FSA SL-K Megaexo BB noticeable preload seal drag problem
I'm just building up a Scott Addict CX, all going well until I fitted the crank last night. It's a English threaded frame which I specifically wanted to steer clear of BB30, so I bought an FSA SL-K compact crank with Megaexo BB. All installed fine, then on inserting crank and tightening up a bit it still spins freely, bearings are smooth and no misalignment etc. At this point if a spin the crank freely with no chain it spins 3-4 times like my BB30 SL-K crank on another bike does, if I then tighten up the non drive side bolt to the recommended torque, the crank then begins to drag a little. If I then spin it freely it will now only go 1/2 to 3/4 of a turn, it doesn't feel very tight, but obviously is not quite as free turning as my old BB30 bike. There are no spacers to add or remove like with a BB30 crank BB, there is simply a wavey washer that I presume must be there, although it looks slightly different to a BB30 wavey washer. Is this noticeable drag likely to be an issue or is it just slightly stiffer due to being new - i.e. it should ease off after a few 100 miles and I'm I being over sensitive. I will also add that since I haven't finished it yet so haven't actually ridden it to see if it is noticeable in the real world.
I have done a google and read a few things but am going round in circles :-
1. Frame may need facing - not sure it does as seems square, should I measure the frame BB width to check if too wide?
2. Megaexo cranks are rubbish - all 5 year old articles, so not sure if they were early issues or if this is still true, should I cut my losses and get an SRAM Red Exogram GXP to match the groupset (££££) and sell the FSA - I like FSA SL-K as have a few so can swap chainrings easily if needed.
3. Articles saying the seals are a bit tight when new and preloaded, either replace them with thinner Phil Wood crank seals (£), use a different BB e.g. Shimano Hollowtech / Hope etc (££) or just wait till they break in a little (free).
Just wondered if anyone else had any real world experience of this issue and what you did or found out.
I have done a google and read a few things but am going round in circles :-
1. Frame may need facing - not sure it does as seems square, should I measure the frame BB width to check if too wide?
2. Megaexo cranks are rubbish - all 5 year old articles, so not sure if they were early issues or if this is still true, should I cut my losses and get an SRAM Red Exogram GXP to match the groupset (££££) and sell the FSA - I like FSA SL-K as have a few so can swap chainrings easily if needed.
3. Articles saying the seals are a bit tight when new and preloaded, either replace them with thinner Phil Wood crank seals (£), use a different BB e.g. Shimano Hollowtech / Hope etc (££) or just wait till they break in a little (free).
Just wondered if anyone else had any real world experience of this issue and what you did or found out.
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Comments
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Seal drag will not be noticeable when you're riding. In fact it's a sign of a better seal; the way to reduce it is to reduce the sealing...- - - - - - - - - -
On Strava.{/url}0
