# 2013 Felt Z4 BB30 replacement



## Bubba Hotep (Dec 28, 2008)

Note the two pix. Changed the BB30 to a Praxis Conversion kit and fitted a Shimano 6800 11-speed crank. It works fine with the 10-speed chain and rear cogs.

If you wish, I will follow up with the full story. It's a bit long. I installed the conversion kit to fix annoying noises coming out of the BB after 700 miles or so. It works and is better than throwing away or selling an otherwise wonderful bicycle, the best ever in my 30 years of riding bicycles.

I like this bike so much I want a second one.


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## chudak (Jul 28, 2012)

I have the same bike and had a lot of trouble early on with BB noises. I'd love to hear the story. I looked into the Praxis about 6 months ago but the shop finally got the noise to go away so I stopped worrying about it. I would love a set of shimano cranks instead of the FSA's though.

I also love this bike. I've looked at other models over the last year but I may end up upgrading into a Z1 or Z2 next year rather than switching brands. I just love the ride.


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## adams90210 (Aug 14, 2012)

Is it a clicking noise you guys are hearing? I have that problem whenever the left crank goes to the 6 o'clock position whenever I pedal. It's really annoying and I think it's about time to be replaced.


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## chudak (Jul 28, 2012)

adams90210 said:


> Is it a clicking noise you guys are hearing? I have that problem whenever the left crank goes to the 6 o'clock position whenever I pedal. It's really annoying and I think it's about time to be replaced.


Yep...


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## Bubba Hotep (Dec 28, 2008)

Yes, mine was making a clicking noise at a fixed point every rev of the crank. Got worse if I was out of the saddle and really putting pressure on the cranks. Praxis kit was my fix.

By the way, I edited the long version of my post referred to in the opening. It's still 5 pages in Word. My God, I can be blabby. Well, I'll see if I can thin it out and put it up later. I didn't realize I'm so full of crap, er, info.

I also work on a 2014 Specialed Ruby for a lady I know. It developed the most awful crunching noises from the crank area after only 250 miles. Noises just like a broken bearing ball might make, scary stuff. 

I popped out the crank and just greased the shaft and put it back in. The bike was built a year ago according to the frame tag. The white grease I could see in the BB area looked like dried cake icing. Cleaned that crap out, greased it all up with Park bearing grease and re-assembled. She now has 2,000 miles on it with no problems.

Keeping fingers crossed. I tried all that greasing stuff on my Felt and none of that worked. In my case, the grease was nice and new not dried-out.


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## Bubba Hotep (Dec 28, 2008)

Ooops. I meant a 2013 Ruby. It has Dura Ace 11-speed. I guess it's a 2014. But what do I know.


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## Bubba Hotep (Dec 28, 2008)

Hey, chudak, I hear the Z1 and Z2 have the BB30 bearings mounted directly in the carbon frame and not as in the Z3, Z4, and Z5 where the bearings are mounted into an aluminum cylinder which is bounded into the carbon frame. 

The Praxis bearing conversion will not work in the Z1 and Z2, according to my research but it bears exploring further.

I bought the 2013 Z4 because it's the same frameset as the 2013 Z3 but with a less expensive drivetrain. I own both the 6700 Ultegra bits and the 5700 stuff and like the cheaper stuff just fine. In the 2014 Z series, the Z3-Z5 framesets are supposedly the same unit. The 2014 Z4 is all SRAM. I like the SRAM chains but prefer Shimano shifters. So I'm cool with a Z5 this year if I was to buy a second Z bike.

But that's me.


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## Bubba Hotep (Dec 28, 2008)

If you notice in the picture of my bike, those aren't stock wheels. They're 32 spoke Velocity hoops laced to newer Ultegra hubs. One of the smaller guys (everyone I know is smaller than I am) I ride with remarked that he'd never seen so many spokes in one place! He didn't know me when I rode with 36 spoke Mavic CXP30 rims in the mid-1990s. But that was 50 pounds ago.

Anyway, my stock wheels were off getting tuned at the local wheel-builder I've used for many years. Nothing wrong with the stock wheels that a periodic tune-up wouldn't fix.


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## chudak (Jul 28, 2012)

Bubba Hotep said:


> Hey, chudak, I hear the Z1 and Z2 have the BB30 bearings mounted directly in the carbon frame and not as in the Z3, Z4, and Z5 where the bearings are mounted into an aluminum cylinder which is bounded into the carbon frame.
> 
> The Praxis bearing conversion will not work in the Z1 and Z2, according to my research but it bears exploring further.
> 
> ...


I've put some major mileage on this bike in the last 15 months and the 105 has held up admirably. I just feel like upgrading to Ultegra on my next bike and although I originally had major reservations about electronic shifting I may end up getting the 6870. It looks pretty dialed in.

Good to know about the Praxis adapter and the Z1/Z2 frame if I ever upgrade. Thanks for the info.


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## Bubba Hotep (Dec 28, 2008)

Well, I've got my own reservations about electronic shifting. Disc brakes on road bikes are another area I'm unsure of. To me, both these technologies are answers to questions I was not asking nor never would.

But then I'm the guy who resisted carbon frames for all these years after seeing the first Trek OCLV frames in what, 1993?

I guess I've just been burned too many times being an unpaid product tester when I raced motorcycles in a previous lifetime. Compare to these little jewels we talk about here, that's far more money to burn through then turn around and buy the new version of motorcycling's "Next Big Thing".

I guess if I start to rationalize along those lines, I'll be buying electronic shifters, too. OK, where do I sign up?


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## RoadEye (Aug 21, 2009)

chudak said:


> Good to know about the Praxis adapter and the Z1/Z2 frame if I ever upgrade. Thanks for the info.


One of my last reservation before settling on the Z1 was the bottom bracket issue and how it handles the Shimano cranks, 'cause that's what I wanted... Ultegra or Dura Ace. SuperDave kinda put my mind at ease with that and we went ahead and will build up the Z1 frame with the Dura Ace groupset. This is beyond my technical expertise but according to the Felt site the bottom bracket is... "FSA Ceramic BB30 w/ 24mm spindle reducers". Guess we will see how this all works out as the build moves along.

Not too keen on the electronic shifting either. Looks like for about the same price of the Ultegra Di2, is the Dura Ace 9000 and best I can tell, makes the electronics not even a consideration.


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## Z'mer (Oct 28, 2013)

Nice job on the Z4 crank replacement. I have the same one, FC-6800, on my 2013 Z4. I didn't notice any click problems. Still using the original BB30 bearings with wheels mfg. adapters. 
see here
Educate me on BB30 cranks..

I replaced the crank because I had chain suck issues at about 500 miles, and the chain was putting scratches in the unprotected area of the rear stay. Not sure if it was the FSA chain, the Gossamer crank chainrings, or some combination of that plus a dirty drive train. The FSA chain rollers were shot at 700 miles, but the chain showed only a little elongation.
I'm really happy with the FC-6800, also still using 10 speed chain (now KMC) and stock 105 derailleurs / Tiagra cassette. I have new 23mm H plus Son Archetype wheels / 105 hubs ready to install.


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## Bubba Hotep (Dec 28, 2008)

Z'mer, I didn't see your post back in November. I know someone locally who used a 8600 crank with 10 speed so when I saw the cranks at a nice price on line, I jumped on one.

I have used the spacer set you have on your Z4, but on a Spec. Tarmac, a friend's bike I maintained before she replaced it with the Ruby. Spacers worked well on the Tarmac.

Enjoy your ride.


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## Bubba Hotep (Dec 28, 2008)

Ooops, again. I meant a 6800 crank, not an 8600 crank. World's worst typist, I am.


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## chudak (Jul 28, 2012)

RoadEye said:


> One of my last reservation before settling on the Z1 was the bottom bracket issue and how it handles the Shimano cranks, 'cause that's what I wanted... Ultegra or Dura Ace. SuperDave kinda put my mind at ease with that and we went ahead and will build up the Z1 frame with the Dura Ace groupset. This is beyond my technical expertise but according to the Felt site the bottom bracket is... "FSA Ceramic BB30 w/ 24mm spindle reducers". Guess we will see how this all works out as the build moves along.
> 
> Not too keen on the electronic shifting either. Looks like for about the same price of the Ultegra Di2, is the Dura Ace 9000 and best I can tell, makes the electronics not even a consideration.


Sounds like you did a custom build out with a Z1 frame. I'd be interested in seeing the final pricing and the parts list. Unfortunately with a lot of manufacturers if you pick a standard model you don't always have the option of mech DA. It's starting to be the norm to have the options of DA Di2, Ultegra Di2 or Mech Ultegra.


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## Superdave3T (May 11, 2009)

Bubba Hotep said:


> Hey, chudak, I hear the Z1 and Z2 have the BB30 bearings mounted directly in the carbon frame and not as in the Z3, Z4, and Z5 where the bearings are mounted into an aluminum cylinder which is bounded into the carbon frame.
> 
> The Praxis bearing conversion will not work in the Z1 and Z2, according to my research but it bears exploring further.
> 
> ...


You're right about the Z1 framesets' Carbon Fiber BB30 but the Z2 doesn't use that configuration. The Z2 has an aluminum BB30 shell just like the Z3, Z4, & Z5. Praxis works find in these models.

-Dave


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## Bubba Hotep (Dec 28, 2008)

Excellent! Thanks for the follow up, Dave. I don't have a problem with buying a bicycle that might need a fix down the line. I'm still looking for that second Z4, just to have it hanging on my wall.

These little machines are still a fraction of the cost of a bass boat plus a PU truck to pull it with or my old 1974 911S that kept blowing its airbox off the top of the engine every month or two, at $600 a "pop", in 1975 $$$.

Bicycles are so easy to mess with in comparison.

Dave, as an aside, I noticed on the web site that Felt lists a steel road bike, the F4130. Intriguing. Do you ship many of those out? I love the fact that it has a Campag group on it.


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## RoadEye (Aug 21, 2009)

chudak said:


> Sounds like you did a custom build out with a Z1 frame. I'd be interested in seeing the final pricing and the parts list. Unfortunately with a lot of manufacturers if you pick a standard model you don't always have the option of mech DA. It's starting to be the norm to have the options of DA Di2, Ultegra Di2 or Mech Ultegra.


yes. we are doing a custom build. initially I was looking at the Z2 but didn't want to go sram and the stock Z1 was the Dura Ace Di2, so we went with the Z1 frame and the Dura Ace 9000 groupset. was in the shop this weekend for some measuring and such (handlebars, stem, ect...). gruppo already in and the frame should be in this week. don't have final pricing yet but this should be just north of 6K.


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## max4ever (Jan 1, 2014)

chudak said:


> I have the same bike and had a lot of trouble early on with BB noises. I'd love to hear the story. I looked into the Praxis about 6 months ago but the shop finally got the noise to go away so I stopped worrying about it. I would love a set of shimano cranks instead of the FSA's though.
> 
> I also love this bike. I've looked at other models over the last year but I may end up upgrading into a Z1 or Z2 next year rather than switching brands. I just love the ride.


I just found this post about the fix (sorry about my question in the "ask felt" thread). What did the shop do to fix it for good?


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## dd123 (Sep 14, 2012)

max4ever said:


> I just found this post about the fix (sorry about my question in the "ask felt" thread). What did the shop do to fix it for good?



@Chudak: Can you please tell us what was the fix ?


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## dd123 (Sep 14, 2012)

quoting chudak:

The FSA crankset shifts fine with 105.

I did experience issues early on with BB30 clicking. They resolved it by locktiting in the bearings. Took a few tries to get it fixed but haven't had a problem with it since (clicking has occurred that was unrelated to the BB but that's common with carbon bikes). Another option is to get a BB30 to shimano adapter (like the praxis) and use a shimano BB and crankset if you feel this is worth it.


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## chudak (Jul 28, 2012)

Well the clicking has returned and even after my new shop tore apart the BB it didn't fix the issue. Rather than keep taking it back over and over I decided that after almost 14k miles and almost two years I've gotten my money's worth. Today I'm having them replace the original crankset with a 6800 crankset and praxis adapter. Next month I'm going to have them finish the upgrade of my whole gruppo to 6800.


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