HOPE bottom bracket

The Big Cheese

Received one of these from merlin, and all I can say is WOW!!

Have yet to fit it but the machining alone is gorgeous, got mine in black and it's a top piece of kit (aesthetically anyway) - very solid but exceptionally light

Hope (pardon the awful pun) that it's as good as the reviews state. I went for the stainless bearings.....

Will keep people posted on how it fairs in the good ol' UK rain/mud/dirt over time

clanton

Been looking at those cause the standard XT ones don't seem to last that well (despite properly faced bb shells) So keen to hear how you get on with it!

dirtbiker100

now you see. this is something i wonder about. BB's - yes the hope ones do look gorgeous - but its INSIDE the frame. i don't have a see through plastic frame so can't see my BB.
If the BB works well (which hopes does apparently) then that's all it needs really.

now the tart side of me speaking - hell yes if theres a similarity in quality between the hope and another BB then the looks of the hope would win

guess making nice looking BB's does work

Marjory Stewart BAxtor

how much did you pay for it??

The Spiderman

Will be intersting to hear how you get on.Anyone seen any reviews or have any feedback,of the £45 Superstar ceramic bearing or £35 Aerozine SKF bb,ones available from Superstar components?

Anonymous

i put a superstar bb on what is now my wifes stumpy and it is also a very nice looking bit of kit. the race face one felt very notchy so was due a replacement and the new one is buttery smooth. time will tell if it was a good buy but so far so good. and only 20 quid too!!

saintadolf

dirt biker its an external bb so you can see the bearing cups outside the frame and they look all nice and shiny (im probably being really patroning here sorry)
but cheesy how are you finding it so far im thinking of the gold stell bearing one as the bb on my lx cranks is creaking its way to to death

The Big Cheese

Hi guys, tbh I have not fitted it yet and it will be a while before | get it tested. I have in my possession thestandard Shimano HT II BB (that came with my XT cranks) and the Hope, there is a lot of difference up close although they essentially are the same..... I have used HTIIs for a few years now (well, since they came out), and tbh have had no probs with them.

I just thought I would give the hopes a try because of longevity, and the fact that they make them in black...

dirtbiker100

saintadolf wrote:

dirt biker its an external bb so you can see the bearing cups outside the frame and they look all nice and shiny (im probably being really patroning here sorry)

heh yeah but the barrel is always nicely done n what not. that's what i find funny. also one end is pretty hidden by chainrings and the other is a tiny amount. I'll change my mind when i need a new BB

Rory T

Got the HOPE BB ceramic rigged up, chose gunmetal but came back black, still looks pretty good. Your right in the fact that you dont see very much for what you pay for in a BB but the quality feel when you ride is silk smooth. Cannot fault it. It'll last me a fair bit......I should HOPE pardon the pun.

Captain Turok

Sorry probably a daft question?, but what are the benefits of the ceramic bearing option.

god1406

Captain Turok wrote:

Sorry probably a daft question?, but what are the benefits of the ceramic bearing option.

the bragging rights

_Ferret_

Ceramic bearings last longer.

Be keen to know how long a BB lasts nowadays.
I thought it was a fit and forget piece of kit - seems external BBs have changed that and are making sure that we are still buying parts all the time...

theman1001

Cheesey wrote:

Hi guys, tbh I have not fitted it yet and it will be a while before | get it tested. I have in my possession thestandard Shimano HT II BB (that came with my XT cranks) and the Hope, there is a lot of difference up close although they essentially are the same..... I have used HTIIs for a few years now (well, since they came out), and tbh have had no probs with them.

I just thought I would give the hopes a try because of longevity, and the fact that they make them in black...

Arent the hollowtech bottom brackets external type? whereas the hope looks the same design but have threads on them?

EDIT/ Ok I think im getting a bit confused. Basically at the moment I have a Race Face Atlas X-Type bottom bracket (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=6201) Would the hope bottom bracket be a straight swap?

supersonic

HT2 are external cups, that screw into the BB shell threads. Axles are of course part of the chainset.

As yet, the new external bearings have yet to rival what Shimano did with the bearings in the square taper set up.

theman1001

Ok I think im getting a bit confused. Basically at the moment I have a Race Face Atlas X-Type bottom bracket (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=6201) Would the hope bottom bracket be a straight swap?

supersonic

Hope say it is compatible with race face, so yes. You would remove the old X type cups.

gcwebbyuk

So what are the advantages of using one of these bottom brackets over a standard Shimano one? If the weight weenie one is right - my current BB is (BB50) is 265g can the Hope ceramic really be nearly 160g lighter?

Do they work with basically all cranksets or only certain ones?

supersonic

They only work with cranksets designed for external BBs like the new HT2 type, X-type etc - these cranks have the axle permanently attatched toa crank arm.

This is why the BBs look a little lighter than old style cartridge Bbs (ie square taper, ISIS, octalink) as the latter has the axle as paert of it.

dunker

have a lx ht2 bb with 2400miles on it, still like butter. have a xt ht2 bb with 2000miles on it also still feels buttery smooth. i'd love to try a hope ceramic but these shimano's just keep going maybe i got luckywith them? shame shimano chainrings are made from butter though.

Anonymous

its good when bearings are buttery but definately not good when rings are buttery!!

dave_hill

The other advantage with the Hope BB is that the axle rides directly on the inner race of the bearing, where the Shimano ones have a plastic shim between the axle and the bearing.

This means that the Hope BB uses standard-sized cartridge bearings and can be easily rebuilt, whereas the Shimano unit can't (easily at any rate, they CAN be rebuilt but it's fiddly and ultimately non-viable economically).

The bearings in the Hope unit are also wider than the Shimano offering, meaning that the load is spread over a wider area which should increase longevity. I also think that my Hope BB feels marginally stiffer torsionally than the XT HT2 unit it replaced.

BTW, my Shimano BB lasted just over 2000 miles before I replaced it, and it didn't actually need replacing, I just wanted some extra bling...

gcwebbyuk

gulp = i was looking at it purely for bling factor too :oops:

I have a Shimano M542 Crankset (Non-Series but roughly equivalent to Deore) on my bike, and it looks pretty un-bling - so did consider changing it after my next batch of overtime, and liked the look of the Hope BB (to match my new Hope Wheelset!) but don't most cranksets come with a BB anyway?

dunker

well i've not read about anyones hope bb breaking yet so looking good by the time my shimano packs up i hope i'll have a choice between a new hope or chris king bb

dave_hill

gcwebbyuk wrote:

gulp = i was looking at it purely for bling factor too :oops:

I have a Shimano M542 Crankset (Non-Series but roughly equivalent to Deore) on my bike, and it looks pretty un-bling - so did consider changing it after my next batch of overtime, and liked the look of the Hope BB (to match my new Hope Wheelset!) but don't most cranksets come with a BB anyway?

HT2 cranksets do come with a BB, and I'm fairly sure that the RaceFace and FSA ones do too. Just fit the supplied BB, wear it out, then swap it!

I don't know if it still applies, but the quality of Shimano's HT2 bearings used to vary enormously - I've heard of them disintegrating in a matter of weeks and others that have lasted months and months without problems, much like my own.

ride_whenever

I'm also of the "wait for it to die so i can but a CK one" tribe.

Gotta be worth a punt...

Surf-Matt

Just got a new SLX chainset with the BB that comes with it but will get a Hope ceramic BB as soon as it dies.

My "weak" (apparently) Stylo GXP BB lasted 3000 miles then finally went baggy.

I am noticing a tiny bit of "grind" when really pushing it in the middle ring with the SLX BB - worth worrying about or normal? At any other times it's super smooth.

Anonymous

you shouldnt be feeling any grind really, esp with a whole new drivetrain, it could just be down to dirt on the chain during a ride perhaps?

Surf-Matt

Nope - it's all totally spotless.

It is literally only in the middle ring when pushing very hard (on one hill in particular) uphill.
Only a slight grind but it's definitely there.

It feels like the BB or the cranket.

Anonymous

is it definately all bolted up tight? things can work loose in the first few rides when new kit is fitted. i dont think you are heavy enough to give your drivetrain too much of a hard time

could be the pedals need re-tightening

dunker

might just be the chain getting used to new chainrings?