odeum (May 9, 2005)

*when it comes to bb service*

i recommend pre-ut and phil wood bb, sevice interval: never.
the spectre of constant bb service was nice to have seen gone away for me anyway. more time to ride with clean hands.





yanksphan said:


> You certainly can. Jelly Belly actually serviced them prior to each race.


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## fabsroman (Jul 14, 2006)

I use an allen key on a socket to install it. Off the top of my head, I don't know if it was a 10mm or not. I know at first I was using a large Torx socket until I bought the correct allen wrench socket.

If you are good with tools, you will know exactly which allen wrench size fits in there.


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

Use a 10mm allen socket with a 4" extension and ratchet. If you can get one, use a torque wrench. You will be suprised how much torque is necessary. Check it after your first ride.


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## dead flag blues (Aug 26, 2004)

I've smoked the bearings on my Centaur UT crankset after a season of cyclocross. I'm going back to Phil Wood BB and square-taper Chorus cranks. 

Anyone have a Ti PW BB for sale?


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## wankski (Jul 24, 2005)

damn - ironic to see my post here. Pulled my centaur UT - DS bearing is toast. Need to replace. Might grab a chorus square taper if i can find one and reuse my old chorus BB instead. The rings are worn prematurely too.

IMO centaur UT quality has dipped. My old record rings had more miles and less wear - chorus BB still smooth.

pretty pissed at the mo.


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## David Loving (Jun 13, 2008)

I am reading more and more stories about how these bearings fail, and more and more stories about how often they need to be serviced. My old square taper bottom brackets don't require all that attention, although I am sending one of the phil woods back for new bearings, but it's about 10 years old. My old fashioned bottom brackets have not had the problems I read about here. I think I will wait for the next couple of model years before I even think about a change.


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## wankski (Jul 24, 2005)

i can understand. I dont think the current UT design will last long - no where near as long as square taper did. Soon BB30 will be standard and that will overcome some of the problems.

Looking at the NDS sealed bearing on the square taper BB, and the exposed balls on the UT system - the balls look a similar size. The difference is the ST BB is very well sealed, the UT isn't. Also the chorus/rec BB has double cartridge bearings on the DS.

butter smooth - the UT i think is worth noting, never felt as smooth at the ST, it always had more resistance and would not free spin the cranks up like ST does.


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