Submitted by
KillerT2
a Weekend Warrior
from Denmark Date Reviewed: May 8, 2008
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$80.00
Purchased At:
chainreactioncycles.com
Strengths:
None what so ever...
Weaknesses:
Serious durability issues!
Similar Products Used:
Old Race Face BB
Bike Setup:
Kona Caldera 2005 with few original parts remaining...
Bottom Line:
Busted bearing after only 6 months of mainly on-road riding? "Performance Products"? That's gotta be "Poor Performance Products". What a joke!
My old Race Face BB lasted almost 3 years and 6000 km - this one died after half a year.
This BB is a genuine POS. Do not buy!
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Submitted by
J. Slza
a Cross Country Rider
from Harker Heights, TX Date Reviewed: November 11, 2007
Favorite Trail:
All of Green Mountain and Capitol Forest, WA
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$39.00
Purchased At:
Performance
Strengths:
Great price with a full Race Face set.
Weaknesses:
Prone to be defective or creak after heaving riding after six months or less.
Bottom Line:
Spend a little more get DH BB from Race Face
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Submitted by
Adam Driedzic
a Cross Country Rider
from Victoria, BC, Canada Date Reviewed: September 24, 2007
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
The Bike Shop
Strengths:
fast when it is new. crank arms stay on tight.
Weaknesses:
wears out quickly. Gets dry and crunchy
Similar Products Used:
shimano splined bb, shimano square taper bb.
Bike Setup:
rocky mountain element. Stock RaceFace crank
Bottom Line:
I wore out two of these in two years of recreational XC riding. The first got replaced on warranty but the second was just as bad. I do small drops and I don't stunt on concrete. I don't want to buy a new crank because the crankarms are nice but these bbs suck.
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Submitted by
Comander Piffle
a Cross Country Rider
from Santa Cruz Ca Date Reviewed: May 12, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Sekret Horsey
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$49.00
Purchased At:
mail order
Strengths:
Excellent paperweight. Intricate looking lump of metal that will endlessly fascinate most 4 year olds. Can be thrown violently at concrete to produce a satisfying THUWNKK sound. Let's see....did I mention a paperweight?
Weaknesses:
Non-serviceable piece of junk that is: underbuilt, overpriced, and generally worthless as a part for a bicycle. I'm not going to mention that it lasted less than 5 months...not even going to mention it. However, when brand new, it was rough sounding, it had binding issues from day 1, its BB sized bearings are ok for light duty spin casting reels, at best. What a piece of junk. Never have I purchaced a more poorly designed/manufactured part for a bike. Never.
Similar Products Used:
Nothing. Loading the BB shell with gravel, and welding the holes shut would have produced a sturdier, quieter bottom bracket that this POS.
Bottom Line:
Enough already. I actually posted last week that my bike has zero Shimano parts on it. Nothing against Shimano, it just turned out that way.
The hell with 'em. I'm the proud new owner of a Hollowtech II XT crank with integrated BB. (which have serviceable bearings in spite of what the big S says) (Thanks Chris and Enduro Fork Seals...You are the BEST!!)
Okay, I'm done with my rant. I'll give it no flaming turds.
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Submitted by
Steve
a Cross Country Rider
from Arlington, VA Date Reviewed: April 11, 2006
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$45.00
Purchased At:
online retailer
Strengths:
None, zero, and zip.
I suppose if you cup your fist around it and nailed someone in a fight, you'd probably put him down for good. But that's true for all BB and should not be viewed as a reason for purchase.
Weaknesses:
Lasts about 3 months if you ride your bike during that time; maybe longer if your bike just sits inside a dry, hermetically -sealed vacuum chamber.
Seriously, though, this is the 2nd of these I've gone through in less than 2 season of pretty average riding. First one went crunchy inside; second one pedals like it's full of Gorilla Glue.
RaceFace really took a piss when they went to splined. This was my last purchase from them until they either return to the original design or improve their external BB design, which I understand to be simply another horrendous POS. Shimano is a giant, but it's a giant that works. Too bad, RF used to be a good company, but brand loyalty is tough to sustain when the products don't measure up.
Similar Products Used:
None
Bike Setup:
SS Inbred with boutique bits. Soon to have a Shimano crank and BB.
Bottom Line:
RF deserves to be boycotted for this slap in the face to loyal customers. Stay away from RF's splined junk even if you find it cheap on eBay...there's a reason it's there.
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Submitted by
Kerry
a Cross Country Rider
from Tucson, Arizona, USA Date Reviewed: February 27, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Fantasy Island
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$125.00
Purchased At:
Bluesky
Strengths:
Looks nice
Weaknesses:
Poor customer Service, weak chain rings
Similar Products Used:
Shimano LX Crank
Bike Setup:
Trek 6000 with Shimano XT rear & front Derailler, shifters and Casette, soon to be with out the Race face product!
Bottom Line:
I had my LBS install the Raceface Evlove XC Crank and BB, worked great for a few rides on a local trail, nothing crazy, and no massive cranking on it. Took it to the 24 hours in the old pueblo, rode 2 laps, and then found that I have a chip on one tooth in the middle chain ring. Called Raceface, left a message after going to their website, which the links DO NOT WORK. After calling back myself a second time Raceface said that I have to have my LBS call and stand by their work and I have to prove its defective. That is a bit excessive, since its been on the bike only 3 weeks now, to me it spells crappy materials used in the manufacturing process. I only replaced the crank and the BB on the Trek because it was OE and 6 years old and the BB was gritty etc, but that original Acera (bottom of the Shimano products) held up better.
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Submitted by
Stephen Brown
a Cross Country Rider
from Rochdale, England Date Reviewed: February 21, 2006
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
Chain Reaction Cycles
Strengths:
Bottom bracket did not flex much under load.
Weaknesses:
Lasted 7 months before falling to bits.
Similar Products Used:
Truvativ, Shimano.
Bike Setup:
Orange Sub5, XT gears, Hope Mini brakes.
Bottom Line:
The bottom bracket worked well at first, but has not lasted very long. When I removed it from the bike, there was a 5mm hole in the case of one of the cartridge bearings and all of the ball bearings were falling out.
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Submitted by
Sven Kleine
a Cross Country Rider
from Centurion,South Africa Date Reviewed: February 6, 2006
This product is astonishingly bad. I have raced, trained and commuted 300 000km in my lifetime and never has a BB failed on me within 3 months. I did not race it, I didn't even train on it, simply commuted. After 3 months it started grinding, I pulled it out and found that it was cracked in several places! Luckily the guys at Bruce's gave me a free replacement. I cannot recommend this product for anything not even weekend fun.
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Submitted by
Derek HALLAM
a Cross Country Rider
from Brisbane, Australia Date Reviewed: October 6, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Gap Creek
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
came with bike
Strengths:
Nil
Weaknesses:
Poor quality. Self destructs in 3 to 4 months.
Bike Setup:
'05 Giant VT2
Bottom Line:
I am very happy with the RF components on the bike but the BB finally went in 4 months after getting progressively worse - crunching and tightening. Replaced by dealer and this one lasted only 3 months. Will upgrade to something better (not RF) as soon as the warranty expires. Hopefully there is something that will do the distance as I have only done about 1300k's on the bike so far.
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Submitted by
Mike Prince
a Cross Country Rider
from Monroe, NJ Date Reviewed: September 6, 2005
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Jenson
Strengths:
Looks - but who sees a bottom bracket?
Weaknesses:
Self destructed in under 50 miles.
Similar Products Used:
UN-51, UN-71,2,3, FSA Platinum, Race Face Signature.
Bike Setup:
Wife's bike - Jamis Dragon 13" frame, lots of goodies.
Bottom Line:
I put this on my wife's bike at the beginning of the summer. She only came with me on a few rides this year. My wife weighs 100 lbs. and is not what I'd call an 'aggressive' rider. NO WET RIDES. The BB siezed about 3 miles from the trailhead. I forced it to spin so she was able to ride out (what a noise!). NO FUN. At least she didn't get hurt.
I've abused the crap out of many a BB. Occasionally one would get abrasive feeling and I replace them. This is rediculous.
ZERO CHILIS.
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Submitted by
Rog
a Cross Country Rider
from Spokane Date Reviewed: July 16, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Roger's Greatest Hits
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
Cambria
Strengths:
It looks good right out of the package.
Weaknesses:
Longevity could be better.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano XT, others.
Bike Setup:
Intense Uzzi SLX, Progressive 5th Element shock, Marzocchi 2004 Z1 FR coil (130mm), XTR shifters, XTR rapid-rise, Hayes mag brakes. Rear suspension setup 7-inch travel setting, 350-pound titanium spring, 140 to 150 PSI. Time ATAC XS Carbon pedals. Weirwolf race tires 2.5 front and 2.1 rear. The bike is 33 pounds.
Bottom Line:
I purchased a RaceFace 5-bolt crank, so I could install a 20-tooth granny, and so I need an ISIS bottom bracket. The bottom bracket lasted one year. I feel lucky that I did not have a catastrophic failure like some here. It was creaking, so I took it out to put vibra-tite on the threads, and discovered the bearings were shot. I never wash my bike and the bottom bracket has been splashed but not submerged. I'm giving it a rating of 2 since mine lasted longer than others. I purchased an FSA bottom bracket locally and I plan on buying a spare. Not sure what to buy though.
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Submitted by
Mark Edwards
a Weekend Warrior
from UK Date Reviewed: May 3, 2005
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$70.00
Weaknesses:
The non-drive side casing disintegrated and the bearings fell out after less than a year of use.
Similar Products Used:
The Shimano tapered BB that came with the bike which at least lasted a couple of years.
Bike Setup:
Specialised Rock Hopper
Bottom Line:
I bought this BB because I'm pretty heavy on my gear and, on the strength of a review in an MTB mag, this one sounded like it would last. It seemed good at first, very stiff, but only after about 6 months of mainly commuting use it lost the stiffness and starting making nasting grinding sounds. I bought the Race Face Prodigy cranks at the same time and these have been great but, looking at other reviews, it doesn't look like there is a decent ISIS drive BB out there so they're pretty useless as well.
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Submitted by
Terrance
a Cross Country Rider
from Perth Western Austalia Date Reviewed: April 16, 2005
Favorite Trail:
All of them
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
Came with bike
Strengths:
It made no noises.
Weaknesses:
I feel it should have lasted longer.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano
Bike Setup:
Giant VT2
Bottom Line:
I only ride cross country and am by no means an extreme rider. The bearings are worn out after 2000km of riding over ten months and I feel it should have lasted longer especially being a "quality" product from a company that does produce awesome components.I couldn't bring myself to buy another one, so I hope my Truvativ Gigapipe lasts a little longer.
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Submitted by
Tom
a Weekend Warrior
from Seattle Area, WA Date Reviewed: October 30, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Many
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
Supergo
Strengths:
Looks good
Weaknesses:
Not durable.
Similar Products Used:
Generic BB that came stock on the bike.
Bike Setup:
Giant AC, mostly stock
Bottom Line:
Believe the ratings. Don't waste your money on it. If you do buy it save your receipt for warranty return. I misplaced mine and RaceFace wouldn't warranty it. The drive side destucted on a ride and it was a long walk back. I put the stock BB back on and still riding it. Haven't decided what to get yet. Not RaceFace though.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Tucson, AZ Date Reviewed: October 21, 2004
Favorite Trail:
too many to list
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$40.00
Purchased At:
Beyond bikes
Strengths:
It seemed pretty smooth and stout.....
Weaknesses:
Bearings.
Similar Products Used:
RaceFace XS, Trucativ Gigapipe
Bike Setup:
Redline Monocog SS, Race Face Turbine LP 175's, 2:1 gearing
Bottom Line:
I had the BB for about about 5 months on my single speed. I took it apart the other day to clean and lube the threads, etc. because it wsa creaking like mad. It turns out both non drive side bearings were split. I didn't check the drive side, but I am hoping RF will warranty it. I will then sell it and look for a better BB. In the interim I got a Truvativ Gigapipe...hopefully that will last (I doubt it though).
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Nigel Meredith
a
from UK Date Reviewed: October 21, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Wales
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
chainreaction
Strengths:
Strenghth, weight,
Weaknesses:
Cost in the UK
Similar Products Used:
Shimano
Bike Setup:
Giant NRS, Pace forks
Bottom Line:
They wipe the arse of British mud and clag. I use it in conjunction with a Raceface chainset and I would recommend the whole set up to anybody. My only gripe is the cost in the Uk which appears to be as much in British pounds as you can buy for in dollars which makes them a third more expensive in the UK
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
tony p
a Weekend Warrior
from grafton, MA Date Reviewed: July 23, 2004
Favorite Trail:
vietnam
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$45.00
Purchased At:
pricepoint
Strengths:
great BB for $, great upgrade from low end especially for the $, strong as hell.
Weaknesses:
sealed bearings so you can't service it
Similar Products Used:
none
Bike Setup:
01 GT avalanche 2.0 w/ beefy set up for light freeriding and heavy XC
Bottom Line:
sweet BB for the money, great upgrade from low end things that break all of the time, raceface is good w/ their warranty policy- haven't had to use it yet tho. stiff as heck too. haven't had any problems w/ it.
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Submitted by
Justin
a Cross Country Rider
from Christchurch Date Reviewed: April 18, 2004
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$1.00
Strengths:
Warranty replacement policy means I always get a new one.
Weaknesses:
Poor quality means I always have to get another one fitted.
Similar Products Used:
Truvative Team SL (also poxy and now dead), shimano XT
Bike Setup:
Kona Kula Deluxe hardtail
Bottom Line:
Well, I must have got lucky - this one lasted nearly 1000km before before packing up. The first one only went half that distance. The distributor will replace it with another one (that will be the third in 1500km's), but frankly I'm not very enthusiastic. I'll just be back for another one when this one packs up. I considered paying the difference to get something better in the Raceface range (as per the distributors offer), but from what I can gather all RF BBs suck. The LBS inform me that RF BBs are in fact made by Truvative, so steer clear of those too. One stinky poo for both value and overall rating. DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jay Driggars
a Cross Country Rider
from Tulsa, OK, USA Date Reviewed: September 18, 2003
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$45.00
Purchased At:
Cambria
Strengths:
None
Weaknesses:
Bad design, imported product, tech support is totally lame
Similar Products Used:
Shimano BB
Bike Setup:
Cannondale Super V
Bottom Line:
I'm on my second, its only lasted a few rides about 150 miles. Both had problems with drive side bearing cups which allowed the BB to move within the shell, not good. Tech person first said that there were no problems with the Evolve series but later in conversation stated that they had many returns and none had the same problem as mine. Apparently there are several problems with this BB. Today Cambria's sales person said that the Evolve series was not worth messing with, wish they had told me that in the first place. RaceFace offers the worst tech support and customer service I've ever experienced. The bottom line is that this BB has several problems, don't waist your time or money.
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Submitted by
Toddler
a Cross Country Rider
from London, ON, CANADA Date Reviewed: February 18, 2003
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Came with Giant NRS1
Strengths:
ISIS, Good Warranty (You'll need it)
Weaknesses:
BB lasted about 400kms!! then off for warranty, bought a signature series and when this one came back from warranty it went in and the signature went out for warranty
Similar Products Used:
Shimano
Bike Setup:
GIANT NRS1
Bottom Line:
If you are ok with sending out your BB for warrranty, paying S&H they you can have a lifetime of BB's but you will need spare as a backup
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jens Jacob Iversen
a Weekend Warrior
from Århus, Denmark Date Reviewed: November 5, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Idalp (between austria and switzerland)
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
55
Strengths:
ISIS, large spindle, stiff, bearings are good sealed.
Weaknesses:
When you are driving in mud to your knees, not so pleasant noises are heard. In other words: seals (not bearing seals) could be better.
Similar Products Used:
EDCO, shimano XT (HAHA), to expensive (like all bike products)
Bike Setup:
CUBE team litening, sram 9.0, Magura Louise front, HS silver back, TIME pedals, Raceface Turbine LP, TA Specialites chainrings, ritchey seatpost and stem.
Bottom Line:
I would be happy if it was a little more easy to disassemble the hole thing.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
rob
a Downhiller
from oxon uk Date Reviewed: October 1, 2002
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$122100210211100.00
Purchased At:
evans
Strengths:
smooth bearings, isis
Weaknesses:
smooth does not equal no friction, axle is hard to turn because of shiite bearings, cranks come loose due to lack of taper, needed new crank extractor
Similar Products Used:
shim un72
Bike Setup:
orange airo, turbine lp isis cranks
Bottom Line:
brought these cranks to go with my isis cranks, but bearings seem cheap, and for 45 quid, they are worse than on my 20 quid un72. get the fsa bb, better bearings
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Steve verhoeven
a Weekend Warrior
from Vancouver Date Reviewed: September 26, 2002
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
lbs
Strengths:
Cheaop, stiff, light and strong
Weaknesses:
None (yet)
Bike Setup:
Cove titanium Hummer with Fox Float forks and full Race Face/XTR finishing kit
Bottom Line:
I've been using this BB in wet Vancouver conditions for just over 6 months now and have had no problems with it whatsoever. I love the stiffness the ISIS drive adds to your drive train and can happily recommend this BB.
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Submitted by
Greg
a Cross Country Rider
from Calgary, AB, Canada Date Reviewed: August 6, 2002
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
lbs
Strengths:
ISIS drive.
Weaknesses:
Poor bearings
Similar Products Used:
Shimano STX,LX,XT,XTR,Bontrager
Bike Setup:
Trek 7000 upgraded to almost full XTR, and Marzocchi Bomber Atom 80.
Bottom Line:
Like Dan said the bearings in the BB are very fragile. I never even got these things wet before the bearings started grinding. Which they started doing within 2 months of easy X-country riding. I replaced it with a Bontrager that has worked perfectly so far paired with my Truvativ Stylo crank. I can't recommend these for anyone.
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Submitted by
Dan
a Cross Country Rider
from Dallas,Tx. USA Date Reviewed: July 3, 2002
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
JensonUSA
Strengths:
none
Weaknesses:
Splines and bearing seals.
Similar Products Used:
Currently using the Bontrager Race Lite ISIS BB with no complaints.
Bottom Line:
This ISIS BB sucks. One wet weather ride was all it took to cause the BB to seize. I also noticed that the splines cannot with-stand the installation-removal-installation of the crank arms. The non-drive side crank arm would develope play after every ride after re-installing cranks. I have since replaced this BB w/the Bontrager Race Lite ISIS BB and have had no such problems. I shipped the bad BB back to Race Face five weeks ago and have not yet received a replacement.
$ 49.00
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