BB30 Bearings

pippi_langsamer-2
pippi_langsamer-2 Posts: 1,470
edited May 2014 in Workshop
Alas! It is indeed time to dust-off the mallet and replace my creaking bearings, the shower of shoite that is BB30.

Question is, is there any discernible difference between available 6806 bearings on the market?

It seems I'm faced with the choice of getting eg SRAM "genuine", replacements for about £22 a pair, spending more and getting FAG or NKG at around £22 each, or generic bearings for around £10 each.

Is there going to be any advantage in spending more on say, FAG/NKG or will any bearing of this type housed in the bottom bracket be susceptible to limited lifespan?

(And no, I'm not remotely interested in ceramic).

Comments

  • trailflow
    trailflow Posts: 1,311
    I dont have any experience of the more expensive bearings but how can they be so different?

    Are the generic £10 bearings from ebay ? because they are probably these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/68062RS-aka-6 ... 337a14aac0

    but re-priced. Might as well just buy a load of those on the above link and see how long you can get out of them. This is what i do. Then i always have spares around. i have had more than six months out of mine with no problems. Just make sure you remove the covers and pack a load of grease in. Pack a load in the bottom bracket shell as well.

    Water i think is what kills bearings ,expensive or not.
  • This is my quandary, as I guess they could be significantly different if the engineering tolerances on the really cheap ones aren't up to that of the more expensive ones. Also wondering whether more costly ones are. Ore liberal with the grease etc. I really don't want to have to be doing this every six months- current set have nearly two years on them, but then I generally don't use the bike in wet conditions, so any ingress will be from the hosepipe I guess.
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    Better quality bearings are made with better materials, higher tolerances and are likely to last longer - SKF, FAG are reputable bearing makers - bike component makers like SRAM simply put their name on someone else's product. As said, if riding in the rain, water collecting in the BB shell is what kills BB30 bearings as they are immersed in water.
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • Seen some FAG bearings on eBay for £13 each, so may give these a go....
  • jermas
    jermas Posts: 484
    FAG/SKF are great quality but are only 25% filled with standard automotive grease (lithium complex -high temp- not very water resistant). This bearing set up is perfect for general use, but not the best in wet, dirty environments (bottom brackets, wheel bearings) so don't last due to corrosion.
    I always carefully remove the seals on new bearings, flush out the existing grease, then repack 100% fill with marine grease. Ramonol ADVANCED marine grease works amazingly well.
  • jermas wrote:
    FAG/SKF are great quality but are only 25% filled with standard automotive grease (lithium complex -high temp- not very water resistant). This bearing set up is perfect for general use, but not the best in wet, dirty environments (bottom brackets, wheel bearings) so don't last due to corrosion.
    I always carefully remove the seals on new bearings, flush out the existing grease, then repack 100% fill with marine grease. Ramonol ADVANCED marine grease works amazingly well.

    That’s interesting.

    So….sounds like even if I buy the FAG, I will need to repack.

    I’d be curious to learn what the SRAM branded bearings are filled with too. I can get a cpl of FAG bearings for about the same price as SRAM ones. You reckon I’m better going with FAG?

    Out of interest, how do you remove the seals without damaging them?
  • bernithebiker
    bernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    jermas wrote:
    FAG/SKF are great quality but are only 25% filled with standard automotive grease (lithium complex -high temp- not very water resistant). This bearing set up is perfect for general use, but not the best in wet, dirty environments (bottom brackets, wheel bearings) so don't last due to corrosion.
    I always carefully remove the seals on new bearings, flush out the existing grease, then repack 100% fill with marine grease. Ramonol ADVANCED marine grease works amazingly well.

    That’s interesting.

    So….sounds like even if I buy the FAG, I will need to repack.

    I’d be curious to learn what the SRAM branded bearings are filled with too. I can get a cpl of FAG bearings for about the same price as SRAM ones. You reckon I’m better going with FAG?

    Out of interest, how do you remove the seals without damaging them?

    I went with SKF at about £20, they feel pretty well made and solid to me, although a bit tight at first, I suspect they loosen up a bit.

    You can pick the seal off with a very fine screwdriver, but personally I wouldn't bother, just coat well with grease, then repack after a few thousand miles.
  • jermas
    jermas Posts: 484
    SRAM use an SKF polyurea grease in their bearings (SKF-LGHP2 grease).
  • jermas wrote:
    SRAM use an SKF polyurea grease in their bearings (SKF-LGHP2 grease).

    So what I can gleam from Google, that's a high operating temp grease?

    Right- ordering FAG units along with the aforementioned marine grease :!:

    (Total bill for all the above plus required tools= ~£65)
  • bernithebiker
    bernithebiker Posts: 4,148
    jermas wrote:
    SRAM use an SKF polyurea grease in their bearings (SKF-LGHP2 grease).

    So what I can gleam from Google, that's a high operating temp grease?

    Right- ordering FAG units along with the aforementioned marine grease :!:

    (Total bill for all the above plus required tools= ~£65)

    If it is high temp grease, then they've goofed, as you won't be raising the temperature in the BB one jot.
  • jermas wrote:
    SRAM use an SKF polyurea grease in their bearings (SKF-LGHP2 grease).

    So what I can gleam from Google, that's a high operating temp grease?

    Right- ordering FAG units along with the aforementioned marine grease :!:

    (Total bill for all the above plus required tools= ~£65)

    If it is high temp grease, then they've goofed, as you won't be raising the temperature in the BB one jot.

    I'm going to re-pack as suggested above with marine grease...
  • jermas
    jermas Posts: 484
    jermas wrote:
    SRAM use an SKF polyurea grease in their bearings (SKF-LGHP2 grease).

    So what I can gleam from Google, that's a high operating temp grease?

    Right- ordering FAG units along with the aforementioned marine grease :!:

    (Total bill for all the above plus required tools= ~£65)

    Yes lghp2 is a high temp,high speed grease. Park tools use a similar grease-whilst good, it's not the best for water resistance.
    Ramonol advanced grease is calcium sulfonate based, which is about as good as grease gets in wet conditions. Use it in your headsets too- they'll last so much longer.

    When you remove the seals, just remove/replace from one side of each bearing. When you install them on the bike, have the untampered seal on the outer. If the removed seal is damaged (it won't be but) it'll be inside.
  • ben-----
    ben----- Posts: 573
    Right- ordering FAG units along with the aforementioned marine grease :!:

    (Total bill for all the above plus required tools= ~£65)

    Which actual "FAG units" bearings did you get? And which tools did you get?, if you don't mind me asking. Thanks.
  • ben----- wrote:
    Right- ordering FAG units along with the aforementioned marine grease :!:

    (Total bill for all the above plus required tools= ~£65)

    Which actual "FAG units" bearings did you get? And which tools did you get?, if you don't mind me asking. Thanks.

    http://bit.ly/1hi6vV9
    http://www.evanscycles.com/products/fsa ... l-ec019130
    http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/fsa- ... -prod36370
    http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00BZ6EWB6

    Just undecided whether to knock-up my own press or buy one. By the time I've bought a length of threaded bar, nuts, bolts n washers, I'm probably not far off the cost of a commercial version! It's harder than I thought to just find a single piece of threaded bar- many suppliers only supply in pieces of 5 for eg.
    This one looks ok:

    http://koo-bikes.com/wheels-manufacturi ... rifts.html

    Scrub that- I wasn't looking hard enough :D Piece of M10 threaded bar, some M10 washers with 40mm OD and a pack of M10 nuts for ~£8.
  • morrisje
    morrisje Posts: 507
    I recently bought this press
    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111311569996? ... 1497.l2649

    And these bearings
    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111311569996? ... 1497.l2649

    Both very cheap, quickly delivered and did the job well
  • trailflow
    trailflow Posts: 1,311
    I have some homemade BB30 presses for sale for £5 posted. PM me if you need one.

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/84601391@N08/9999648594/
  • trailflow wrote:
    I have some homemade BB30 presses for sale for £5 posted. PM me if you need one.

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/84601391@N08/9999648594/

    Ah, just ordered some M10 rod, nuts n washers this morning to knock-up something similar.
  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 16,431
    my sram bb30 bearings have been greased with skf-lghp2 since installation, done c. 30,000km, loads of wet rides, still smoooooooooth
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • ben-----
    ben----- Posts: 573

    Cool, thanks for all that -- very useful. Be v. interested to know how it goes (the replacement that is)? (I don't need to replace mine yet, just want to know what to do, the best way to do it, what I need, for when it is necessary.)
    morrisje wrote:

    Which bearings? (You've linked to the press again there.)


    Park Tool BBT-30.3 not necessary then? Certainly seems expensive for what it is.
  • The Park tool isn't necessary.

    Interestingly, fuelled by some fine I.P.A's last night, I had a Eureka moment!

    As the tools haven't arrived yet, I decided to take the non-drive side crank arm off to at least inspect the bearing outers for any sign of water ingress. No evidence found, so I just have the outer faces a wipe and re-greased before putting the crank arm back on (re-greasing these threads too).

    65 miles this morning and the only sounds I heard were the birdies and the wind in my ears!
  • Here's a pic of the Ghetto-press I knocked up for when I do eventually need to replace the bearings...

    http://flic.kr/p/nwL7Vw

    Pic shows the FSA bearing removal plug and the FSA installation drafts on the threaded rod.