# Conensus on Press Fit bottom brackets



## Trek_5200 (Apr 21, 2013)

A little confused here. The bike industry is clearly moving in this direction, maybe to save on costs, maybe to save on weight, and maybe to make the bike stiffer, but keep hearing stories about cyclists preferring English or Italian thread and bikes afflicted with bottom bracket creak?

Do cyclists really like he new design , indifferent or is this change being forced on the buying public.


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

It's pretty much just happening and the vast majority of riders don't have any clue at all how their bottom bracket attaches to their frame or what the system is called.


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## MR_GRUMPY (Aug 21, 2002)

Count me as not a fan.

I like my bottom brackets screwed in, and my headsets non-integrated.
.


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## Wookiebiker (Sep 5, 2005)

PF30 Bottom Brackets suck ... BIG TIME!

They are creaking pieces of crap and are a problem looking for a solution. Manufacturers are moving that direction because nobody can agree on a standard any longer and you can adapt the PF30 to pretty much any BB standard. This makes frame making easy in the end, even if you end up with a crappy product.

Give me threaded bottom brackets any day and twice on Sunday.


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## xxl (Mar 19, 2002)

MR_GRUMPY said:


> Count me as not a fan.
> 
> I like my bottom brackets screwed in, and my headsets* non-integrated.*
> .


Racest.


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## horvatht (Feb 27, 2012)

My PF30 on my Cannondale Evo is fine no problem even when I'm cranking hard on it. The bike is super light the frame is 700 grams. I think PF30 is engineered well. It does everything I could hope a BB would do.


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## Gregon2wheels (May 7, 2013)

PF BBs are there for the benefits of the builders. They are able to eliminate the need to thread BB shells, hold alignment, figure out how to do so with carbon fiber frames, etc. I'd be curious to see if threaded BB shells are better aligned right crank to left crank than PF BB shells.

As a consumer, I wouldn't so much care if they didn't creak. Nothing more annoying than a small pack riding down the road and hearing "click click click click" from half the cf frames.


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## tvad (Aug 31, 2003)

Some are better than others. Praxis and Parlee make good PF30 BB. Use some grease on the press fit BB at frame contact points. You should be creak free.


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## Jay Strongbow (May 8, 2010)

tvad said:


> Some are better than others. Praxis and Parlee make good PF30 BB. Use some grease on the press fit BB at frame contact points. You should be creak free.


Right. So best case scenario is you don't have problems. I'd prefer screw in where that's a given not just a possibility.


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## tvad (Aug 31, 2003)

Jay Strongbow said:


> Right. So best case scenario is you don't have problems. I'd prefer screw in where that's a given not just a possibility.


I'll make a note for future reference.


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## Trek_5200 (Apr 21, 2013)

Jay Strongbow said:


> Right. So best case scenario is you don't have problems. I'd prefer screw in where that's a given not just a possibility.


It's sounding like the creaking often will not show up for a couple of months, which has to make discussions with the local bike shop/manufacturer more difficult and time consuming. Imagine you first discover the issue then go through back and forths where they attempt to clean/regrease or reinstall the bb with the owner worrying about reccurrence.


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## cmdrpiffle (Mar 28, 2006)

xxl said:


> Racest.


golf clap!


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## Flip D (Jul 6, 2004)

cxwrench said:


> It's pretty much just happening and the vast majority of riders don't have any clue at all how their bottom bracket attaches to their frame or what the system is called.


And they have no idea how to how to do maintenance on them either. Ten years ago, a group ride was blissful buzzing of tires and the biggest annoyance were unlubed chains. Now a days there are lots of squeaky bikes in a ride. Hollow carbon frames and creaky BB's are the reason I mainly ride alone now. 

PF BB benefit the manufacturers and we just have to live thru the fad until they go back to a better design that they are able to spin marketing wise. 



MR_GRUMPY said:


> Count me as not a fan.
> 
> I like my bottom brackets screwed in, and my headsets non-integrated.
> .


I personally don't even look a mountain or road bike that doesn't have threads in the BB.


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## Trek_5200 (Apr 21, 2013)

Who still does threaded?
I believe Colnago has abandoned for the new C-60, Seven & Parlee only do as an option on some models, and for time being Pinarello on the top end Dogma. Can't find much else.


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## bubba117 (Aug 20, 2012)

I ride a specialized tarmac with BB30 and about every 1000 miles i have to pull out the cranks and clean and relube the spindle to keep everything quiet just a ten minute job. most of the time the cause of noise (creaks) is maintenance negligence and very dirty bikes cleats and pedals, not the manufacturers fault but the owners. I like bb30 for its simplicity


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## Trek_5200 (Apr 21, 2013)

bubba117 said:


> I ride a specialized tarmac with BB30 and about every 1000 miles i have to pull out the cranks and clean and relube the spindle to keep everything quiet just a ten minute job. most of the time the cause of noise (creaks) is maintenance negligence and very dirty bikes cleats and pedals, not the manufacturers fault but the owners. I like bb30 for its simplicity


That sounds like very frequent maintenance to me. Outside the winter, I can easily do 100-200 miles per week, which means i have to service the bottom bracket every six weeks?


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## myhui (Aug 11, 2012)

I'm on a SRAM Red BB30. I haven't rode long enough for it to require maintenance yet.

But when the time comes, can I just buy a new set of bearings and swap them in? I'm not sure whether SRAM sells bearings separately.


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## Lelandjt (Sep 11, 2008)

That's funny that at the top of the thread cxwrench states that most riders have no idea how their cranks attach to the frame or what it's called and then a little farther down is a Cannondale owner who thinks they have PF30 and a Tarmac owner who thinks they have BB30 (it's the other way around). My experience has been that PF30 and BB90 are prone to creaking between the plastic cups and frame. BB30 is problem free and the lightest. Threaded is still a great system, can me made creak free, but is a little heavier.


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## Lelandjt (Sep 11, 2008)

tvad said:


> Some are better than others. Praxis and Parlee make good PF30 BB. Use some grease on the press fit BB at frame contact points. You should be creak free.


Even better, use Loc-tite bearing retaining compound between the cups and frame and if the bearings can be pulled from the cups by hand use it between the bearings and cups.


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## Lelandjt (Sep 11, 2008)

myhui said:


> I'm on a SRAM Red BB30. I haven't rode long enough for it to require maintenance yet.
> 
> But when the time comes, can I just buy a new set of bearings and swap them in? I'm not sure whether SRAM sells bearings separately.


If you actually do have BB30 then yes, you can just buy new bearings. Look at the number on the seal and get new ones, I recommend Enduro brand. You could also use a razon blade to pop the seals off each side (after removing the bearings) to clean and regrease them. If you have PF30 You could do the same thing if you can get the bearings out of the cups. If now Sram will sell you new bearings and cups.


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