Submitted by
walshy
a Cross Country Rider
from Dorchester,MA
Date Reviewed: June 29, 2006
Strengths: light,thats it
Weaknesses: creaks after a couple of months and then loosens up and all hell breaks loose.
Bottom Line:
i was triing to get away from the big S. So Sram came in to play as did mavic,easton,wtb and that sh@#ty fsa bb.well i thought it was just the way i installed it, but after reading these reviews i know this product sucks.i was on my dream ride in MOAB. thanks santa. my bike started groaning and moaning. so i oiled. quick fix.60 miles in the middle of white rim and i start pulling pedals and grease them. no good. so i puled crank arms greased them. no good.the bb was not loose so i didnt think that was the problem,but i know there is nothing left to grease down there. i had help from one of the guids and pulled it and regreased and put it back on.that was it. the grit and sand that got in was aweful. sealed my a@#. flaming terds you get 1 for lightness thats all
Similar Products Used: 99 xt 5 years no problems ,96 xt well that speaks for its self
Bike Setup: 05 heckler dhx coil xl mavic wheels easton riser bars and stem x9 trigger xt,xtr mix brakes xt front xo rear fsa piece of sh#% bb wtb saddle
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Denis
a Weekend Warrior
from Alameda, CA USA
Date Reviewed: June 29, 2005
Strengths: light
Weaknesses: bearings are not the best
Bottom Line:
very satisfactory overall it did make a significant contribution to shed some weight off my bike which I have upgraded over the years. Three problems: One is that the bearings will creak and will wear out relatively fast and will need adjustments, I use my bike within the boundaries it was designed for and go for long courses in rugged terrain. I do not expect that BB to last more than 2 years. I have now to change it. B- this BB requires care when it is mounted on your bike, very important to not overtighten it. C- the bolt on one side I have never been able to make it tight more than 2 months. eventually it starts creaking bad and needs to be tighten. Also, NEVER spray water on that BB, it will freeze up after few days. If that happens make sure you check it after 2 days and get it to spin
Submitted by
Jim
a Cross Country Rider
from Lafayette
Date Reviewed: February 28, 2003
Strengths: Not Known at this point
Weaknesses: Fell apart in under an hours riding on my trainer
Bottom Line:
I hope I got a bad one 'cause I've never seen anything die that fast that wasn't shot with a big bullet. I built my new bike with this bb after someone told me that they had had problems but were all fixed. Well I put the bike on my trainer (as we still have 3 ft of snow here)and After just 48 minutes of light outta shape winter pumping the thing was wobbling like a bent chain ring. I really didn't believe it. Sent it back and am looking forward to using a new one in a week. Will update after a couple rides with that one.
Submitted by
Rick
a Cross Country Rider
from Orange, California, US
Date Reviewed: August 2, 2001
Strengths: Light weight, return policy
Weaknesses: Everything, except for being light weight
Bottom Line:
In my 10+ years of serious riding, I have learned the importance of durability and functionality, especially when it comes to bikes and parts. In a brief moment of desparation, I lost my head and purchased this bottom bracket (the LBS was out of XT and Race Face BB's in my size). After just one day of riding on this thing all of the negative things described in previous reviews came true (I don't need to rehash this stuff, just look below). In summary, if you're a serious rider who is looking for a bottom bracket that works properly, you MUST avoid this product. I exchanged it the following week for a Shimano XT (only $17).
Submitted by
Eric C
a Cross Country Rider
from N.C,
Date Reviewed: June 27, 2001
Strengths: light
Weaknesses: creeks but there is a fix
Bottom Line:
used for a year started creeking called FSA they sent new part to fix in two days!!! no charge!!!!! new part has a nylon insert..old one didn't. because of the way FSA took care of me I would buy another in a heartbeat, they deserve my buisiness...
Submitted by
A.S. biz
a Downhiller
from Manlius, NY
Date Reviewed: June 19, 2001
Strengths: Light, has bearing lip so an XTR bb mount FD can be used
Weaknesses: bearings! they squeal...it's like i'm riding a rocking chair
Bottom Line:
Don't buy it! buy anything else....those guys are right...the best BB is one you don't have to think about...this one isn't it. It may lighten your bike by a little bit, but I'd take a shimano XT over this. The only good thing i can say is that it has a lip on the drive side so I can mount my Carbon plate XTR front deralliuer on it. I'm going to spend the $20 and make my bike quiet again. Too much noise....
Bike Setup: lawill 6 w/ z-1, hayes, etc. Kooka cranks
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
rick
a Cross Country Rider
from arizona
Date Reviewed: June 4, 2001
Strengths: light
Weaknesses: housing for bearings is weak and bearings suck.
Bottom Line:
Creaks after two rides, and noise is not from the cranks or bearings as everyone thinks, the aluminum housing loosens all by itself. I will be going back to shimano. This is a high maintanence product, if you like that kind of thing then buy it. The best b.b. is one you dont have to think about.
Submitted by
Steve
a Cross Country Rider
from Seattle
Date Reviewed: May 14, 2000
Strengths: Three bearing design, light weight, easy installation, easy maintainence, a great deal
Weaknesses: lame bearing grease
Bottom Line:
I gave up my 10 year old White Industries Ti BB to get a shorter spindle. In exchange I got the correct spindle length for my new cranks, three bearings instead of two and no need to adjust side to side spacing. I also got creaking and squeaking on my second ride. Turns out riding in the wet Pacific Northwest washed out all the grease in the bearings. Knocked the bearings out with a 5/8 socket, repacked them with some Bardall and life is good again. Come to think of it I had to do the same thing when my White Industries BB was new. At $75 the FSA is a deal!
Weaknesses: Too flexy and not compatible with Race Face cranks. to mommy.....
Bottom Line:
Switched from a Shimano XT to this, to lighten the load. When it came time to hammer this BB cried all the way home. I switched back to old faithful (E.G. Shimano)and the flex went back into it's cage.
Bike Setup: Fisher Super Cal - Tricked with Race Face (free from team sponsor)
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
KIMO
a Cross-Country Rider
from ANAHEIM, CA
Date Reviewed: January 7, 2000
Strengths: LIGHT, TI SPINDLE, 3 BEARINGS, WAS SMOOTH.
Weaknesses: BEARINGS WENT TO CRAP!!!!! BUT SEE BELOW
Bottom Line:
WELL, AS OTHER REVIEWERS STATED UNDER THIS ONE, 2 OR THE 3 BEARINGS CRAPPED OUT. I'VE HAD THE FSA TI BB FOR A YEAR, SO I BROUGHT TO MY LBS & ASKED IF THE 1 YR WARRANTY WAS STILL VALID. THE MECH SAID YES & PROCEDED TO REPLACE ALL 3 BEARINGS. NOW I HAVE A REFURBISHED TI BB W/ BETTER BEARINGS, WHAT A BIG DIFFERENCE!!! TO MAKE THIS REAL SWEET, I ASKED THE MECH WHAT THE COST FOR ALL THE WORK DONE, HE SAID NO CHARGE, IT WARRANTY WORK. FAR OUT!!!!!! SO 3 STARS FOR ORIGINAL FSA TI BB, & 5+ NOW THAT IT'S BEEN REBUILT. THIS BB IS MUCH LIGHT THAN A SHIMANO UN72.
I posted the original review on this product in February '99. My BB died 8 months later, the day before the Chequamegon Fat Tire 40 mile race. Lucky for me I had a crappy old, brick-heavy, smooooooth spinning UN52 sitting in the parts bin, or it would have been $40 to the LBS for a new UN72 (Robbers! Where do they get off charging DOUBLE the typical mail-order of $20 -- the 'value added of having a BB tool handy?!?!? Sheesh!). Anyhoo, Performance (God Bless their capitalist little souls!) sent me a replacement post haste, which I will grind to dust before requesting yet another -- hey, fresh BBs every eight months for life, Wheeeee! Honestly, with three bearings, this jewel should last MUCH longer; I'm not a basher, I only weigh 160, and I avoid mud/wet 'cause ah hates bein' muddy and wet! 3 stars because light weight sort of counterbalances marginal durability...
Bike Setup: Jamis Dakar, SID, Titanium Widgets, Handlebar Streamers
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kevin S
a Cross-Country Rider
from SoCal
Date Reviewed: October 6, 1999
Strengths: Light.Easy to install and service.Not expensive.
Weaknesses: Bearings not so good.Warranty doesn't cover bearings that aren't so good.
Bottom Line:
Update to my last review. The non-drive bearing pitted out after only 7 months of mostly dry biking. I figured I'd at least get a year out of it, oh well.I took it over to Supergo but they said the warranty wouldn't cover corroded bearings. But only one was hosed, which their tech at the Santa Monica shop replaced with a better sealed one for $10. He also repacked the other two bearings while he had it apart and didn't charge me any labor, or make me wait, and even showed me how to do it all myself next time. Which I thought was pretty cool.Anyway, the bearings aren't so good, but at least it's serviceable and can even be upgraded. I still think it's a good part, but it needs more maintenance than I expected.
Submitted by
grannygear
a Weekend Warrior
from Honolulu, Hawaii
Date Reviewed: September 11, 1999
Strengths: lightweight price performance easy to install double bearings on drive side
Weaknesses: none to date
Bottom Line:
Lightweight (185 on my scale for a 73x110.5) cartridge design = easy installation smooth operation / no flex felt price $60 from Supergo can't beat that for a ti
I've had this for some time, but not long enough to say for sure. It's light, but not stupid light. the three bearings are all sealed, so it should be durable, plus the ti spindle keeps it light
Submitted by
Eli
a Weekend Warrior
from Fresno, CA
Date Reviewed: April 7, 1999
Strengths: Light, Simple and relatively cheap
Weaknesses: Weak seals
Bottom Line:
This is a follow up to my previous review. After my BB bearings started squeaking, I sent FSA an e-mail asking about possible warranty replacement. They responded within 24 hours and offered to replace the BB free of charge if I would send them the defective one. I sent the old BB and, lo and behold, today I received a brand new BB as a replacement. The total turnaround from when I sent the old BB to when the new one arrived was less than a week. Of course, I haven't had a chance to ride the new BB, but I am very happy about the good customer service that FSA offers. They even called me at home to tell me that the new BB was on the way. It's reassuring when a company responds quickly and stands behind its products. Based on their service, I'm giving the FSA BB four chilis, although the jury is still out on the durability issue.
