Installed around '98 or so. I've taken it out once, but just to clean out the shell and put in fresh grease to get rid of a little squeak.
I'm a finesse- rider, 5'6" and 155 lbs, so that might be why. The trick is to install right the first time. I chased and faced the bb shell, then applied some grease and installed this thing very tight. I also applied a little grease to the spindles and tightened the heck out of the cranks. I checked the crank bolts the first few rides to make sure they didn't loosen up. Since then, no problems, and it's been YEARS.
Weaknesses: at 225g, not as light as some would like
Bottom Line:
Im not sure what the problem is with this BB? Ive ridden it through hell all across Western Canada for two years now, serviced it once (the internals were pristine after 12+ months), and it still spins absolutely smooth. The recurring issue of soft cups/bad threads seems ot me to be more an issue of user overtightning than a product fault. Yes, they are made from aluminium, and yes aluminium is relatively soft, but using the proper tool and tightning to the specified torque, they should be quite fine.
In all respects -durability, bearing quality, serviceability, seal quality- this BB passes with flying colours. Not only is it reasonably priced, but it is among the strongest spindles available at a weight that is certainly respectable. Superb value for money, in my mind.
Weaknesses: Weak cups. Poor threads. After 3 years riding I had to get a new one.
Bottom Line:
Very unhappy . I also had to remove there headset due to poor bearings. If you want to keep costs down go Shimano. Want to spend a little try Phil Wood. Product looks good till you put it to the test. Im going back to XT put it in and forget about it.
Bike Setup: Waterford 2400, Raceface cranks,Ultimate v's, Sram rear der. XTR front der. Raceface stem, FSA headset,lots of carbon and ti stuf. Hugi hubs on Mavis with ti spokes.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Bart
a Cross Country Rider
from Turnhout, Belgium
Weaknesses: - Very weak cups and easily damaged threads
Bottom Line:
First of all, bottom brackets just aren't made to last so keeping that in mind, the important part is how long you are able to use it before it dies. Frankly, nobody knows even with so called high quality bottom brackets. I had UN52's and UN72's that lasted for 3 months, others lasted over 4 years! I bought the taperlock because I hoped to find a reliable and long lasting bottom bracket. At that time I did not switch the old taper style for the ISIS or Octalink types because I was suspicious about the bearing quality due to the wider axle. I had no problems with the bearings whatsoever, after three years of riding they still run very smooth, there's no play and they are still filled with the factory grease. So far so good. But this BB is overpriced! The cups are made of cheese and are easily damaged using traditional BB tools. Cup threads are poor and easily stripped. During my last routine maintenance I discovered a serious crack in the re-inforcing sleeve at the drive side bearing (I am a lightweight cross crountry rider)?? It doesn't seem to affect the mechanism though but it was reason enough to swap the taperlock again for the good old UN72. In conclusion, this would be an outstanding product if Race Face paid more attention to the details instead of shaving of a few grams. Shame because it really works well. But who cares any longer, square tapers are becoming extinct anyway. For what it's worth and for all you afficionados try to find some spare Shimano BB's, for old times sake!
Bike Setup: Epic Tirant custom titanium hardtail equipped with Chris King headset, 2004 Marathon SL, Race Face Turbine LP cranks, HS33's, XTR derailleurs and Mavic Crossride ceramic wheels
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Tyrone Styles
a Weekend Warrior
from Deep Woods of the NorthEast
Date Reviewed: June 29, 2004
Strengths: strong, keeps on workin
Weaknesses: um, not meant to last a life time?!?
Bottom Line:
Just on here doing some parts research as I build my new bike and wanted to add my $0.02.
I have over 6,000 miles on my Raceface cranks & bottom bracket with NO problems. (6'1", 205 lbs. hardcore trail rider with 5/6 trips a year to Killington / Sunday river for some mad downhilling) Considering they probably sell 200,000 bottom brackets a year 57 people with problems cause they ride through knee deep mud and don't have a torques wrench seem like a pretty reasonable failure rate to me.
Similar Products Used: Shimano, bullseye(BMX days)
Bike Setup: frame, 2 wheels, front & rear shocks, handlebars, stem, brakes etc.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
brennan
a Racer
from edmonton alberta canada
Date Reviewed: June 2, 2003
Strengths: light weight?
Weaknesses: horrid bearings, easily stripped and weak cups
Bottom Line:
i swapped out my stock xt bb for a "better" race face taperloc. after about a year of once-weekly rides (primarily a road racer), noticed a gravelly feeling coming from bb. drive side cup was cracked clear through and non-drive-side bearing was completely seized. I HAD BEEN GRINDING METAL FOR WHO KNOWS HOW LONG! one of the cups stripped so badly upon removal i had to cut it from the frame! Ironically, i put the xt back in and it has been like butter for over 2 years.
Submitted by
Tom
a Cross Country Rider
from Waterloo, IA, USA
Date Reviewed: May 30, 2003
Strengths: Adjustable chainline is nice Nickel-plated cromoly spindle Rebuildable
Weaknesses: Aluminum cups are easily chewed up by Park BB tool-female portion is not deep enough to accept tool. Ultra-crappy stock bearings, DS went out in less than 1000 miles.
Bottom Line:
I probably would not have bought this BB, but since it was on the bike when I bought it, I used it. The drive side bearing went out very soon after I bought the bike. I do not like using the Park BB tool on aluminum cups that are not Shimano, it just doesn't match as well. I rebuilt it with better bearings and am using it again, but I wouldn't buy another one when an XT is cheaper and just as dependable.
Weaknesses: Bearings died after 10 months of use...
Bottom Line:
I'm quite pleased with the product. Non-drive side bearing starting died and cranks started to get a lot of play. I replaced the bearings with better aftermark units and should easily have another year (or more) of problem free service. Normally 10 monhts could be considered too short, but the BB was submerged on quite a few rides, sometimes for 30 minutes at a time - not good for the bike, but it is mountain biking afterall...
Bike Setup: Rocky Mountain Vertex - Race face seat post, stem, crank, bb, bar xt/xtr drive z2 Bomber
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
peter mccann
a Cross Country Rider
from Houston, Texas
Date Reviewed: November 20, 2002
Strengths: Adjustable chain line. Solid design. Not too heavy.
Weaknesses: None.
Bottom Line:
I have rebuilt this BB once in 5000 miles. Now its good to go another 5K. Raceface has excellent CS, and backs their products. There was a cracked bearing, but the bb just kept going. Aftermarket bearings may offer even better durablity than the stock ones.
Submitted by
Rob Fraser
a Cross Country Rider
from Toronto, ON, Canada
Date Reviewed: October 13, 2002
Strengths: It is solid.
Weaknesses: Had to tighten the crankbolts alot when they are new.
Bottom Line:
Chromoly will last along time as long as you aren't a stupid hack. They are a sweet addition to my bicycle. I am thinking of keeping mine as a back-up to a Ti taper BB since (Blue TI) they were out fast.
First of all, don't spray water at your crank sideways and the grease will stay in for a little while. Second, don't DH or FR on the thing. Even though they last 20 times longer than LX they are for that.
Bike Setup: Rocky Mountain Elevation, Hayes, Marzocchi, Raceface, SRAM, Mavic, Maxxis, Cane Creek, Selle Italia & Swiss DT.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Bill
a Cross Country Rider
from Hoboken
Date Reviewed: September 3, 2002
Strengths: Fits any bike easily, adjustable chain line
Weaknesses: THE BEARINGS SUCK. I WILL NOT BUY A RACE FACE BOTTOM BRACKET EVER AGAIN. IF YOU NEED SQUARE, STICK WITH SHIMANO.
Bottom Line:
I am one of the suckers who bought into the Race Face Hype!! Dont make the same mistake on the taper-lock bottom bracket that I did. After wearing out my 3rd set of bearings in 3 months, I have given up. I am going back to old faithful.
PS - Bars, Stem, Seat-post, Cranks and the New 02 chainrings are pretty solid, however THE TEAM SL HEADSET IS HORRIBLE, it seems that RACE FACE SHOULD STAY AWAY FROM COMPONENTS THAT REQUIRE BEARINGS!!
Bike Setup: Yeti ASR, Race Face Cranks, Avid disk breaks, WTB wheels, Race Face Bars & Stem
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from Boston
Date Reviewed: July 18, 2002
Strengths: Easy to Install Not too Heavy
Weaknesses: Bearings Suck Noisy Cups are easily damaged
Bottom Line:
I bought into the Race Face Hype. This bottom bracket was good for about 4 rides, then the bearings decided to break apart and eat themselves. My last bottom bracket lasted 3 years, no problem, stick with shimano.
Submitted by
Brent
a Cross Country Rider
from Portland, OR
Date Reviewed: July 8, 2002
Strengths: Good spindle. Excelent seals. Will fit just about any bike.
Weaknesses: The stock bearings are junk. Cups are easy to damage.
Bottom Line:
The stock bearings in these things are junk. I don't know who makes the Enduro bearings, but its not a repuatable bearing company. I took the bearings out and took them to a local bearing distributor to get new ones. They said they were most likely cheap Chinese bearings. I got some new SKF bearings and this thing is supper smooth now. If you've got one of these, replace the bearings and it will be great. The old bearings did not show any sings of the grease being contaminated. The seals on the bearings and the cups do a good job. 2 chills on the value rating since I ended up puting $20 worth of bearings in them (the SKF bearings retail for $43 each). 3 Chills for not putting quality stuff in it in the first place.
