Designed to be used with your X-Type cranksets. Manufactured from high strength aluminum & featuring twice the number of ball bearings than our competitors, Race Face BB cups are also compatible with some Shimano and FSA external BB systems, making for a great upgrade.
• BB Cups are forged & CNC machined from 7050 aluminum.
• Tapering wall construction to minimize weight.
• Massive external bottom bracket cups house 35% larger ball bearings than internal systems, yielding vastly improved durability.
• In addition, bearings feature a special “full-complement” construction. This doubles the amount of ball bearings in the cartridge & greatly increases it’s load carrying capacity.
• Bearings feature our new custom triple wiper seal to better retain grease & keep contaminants out and are factory filled with Phil Wood waterproof grease – tested & proven to extend bearing life.
• Interchangeable with select Shimano and FSA external MOUNTAIN BB systems.
BUILT FOR: XC/AM
WEIGHT: 110 grams
COLOURS: Bad Ass Black
COMPATIBILITY: 68/73mm BB shells only
Submitted by
Vikingbiker
a Weekend Warrior
from Brunswick, GA Date Reviewed: October 26, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Dupont State Forest
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$220.00
Strengths:
I like the cranks.
Weaknesses:
Mud,I've had 2 Atlas Cranks on 2 different bikes. The one with a XTR BB has had no problems, even in mud. The new one with a RaceFace BB had died in a week of riding muddy/wet conditions. I have heard of this problem before. I do like the cranks
Bottom Line:
Install, ride the stock BB until it gives out, then by XTR or XT and enjoy it forever.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Evan
a Cross Country Rider
from Ann Arbor, MI, USA Date Reviewed: April 7, 2009
Favorite Trail:
La Milagrosa
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Highly adjustable.
Weaknesses:
Bearing quality could be better, but on par with Shimano.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano Hone, Truvativ GXP.
Bottom Line:
Two years later, after wet rides and stream crossings, it is still going fine. I fear that the setup for this product is too much for most people. Remember when a BB had to be adjusted? Well this one does. The incorrect shell width or too few/too many spacers will improperly preload the bearing. One cannot simply screw it in T.A.F. and bolt on the cranks. If the bearing is under too much side load (something most sealed bearings are horrible at dealing with, and the reason Shimano does not use them in their wheels), they will be destroyed quickly. Bang for the buck is hard to argue with and I think the adjustablity has merits for those needing chainline tuning.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Chris
a Cross Country Rider
from New Zealand Date Reviewed: April 4, 2009
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Great when new, but then most BB's are
Weaknesses:
Lets water into bearing, Mine are shot after a few very wet rides.
Bike Setup:
Giant Reign 1
Bottom Line:
Only use these in dry conditiond
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
SafeSurfer
a Cross Country Rider
from Gothenburg, Sweden Date Reviewed: March 19, 2009
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
rutland cycling
Strengths:
External bearings, stiff
Weaknesses:
Plastic seal and shim is very weak.
Similar Products Used:
shimano slx crankset
Bike Setup:
kona dawg supreme 2008
Bottom Line:
Had this on my kona dawg supreme and the bottom bracket was installed on the bike. After a few hours riding the sealing plastic was coming lose and the crank was wobbling a tiny bit. After disassembly the shims inside the cups was crushed and this caused the crank to wobble a bit. To me it looka as if it is weak product and not not jsut bad luck. The plastic looked very cheap.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
kmetz
a Cross Country Rider
from Edmonton, Alberta Date Reviewed: February 28, 2009
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Purchased At:
River Valley Cycle
Strengths:
Reliable, easy to extract the crank
Weaknesses:
none yet
Bottom Line:
I have used this product in a number of races (one which was extremely wet and was 24 hours) and did not experence any issues. I have to replace the BB now but that is after two years of regular use.
Luckly I never had any issue like the other users.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
ffbri
a Downhiller
from santa rosa, ca, USA Date Reviewed: February 4, 2009
Favorite Trail:
boggs state forest
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$42.00
Strengths:
easy install, easy to find, cheap (not necessarily a strength I guess)
Weaknesses:
very poor seals, plastic shim was cracked without me knowing until they were removed.
Bike Setup:
rocky mtn slayer 50
Bottom Line:
I just had to replace the BB cups on my bike after riding in wet weather 1 day. Bike has no other problems except this BB. Wish i read these reviews before buying another set yesterday. I'll see how long these last!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
sean_23
a Cross Country Rider
from Date Reviewed: November 30, 2008
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Looks nice
Weaknesses:
Seizes up
Similar Products Used:
Equivalent Shimano BB
Bike Setup:
Giant Trance
Bottom Line:
This BB was standard issue on my bike. I don't get out much, have hardly had any wet rides, and am pretty easy on my gear. The BB started to seize after the second wet ride, which was after about 6 months use... the cranks didn't spin freely. After 6 months more it was totally seized and turning the cranks resulted in a grinding sound.
There's a bit of discussion about these BBs around (have a look at http://pedaldamnit.blogspot.com/2007/09/race-face-x-type-bb-bearings-upgrade.html), and suggestions to replace the bearings. I ended up getting the Shimano equivalent which was easy to install and so far is doing the job.
When I took out the Raceface the famous plastic spacer cracked, so it was lucky I wasn't trying to keep it alive. Raceface need to look at this design again.
1 chilli for value, although it was part of the original equipment I've never had a BB collapse with so little punishment. 1 chilli overall as you can't service the buggers because of the plastic spacer.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Chris Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from Victoria, BC, Canada Date Reviewed: April 2, 2007
Favorite Trail:
The Zoo
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At:
The Bike Shop / Riders Cycles
Strengths:
Light
Weaknesses:
Poor seals. Not really maintainable.
Similar Products Used:
No other external bearing BBs. My old square tapers on the other bike have lasted for years.
Bike Setup:
07 RMB ETSX 70 frame, (warranty replacement) with 05 parts from a 50. Cranks are the stock Evolve XC.
Bottom Line:
This is my second BB on this bike, and I'm not happy. Bryn, if you are reading this, understand I like Raceface and am very happy with other gear. But for some reason these things won't keep out the crud. I do ride all year in West Coast weather, but I don't spray the bike down. I went through the first BB in 10 months, tried to maintain it myself, broke it (yes, the directions say not to) The LBS got me a couple of the plastic seals so I cleaned and repacked the bearings, freed up a single BB that had dislodged outside of the race, popped the plastic seals back in and rode like that for six mos. However again I picked up a bunch of grit and water. This time I bought a new BB and rode it for another four months. Same thing again. Last night I soaked the BBs in hot water in my sink for ten minutes until the plastic dust seals warmed up, then popped them out without breaking them (still tricky). I cleaned and regreased the bearings again, but I can tell it is a short term solution. I am at a loss as to what advice to give to a purchaser of this BB. Hope you have drier conditions than I do. As for Raceface, I hope you can develop a second seal under or over the dust seal. Regards, Chris
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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