Bottom Bracket Replacement

rubertoe
rubertoe Posts: 3,994
edited November 2012 in Workshop
My FSA Megaexo is on its way out, it has a bit of play in it,

My question is relativly simple, can I swap this for any external BB or do I need another Megaexo?

I currently use a FSA Gossamer Pro chainset and was thinking of going for a cheaper BB (non FSA) providing it will fit.

Any recomendations for a replacement BB?
"If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."

PX Kaffenback 2 = Work Horse
B-Twin Alur 700 = Sundays and Hills

Comments

  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,673
    FSA have gone and done their own thing with the BBs and cranks. Yes a shimano HT2 cups will "fit" but there may some playing with shims to get things correct.

    You could always get the bearings in your cups changed.

    BETD do a service.
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • rozzer32
    rozzer32 Posts: 3,923
    I think you have to use Megaexo with FSA.

    Just like you need GXP with Sram and Hollowtech with Shimano.
    ***** Pro Tour Pundit Champion 2020, 2018, 2017 & 2011 *****
  • rubertoe
    rubertoe Posts: 3,994
    nicklouse wrote:
    FSA have gone and done their own thing with the BBs and cranks. Yes a shimano HT2 cups will "fit" but there may some playing with shims to get things correct.

    You could always get the bearings in your cups changed.

    BETD do a service.

    BETD?
    "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."

    PX Kaffenback 2 = Work Horse
    B-Twin Alur 700 = Sundays and Hills
  • estampida
    estampida Posts: 1,008
    FSA cranks...-

    The single bearing models will fit all exo bb's, mine run a hope 1 no probs, no shimming

    the double bearing models dont, and only fsa bb's will fit
  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,673
    yes BETD. you know google?
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • rubertoe
    rubertoe Posts: 3,994
    nicklouse wrote:
    yes BETD. you know google?

    Found it,

    Cheers, i'll look into it.
    "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."

    PX Kaffenback 2 = Work Horse
    B-Twin Alur 700 = Sundays and Hills
  • Bozman
    Bozman Posts: 2,518
    rozzer32 wrote:
    I think you have to use Megaexo with FSA.

    Just like you need GXP with Sram and Hollowtech with Shimano.


    You can use Shimano with some fsa cranks, you've just got to find out which ones.

    As a starter , you can't use them with the light models. SLK light and K force light
  • Ouija
    Ouija Posts: 1,386
    rozzer32 wrote:
    I think you have to use Megaexo with FSA.

    Just like you need GXP with Sram and Hollowtech with Shimano.

    There are only two real variations in external bottom bracket design.

    Hollowtech II and GigaXpipe.

    Esentially Shimano created the Hollowtech II design and allowed other companies to manufacture copies, but kept the copyright to the name "Hollowtech II" so the other manufacturers couldn't call their copies by that name, hence all the confusion in names. So, as nicklouse says, any hollowtech II bottom bracket for road bikes should work, you just need to have some shims handy to get the chain line and axle lengths right (mountain bike Hollowtech II brackets have narrower cups but a larger internal connector that sits them 73mmm apart, Road bike Hollowtech II brackets have fatter cups and a internal connector tube that sits them 68mm apart, by the way).

    And the GigaXPipe design is just Hollowtech II with a left side bearing hole for the axle that's narrower than the right sides, requiring an crank with an axle that's 24mm thick on the right side and drops down to 22mm on the left (the lip were it narrows is part of a system that stops you from over tightening and side loading the bearings as can sometimes happen on Hollowtech II brackets if you don't use torque wrench).

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