Submitted by
Don Gillies
a Weekend Warrior
from San Diego, CA Date Reviewed: March 6, 2008
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$28.00
Purchased At:
Ebay
Strengths:
- removable ALU cups, left and right - very valuable as a phil-wood replacement BB - lightweight, hollow spindle - probably the most useful BB that I own
Weaknesses:
- it's a cartridge bottom bracket, so higher friction - higher friction = shorter lifespan - not maintainable = shorter lifespan
Similar Products Used:
many
Bike Setup:
Carlton 1977 Pro with Sakae Royal 42/52 cranks
Bottom Line:
This is a great bottom bracket, I've had great service from it an no creaking. I'm going to take it out and use some phil wood retaining rings to install it on a 1950 bicycle with a weirdo bottom bracket shell. If you have one of these, i'd save it for a very special bike like a 26 TPI raleigh twenty or a bike with rare swiss threads (or in my case, chater-lea BB shell.) Instead, use a UN-73 and save this BB for a very special project bike. Your only alternative is a $150 phil wood stainless BB, so these are a screaming bargain .. at the $28 (new) price I paid, I cannot complain at all ...
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Alon Bout
a Cross Country Rider
from La Verne, CA, USA Date Reviewed: March 6, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Marshall
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$36.00
Purchased At:
Incycle
Strengths:
Lasted a few years.
Weaknesses:
Eventually it breaks
Similar Products Used:
BB ES-50
Bike Setup:
Specializes Enduro Pro 02'
Bottom Line:
This is the third BB I have put into my bike. I don't take apart my bike to check components and only take it apart when I have to. I think it's resonable to buy a new BB every three years and my time was up. I have been looking at some of the other BB out there and wish shimano made more bomb proof items, but I am not willing to buy a whole new setup because of a 36 dollar part every three years.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Karl Nelson
a Racer
from SD Date Reviewed: October 9, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Centennial
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$25.00
Purchased At:
pricepoint
Strengths:
Light enough, strong enough, reliable enough
Weaknesses:
Creaks a little if you ignore it
Similar Products Used:
FSA 2 piece, old square taper stuff, etc
Bike Setup:
Fisher hardtail with XT
Bottom Line:
Why would you use anything else? Theres nothing wrong with the original Hollowtech.
I've got 3 race seasons on this BB/Crank and besides occasionally tightening/greasing the bolts and BB cups, its been bulletproof. I'll ride it until the arms crack.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kyle Veal
a Weekend Warrior
from Wausau, WI, United Stated Date Reviewed: June 16, 2006
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$15.00
Purchased At:
had other BB's warrenteed for this one
Strengths:
none, no different, than any of shimanos other splined BB's
Weaknesses:
the product itself defines the word, weakness. It was the weakness in my bike
Similar Products Used:
all of shimanos, and some FSA/truvative. everything but shimano I can get a good year of riding out of.
Bike Setup:
SS chucker 1.0 nothing is stock, all nice free-ride stuff. Pike 426 fork is amazing
Bottom Line:
don't waster your hard earned bucks, this thing doesn't spin smothely for long and the spindle will bend/twist within a few good rides.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Pete
a Cross Country Rider
from VA Date Reviewed: May 16, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Singletrack- Shaeffer
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$25.00
Strengths:
Solid, no problems, and maintenance free
Weaknesses:
Squeaks time from time, but I am not sure if it's cranks or BB or the attachment of the crank. Anyway every BB+ Crank or integrated CRanks/BB will need to tighten time from time.
Similar Products Used:
LX BB, integrated XTRs new ones
Bike Setup:
on all of my bikes.
Bottom Line:
This BB with combination with XT cranks the older model is by me the best setup one can put on bike. You can get ES-71 + XT cranks for about $120. They last for ever if installed properly. I ride very hard, also race and on my Fuel 98 did not have to do anything to to this setup for 2 years. Now I think it's time to at least to remove and clean and change the grease. The cranks are actually getting worn so I might replace the whole think. This combo is reliable, lasting, cheap and also light. Compare to new XTRs.... which are just little bit lighter. Cost $400+ and the big chain ring is POS. Es-71 + XT is very sweet low maintenance, great value setup.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kyle Veal
a
from Wausau, Wis, USA Date Reviewed: May 14, 2006
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
I'm known at the shop I work at for twisting bottom brackets. I go through low quality bottom brackets(i.e. anything from shimano except this one) in about onw week give or take a day or two. Sor far this is the only Bottom bracket that has lasted more than a month. Let along lasting three months this thing should be good enough for just about everybody.
Weaknesses:
I haven't twisted or bent the sindle yet. I'll say it again. this is the only BB from shimano that has lasted me more than a month.
Similar Products Used:
evert other octa-link BB from shimano.
Bike Setup:
SS urban assault machine
Bottom Line:
Buy this if you have twisted all other shimano octa-link bottom brackets and don't wanna buy something with an ISIS spindle, Don't buy this if you have the money to buy something with a ISIS bottome bracket.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Michael
a Cross Country Rider
from North Augusta, SC Date Reviewed: October 6, 2005
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$25.00
Purchased At:
PricePoint.com
Strengths:
Smooth as all get-out after a solid year of use, and well over 1500 off-road miles.
Weaknesses:
Absolutely none.
Similar Products Used:
ISIS bottom brackets.
Bike Setup:
Yeti 575, nicely decked out.
Bottom Line:
After going through ISIS bottom brackets like clockwork several years back, I went with the Shimano XT crank/ES-71 bottom bracket setup and haven't looked back. I have the ES-71 in my Turner Burner and also in my Yeti. I am eyeing a Specialized Stumpy FSR and will put in an ES-71 and splined XT crankset. This bottom bracket does exactly what you expect. It lasts and spins smoothly. The big key is that you need to properly torque the bottom bracket in, and then properly torque the cranks to spec.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tom
a Cross Country Rider
from Crete, IL USA Date Reviewed: August 16, 2004
Favorite Trail:
I forgot, Shimano's kept me away for so long
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
net
Strengths:
Forces you to remove Shimano from the equation, thereby going to another manufacturer, thereby getting something that works, thereby maybe I can get back out there and remember what my favorite trail is.
Weaknesses:
Everything. Maybe this BB would work if you gave it to your grandmother and she only used it to ride her bike to Bingo down the street once a month. If your going to ride a mountian bike like it's supposed to be ridden you can forget this BB; they like to break and make a lot of noises. I am sick and frekin' tired of Shimano's ruining my rides! Shimano, you are being removed from the equation; I'm goanna try the Race Face signature XC BB WITH Race Face cranks. Goodbye Shimano.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano XT crank (anybody want a used pair?)
Bike Setup:
SC Blur soon to be without Shimano BB and crankset.
Bottom Line:
I'll give 2 chilis for value because if I was a grandmother riding to Bingo it might work pretty well. 1 chili overall (I'm a mountian biker not a grandmother).
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Cochise
a Cross Country Rider
from Austin, Texas Date Reviewed: June 10, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Rocky
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Cheap, simple to install, not an ISIS
Weaknesses:
Not built to last forever but that is the point of this thing its cheap.
I was sick of investing time and $$$ into ISIS crap that failed so I took a recommendation from a friend and bought some Octalink XT cranks/chainring set and this BB for cheap so if it wore out, hey, no sweat. You know what? This thing rocks. Paid $21 bucks for it and it's still going strong when it fails? So what, I'll buy another one and slap it in there. I've been pounding it for 6 months though and not a peep. Take care installing. Use anti-sieze in the frame before installing the BB and use a torque wrench and torque it to the max allowable range. Used anti-seize on my cranks and torqued to 390 in/lbs and completed the install. This thing is great, but I think proper install is about 99% of why it works so well. For value, you can't beat it, its cheap so five steaming turds and another 5 steamers for performance.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Nick
a Racer
from Rockport, Maine Date Reviewed: April 18, 2004
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
Maine Sport
Strengths:
hollow, looks cool, rides well, stiff.
Weaknesses:
has side to side play after about 6 months. i have had 2 bottom brackets so far, one replaced when i got a new frame, this one has been through a race season in the fall, and is now showing quite a bit of noticable play.
Similar Products Used:
bontrager sport... old XTR on street bike, Truvativ hussfelt, Bontrager race, shimano LX
Bike Setup:
salsa caballero, xt cranks. xtr/xt stuff, fox suspension, carbon and ti everywhere.
Bottom Line:
I was not impressed with this bottom bracket, considering the 255 gram weight, and the fact that the bearings havae gone in 6 months. for the weight, i was expecting some longer lasting bearings. well, guess its time to drop 30 bucks on another one. reccomend to most, but with my riding schedule in the fall (5 days a week, 2.5 hours a day and races saturdays) it couldn't hold up.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Old Man
a Racer
from Seattle Date Reviewed: September 16, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Kachess Ridge
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$35.00
Purchased At:
Price Point
Strengths:
It rotates.
Weaknesses:
This BB wore out after 6 months. 3mm side-to-side play in cranks after one summer.
Similar Products Used:
UN-91 (Old School)
Bike Setup:
Davidson Handbuilt
Bottom Line:
Do not marry yourself to XT Octalink and this BB. It is designed to wearout fast!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bruce Brown
a Cross Country Rider
from Vienna, Austria Date Reviewed: August 20, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Hameau
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$24.00
Purchased At:
JensonUSA.com
Strengths:
No-nonsense design and quality. No guesswork in combining the new Octalink XT components. Installation was easy and the performance has been flawless up to this point (2000+ miles). The cost is so low (low $20's) that the replacement cost doesn't have me worried.
Weaknesses:
None that I can detect.
Similar Products Used:
TruVativ, Race Face Isis and other Shimano BB's.
Bike Setup:
This BB is on an old Trek 820 steel framed HT (rigid fork). Kept the frame and popped in full XT which pretty much made it a new bike. It has been running along in this "new" configuration for 1 year now with no problems at all.
Bottom Line:
Price/Performance/Quality level is just too hard to match or beat with this Shimano BB. It takes everything I give it and I am 200+ pounds.
I followed others tips for installation and used some grease, white teflon tape and have not had a single creak or squeak out of it.
Would I buy this BB again? You bet.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ted
a Cross Country Rider
from Eagan, MN USA Date Reviewed: July 30, 2003
Favorite Trail:
The Farm
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$20.00
Purchased At:
Nashbar
Weaknesses:
Proprietary splines
Bike Setup:
Ti hardtail, Marzocchi Z2 Atom Race
Bottom Line:
The damn thing is out of spec!!!!!!! The cup threads are about 0.008" too big. This may not seem like a lot but it is. It would not thread into my bike. The bottom bracket side was fine. I went to 3 local bike shops to check on getting a new cup and they were all too big. Luckily a friend had kept his old Truvativ BB and the cup fit over the XT BB. The Truvativ threaded in without a problem. Even the XTR cups were too big. I like the XT cranks so I am stuck with a hybrid BB since Shimano has to have their own "special" splines instead of playing nice and using the ISIS standard. Some of Shimano's stuff is great, but some of it just plain pisses me off.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
James
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego, CA, USA Date Reviewed: December 16, 2002
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$25.00
Purchased At:
supergo
Strengths:
Light, smooth, made well, inexpensive, light, well designed and light....oh and it's light.
Weaknesses:
none
Similar Products Used:
several square-spindle shimano BB's
Bike Setup:
Trek Fuel, XT shifters, XT front der, XT '03 M752 cranks, XTR chain, Deore rear der, AVID disc brakes, bla bla bla
Bottom Line:
Ok, well...this thing is sweet. Now if you're a vicious hard core downhiller who smacks your cranks into alot of rocks, putting the combined weight of rider and bike on the BB, then maybe you want to go with some sort of heavy duty thing, I dunno, everyone else (who hasn't chosen the '03 XTR BB/crank all-in-one thingy) should get this. You will of course have to use the matching XT cranks. I put this on to replace my bontrager sport cranks and shimano square-shaped BB. I thought there would be a huge weight difference in the cranks, and there was some, but this BB ways SOOOOOOO much less than the old BB. it's hollow (you can look through the spindle) and it runs really silky smooth. The splined interface is stiff, but the cranks are easier to pull of than a square interface. It's just plain cool, and it's only $25. I installed the M752 XT cranks. that's another review, but all together I'm 100% pleased with the combo. I can't find anything wrong with it. My bike is lighter...not just on a scale, but when pick up the bike you can tell. I held the old BB in one hand and this one in the other, and it felt like the old one weighed more than twice as much.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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