# 2011 Madone Bottom Bracket problems



## jaggrin (Feb 18, 2011)

I just took my Madone in for the third time since I purchased new in 6/2011 for new bearings and a bottom bracket cleaning. Every instance is the same which is the thing is filthy due to water and grime and the bearings are shot. The mechanic asked me if I ride in the rain a lot and the answer is not really and I don't even ride the bike as my everyday bike. I understand that we sweat and the sweat gets everywhere but shouldn't the bottom bracket be a close system? I have a 2006 Madone which I still ride as my everyday bike which is the one that gets wet and in seven years I have replaced the bottom bracket once and never had any service issues whatsover. Is it just me or is there a design flaw with the Madone BB and bearings?


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

no design flaw, just poor installation and/or poor to non-existent bike cleaning. my 6.9 is a year old, still on original bearings. still perfectly smooth.


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## jaggrin (Feb 18, 2011)

cxwrench said:


> no design flaw, just poor installation and/or poor to non-existent bike cleaning. my 6.9 is a year old, still on original bearings. still perfectly smooth.


I disagree and do believe it is a design flaw. I had the bearings replaced after riding the bike twice, the Trek Store replaced them for free. They said that there was a known problem with the bearings. I then had to have the bearings replaced two months later. The Trek Store asked if I was riding in the rain and told me the axle was all gunked up and the bearings were shot. The only water the bike saw was when it was washed. Yesterday the LBS asked the same question regarding being out in the elements. It has been a year since the second set of bearings were replaced. In that time I had been caught out in the rain and of course washed my bike but if the bottom bracket system was functioning correctly it should be a closed system, no? As far as poor installation the mechanic at the Chattanooga Trek Store has a great reputation and is as good a wrench as anyone so I do not believe it was poor installation with the second set of bearings. If the only water it sees is through washing you mean to tell me that it is enough to ruin the bearings and gunk up the axle? I think the Madone is an awesome bike, that is why I have two of them. Like I said my older Madone is an 06 and in 10 I had the bottom bracket replaced but never have had to do anything else to it. I guess I do expect the same level of reliability with the 2011 Madone but definitely am disappointed that I am not getting that from the bike.


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

there is no such thing as a 'sealed' system. sure, bearings have 'seals', but they're actually just a really good shield. 
you're trying to make the point that this is a 'design flaw'. this puts the blame on Trek. then you go on to say the Trek Store told you about a known bearing problem. this is not a design flaw, but a bearing production issue. 
the bottom bracket in the Madone is no less 'closed' than any other exposed-cup bottom bracket on the market. they use exactly the same bearings as a Shimano or SRAM exposed-cup system. they use the same outside shield that Enduro provides w/ their bearing replacement kits. 
having a great reputation doesn't guarantee the work is done properly. just read the dozens and dozens of stories on this forum about botched mechanical work. 
i wash my madone about every other week in the summer, and every time it's ridden in the wet. i wash my cronus every time it's ridden in the dirt or wet. neither of those bikes has ever had any moisture inside the bottom bracket shell. there is NO WAY that either of those frames is in any way different from yours. 
soooo...if my bearings seem to last quite a bit longer than yours, as do many many others out there...what kind of conclusion can we draw, given the information we have? 

in reality, your complaint is with bearings, not the frame, right? the bottom bracket system isn't made by Trek, it's just installed in their frame.


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## jaggrin (Feb 18, 2011)

Trek designed the frame to utilize the bb in place and doing a google search turns up many forums discussing this topic with many others having this issue. You are entitled to your opinion and i am just saying what my experience has been with my Madone. I know my next purchase will take into consideration the design of the bb. Have a happy t day.


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## Redtail A-4 (Aug 7, 2004)

*2011 5.9*

Went through two sets of stock Trek bottom bracket bearings within the first 1500 miles of riding all in dry conditions before switching to after market ceramic bearings. 5000 + miles later no issues. Cheers


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## Canada17 (Oct 3, 2012)

Other than switching to ceramic bearings, which will happen at the next maintenance interval, what is the recommended cleaning process for these bottom brackets to elongate what might be a short life cycle?


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