# Bottom bracket nightmare



## eaaronf01 (Mar 5, 2015)

I have a 2014 kestrel talon 105, yeah im a beginner when it comes to road bikes, but I do like this bike. Ive been upgrading it since i got it back in January. 

Well I spent $300 on a set of Vision TriMax Carbon 53/39 cranks, but they wont fit my bike. I researched bottom brackets and thought I had it figured that I had a BB30, but i dont. 

I was confused because the bike came with Oval Concepts 520 cranks, with a praxis works adapter, or I thought it was an adapter, I realize now that it was the actual bottom bracket. The praxis website shows this bb/adapter that is specificall for oval concepts cranks, so I figured that must be whats on my bike. I followed the instructions on how to remove this thing, "drive side threaded, other side press fit" well when i tried to remove it the bearing housing, which is outside the bb shell snapped off. I managed to get all the pieces out, and im looking at threads.

MY QUESTION IS THIS: WHAT KIND OF BB DO I HAVE? WHENEVER I RESEARCH KESTREL TALON BB, ALL I CAN FIND IS THAT IT IS "OVAL CONCEPTS, INTEGRATED W/ EXTERNAL BEARINGS" 

Im in the process of returning the TriMax cranks for a compatible set for my bike, I definetly want carbon, and 53/39 teeth. But now I need a new BB, I destroyed the other one. The shell is definetly threaded, and it measures 68MM LENGTH AND 34 INSIDE DIAMETER OF THREADED SHELL. THE BEARINGS HAVE 24MM ID

CAN ANYBODY TELL ME WHAT KIND OF INTERFACE THIS IS?

THANKS

ERIC


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## plag (Apr 30, 2007)

I think if I'm understanding correctly sounds like you have an English bottom bracket shell.
It just depends what Kind of crank you have they have several options for a specific bottom bracket. 

It looks like they made the tri max in a bb30 and bb386.

The bb386 should fit.

Hopefully others can chime In.


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## bikerjulio (Jan 19, 2010)

Sounds like it has an English threaded shell. I'd be checking the threads after what has happened. Right side is reverse threaded. If the description was "external bearing" then it could not have been a BB30 which are internal bearings. You can install almost any non-BB30 crank you want, so the bearings you buy will depend on what that is.


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## eaaronf01 (Mar 5, 2015)

Yeah, well it seems to me if you have a threaded bb shell, there is no actual name for it like BB30. All the cranksets that I look at gives a specific name for which BB they fit.

I need to know what the "name" of my BB is, because all the cranks have a named BB in which they fit, I cant find anything on my bike. Its threaded, 68 Length, 34 ID to the threads.


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## plag (Apr 30, 2007)

The bottom bracket FSA vision Uses Megaexo bottom bracket or bb386 that will fit your threaded frame.

What does your new vision cranks say? Usually they print it on the crank arm.


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## eaaronf01 (Mar 5, 2015)

the new cranks are BB30


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## bikerjulio (Jan 19, 2010)

> I need to know what the "name" of my BB is, because all the cranks have a named BB in which they fit


Not so. The frame and crank dictate the kind of BB you need. "English threaded" or "BSA" are the usual names for your frame.


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## eaaronf01 (Mar 5, 2015)

I beleive a bb386 fits a BB shell that is 46mm diameter, i need one that fits a 34mm diameter shell, my shell has to have a bb with external bearings

Im confused, the people at the bike store where I ordered the Visions are trying to find me the right parts.


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## eaaronf01 (Mar 5, 2015)

so i can tell the people at the store that I need a bottom bracket for an english threaded frame, and cranks to fit the bottom bracket. 

so when im shopping for cranks, I look for ones compatible with "BSA" interface?


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## bikerjulio (Jan 19, 2010)

You can put almost any crank there _except_ BB30. An English threaded BB shell is just about the most common and versatile there is. 

Here's some reading Complete guide to bottom brackets - BikeRadar



> so when im shopping for cranks, I look for ones compatible with "BSA" interface?


You are not going to see that because as I said, every crank made with the exception of BB30 can work with an English threaded frame.



> I believe a bb386 fits a BB shell that is 46mm diameter


No. The two things are nothing to do with each other.


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## mik_git (Jul 27, 2012)

eaaronf01 said:


> so i can tell the people at the store that I need a bottom bracket for an english threaded frame, and cranks to fit the bottom bracket.
> 
> so when im shopping for cranks, I look for ones compatible with "BSA" interface?


Can't you take the bike to them and let them figure it out? While the info people is giving you is probably correct, if you then somehow go and order the wrong bottom bracket, then that will just be a pain...let them do it all and if they get the wrong one they will just order another one.


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## bikerjulio (Jan 19, 2010)

mik_git said:


> Can't you take the bike to them and let them figure it out? While the info people is giving you is probably correct, if you then somehow go and order the wrong bottom bracket, then that will just be a pain...let them do it all and if they get the wrong one they will just order another one.


Because you did this


> when i tried to remove it the bearing housing, which is outside the bb shell snapped off. I managed to get all the pieces out, and im looking at threads.


Another reason to take in to a shop is to check for damage to the frame or threaded insert, since you were trying to unscrew the BB the wrong way. The shop can also check that the threads are not damaged and can chase them if necessary. If things are OK then you struck it lucky, since it's quite possible to destroy a frame doing what you did.


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## MMsRepBike (Apr 1, 2014)

All for carbon cranks that suck.

Word of advice, run the crank from your groupset. In this case a Shimano 105 crank. You ride a Kestrel, you won't look any cooler adding crappy carbon cranks.

Order a Shimano 105 English Threaded Bottom Bracket, install a 105 crank in it, ride the bike.


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## Mr645 (Jun 14, 2013)

What's wrong with the cranks you have?


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

Sounds like everyone on your end (the OP) is confused and doesn't know what they're doing. Find a new, knowledgable shop and take your bike to them. Let them know what you'd like to do (I'd forget the crappy carbon cranks as well and buy a Shimano crank) and have them order & install the parts. Don't get caught up in the bling factor of carbon cranks, especially those from companies like you're ordering from. Get drivetrain parts that work...Shimano, SRAM...and you won't be crying later when they don't shift worth ****. Or the pedal insert comes loose in the crank arm. Or the crank bolt strips. Or seizes.

And obviously, or maybe not, this thread should not be in the 'beginner' section, but in the '_components/wrenching_' section.


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## eaaronf01 (Mar 5, 2015)

nothing is wrong with the cranks, I was upgrading the ones I had, to a carbon set, but i ordered a BB30, Im learning now that what i have is a standard threaded bb shell. the whole point of this post was to figure out what kind of bb i have, its threaded, and 34mm diameter and 68mm across


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## eaaronf01 (Mar 5, 2015)

alright man, your probably right, i was buying these because they look damn cool, but their not worth it huh?


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

eaaronf01 said:


> nothing is wrong with the cranks, I was upgrading the ones I had, to a carbon set, but i ordered a BB30, Im learning now that what i have is a standard threaded bb shell. the whole point of this post was to figure out what kind of bb i have, its threaded, and 34mm diameter and 68mm across


You have the most common bottom bracket standard the world has ever seen. You weren't actually 'upgrading', you were just buying something fancier. An upgrade would imply something that improved performance in this case, and the Vision crank wouldn't do anything better than what you already have.


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## Randy99CL (Mar 27, 2013)

Whoa, slow down son! Put your money back in your wallet and step back from the sales counter!

You need to take some time and learn as much as you can about "upgrades." Do a search here at RBR.

Putting $300 carbon cranks on a 105 bike is the worst waste of money I can imagine. You won't get 10 cents worth of improvement in any area. The bike won't be any faster, or even feel any faster. Won't be any more (and will likely be less) reliable. Won't shift any better (and will probably shift worse) than a 105 crankset. It's doubtful that the chainrings will last as long as Shimano rings will.

The carbon may look cooler but when experienced riders see your $300 cranks on a 105 bike they'll realize that you're a newb.

It's cool to upgrade and most of us have done it once and learned the lesson: it's usually not worth the money to upgrade.

Spend your money on a good saddle, better tires, comfortable shorts and helmet and shoes.


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

eaaronf01 said:


> alright man, your probably right, i was buying these because they look damn cool, but their not worth it huh?


Years ago I caught sh*t for, now it's your (see what I did?) turn. 

Your You're Worksheet

While you're at it (see again?)...

http://www.theretheyretheir.com/there-theyre-their-worksheet.pdf

And spending a bunch on those cranks is definitely not worth it. Shimano, SRAM, and Campy to a certain degree do all the fancy engineering that makes shifting work really well. All the other companies attempt to copy them to varying degrees of success. Shimano has more drivetrain engineers than most companies have total employees. They really do have the shifting thing pretty well figured out.


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## plag (Apr 30, 2007)

I made the same mistake when i first started riding, mine was a octilink ISIS mishap.


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