Shimano BB80?

jimothy78
jimothy78 Posts: 1,407
edited September 2014 in MTB buying advice
Just wondering about the BB80 (Saint) bottom bracket. Previously, I'd assued that this was only available in the wider size for downhill-specific frames, but i've just noticed that it's also available in a slimmer version for "normal" 68 and 73mm shells. This leads me to wonder where it's stands versus the SLX/XT BB70 and XTR BB90/93.

I know that of the latter two, the XTR is lauded as being worth the extra for the better sealing, which supposedly leads to a longer lifespan, but how does the Saint BB compare on this front? Is it closer to one than the other, or does it fall between the two? Also, I noticed the Saint one is significantly heavier, so does that equate to bigger bearings and hence a more robust build, or is it just not machined for weight reduction as much as the other ones because weight is less of an issue for DH?

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