Try the ISIS BBs that are marketed specifically for downhill/extreme abuse. Those will be the best built. I had the gigapipe team DH BB and it held up pretty well. Otherwise, you are correct that you are throwing away money. Isis was flawed from the start unfortunatly. The bearings were too small, and they couldn't compete with shimano's needle bearings and precision. The isis standard backfired big time due to this problem, and made the bigger-bearing external BBs necessary.dgangi said:My 2 year old NRS is on it's second Truvativ Gigapipe SL bottom bracket, and this one is starting to develop creaks and slop. The first lasted about a year and a half...and the second 6 months. I don't want to throw good money after bad and get another crappy Truvativ.
I did a little homework and found *nothing* positive about any of the ISIS bottom brackets. I was thinking about the FSA Platinum Pro, but it was panned in the review section on this board. Same with the Race Face ISIS stuff. And lots of people dumped on the Truvativ Gigapipe (which I can attest first hand).
So what's a boy to do? The crankset on my bike is a Truvativ Stylo Team and I love it. But it's an ISIS so I am restricted to getting another ISIS BB. I know the newer style external cup BB's are stronger and more durable, but I would rather not get all new cranks just to get a better BB.
FWIW - the square taper Race Face in my '97 Trek hardail is original and is still running smooth. Based on my experience with that BB I thought all BB's were a "set it and forget it" item. Apparently I am mistaken
Thx...Doug
Are there any ISIS BB's worth a crap?
My 2 year old NRS is on it's second Truvativ Gigapipe SL bottom bracket, and this one is starting to develop creaks and slop. The first lasted about a year and a half...and the second 6 months. I don't want to throw good money after bad and get another crappy Truvativ.
I did a little homework and found *nothing* positive about any of the ISIS bottom brackets. I was thinking about the FSA Platinum Pro, but it was panned in the review section on this board. Same with the Race Face ISIS stuff. And lots of people dumped on the Truvativ Gigapipe (which I can attest first hand).
So what's a boy to do? The crankset on my bike is a Truvativ Stylo Team and I love it. But it's an ISIS so I am restricted to getting another ISIS BB. I know the newer style external cup BB's are stronger and more durable, but I would rather not get all new cranks just to get a better BB.
FWIW - the square taper Race Face in my '97 Trek hardail is original and is still running smooth. Based on my experience with that BB I thought all BB's were a "set it and forget it" item. Apparently I am mistaken
Thx...Doug
I did a little homework and found *nothing* positive about any of the ISIS bottom brackets. I was thinking about the FSA Platinum Pro, but it was panned in the review section on this board. Same with the Race Face ISIS stuff. And lots of people dumped on the Truvativ Gigapipe (which I can attest first hand).
So what's a boy to do? The crankset on my bike is a Truvativ Stylo Team and I love it. But it's an ISIS so I am restricted to getting another ISIS BB. I know the newer style external cup BB's are stronger and more durable, but I would rather not get all new cranks just to get a better BB.
FWIW - the square taper Race Face in my '97 Trek hardail is original and is still running smooth. Based on my experience with that BB I thought all BB's were a "set it and forget it" item. Apparently I am mistaken
Thx...Doug
1 - 13 of 13 Posts
I'm a rare case... but 2 years going strong on my RF Evolve FR BB. It's 113mm. The DH one is the same... just longer spindle.
Maybe the new SKF's coming out soon will be good. Personally, I've put thousands of miles on an SRX with no problems.
great question.. i am changing out the truvativ gigapipe sl in my bike to a DH Team gigapipe...i got 1 year out of the sl but its junk now...yeah, i did not really want to buy anymore of the isis stuff, but like you, did not want to spend $150 or more for a new BB and cranks etc...i spent $48 for the TEam DH...maybe i should have gotten a whole new crankset though....i;m expecting to get more than a year from this new one...but i'll be riding my bike harder this year...a lot more mtn park
i'd say if you like your bike a lot...get a new crankset and bb...yeah, i know, i've got an old shimano squaretaper thats prolly 10 yr old and feel like new
i'd say if you like your bike a lot...get a new crankset and bb...yeah, i know, i've got an old shimano squaretaper thats prolly 10 yr old and feel like new
I have a RF freeride 113mm too, and so far its not too bad. it still rune fine after 5 months or so but the surfaces and seals are beginning to deteriorate and the whole thing looks like it wont see summer 2006.
if i were you i'd just buy the isis bb which is best for your budget, or if you want to quit isis completely then look on ebay for another crankset. i got a brand new set of truvativ's for about £35 and they and they came with a chainring too.
best
if i were you i'd just buy the isis bb which is best for your budget, or if you want to quit isis completely then look on ebay for another crankset. i got a brand new set of truvativ's for about £35 and they and they came with a chainring too.
best
You may love me or hate me on this one.
Jenson has truvative DH ISIS BBs for $13. These are the low end versions. 4 bearing (I think) but not the greatest seals.
That makes it harder to reason one's way to a new crankset. One could just buy a couple BBs.... <sigh>
http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/BB500C00-Truvativ+Gigapipe+Dhlt+Bb+Oe.aspx
Mr. P
Jenson has truvative DH ISIS BBs for $13. These are the low end versions. 4 bearing (I think) but not the greatest seals.
That makes it harder to reason one's way to a new crankset. One could just buy a couple BBs.... <sigh>
http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/BB500C00-Truvativ+Gigapipe+Dhlt+Bb+Oe.aspx
Mr. P
$13???
Wow, I just might have to pick one of those up....
Wow, I just might have to pick one of those up....
just want to follow up here...i just got the $48 truvativ team DH isis bottom bracket and a bunch a other parts to get the bike ready for a new year....so i slabbered up the BB and started installing, licking my chops for maybe getting a quick ride tonight...the left cup wont thread into the frame! so i check it every which way and i am amazed...the theads appear to be just a circle at the end, no inclined plane....fortunately this playing around did not ruin the threads in my frame because i had to re-install the old truvativ SLLT isis
man, was i hot....i do techinal work for a living, this is unbelievable...i just read an article on nsmbe where they visited truvativ headquarters over in san luis obispo...kept thinking of that article and looking at this $48 BB that was not even threaded properly...
i don't think there is any point going off on this company...now i understand the general consensus about them...rest assured that my bike will have a new crank system probably by the start of the summer
anyway...steer clear of these guys...you get what you pay for...go shimano
man, was i hot....i do techinal work for a living, this is unbelievable...i just read an article on nsmbe where they visited truvativ headquarters over in san luis obispo...kept thinking of that article and looking at this $48 BB that was not even threaded properly...
i don't think there is any point going off on this company...now i understand the general consensus about them...rest assured that my bike will have a new crank system probably by the start of the summer
anyway...steer clear of these guys...you get what you pay for...go shimano
On Ebay
I dont know much about this peice but American Classic does make some quality stuff.
http://cgi.ebay.com/American-Classi...ryZ56193QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
I dont know much about this peice but American Classic does make some quality stuff.
http://cgi.ebay.com/American-Classi...ryZ56193QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Update - went with another ISIS BB...
Thanks for all of your input. Based on your suggestions I looked at the outboard bearing systems, which meant new crankset + BB. Unfortunately, anything that was sub-$200 wasn't going to give me the performance that my current Truvativ Stylo Team crankset gives me (ignoring the BB issues).
Replacing my crankset tit-for-tat (Stylo Team GXP vs. my Stylo Team Isis) would cost me over $200, which is definitely more of a commitment than I was looking for at this time.
So...I decided to try another ISIS BB to hopefully get one more year out of my crankset. I decided to go with an FSA Platinum Pro MegaQuad instead of throwing yet more money down the drain with the Truvativ junk. I found one for $53 shipped. We'll see how this works out. If it doesn't...then I will get an entirely new outboard system for sure.
Thx...Doug
Thanks for all of your input. Based on your suggestions I looked at the outboard bearing systems, which meant new crankset + BB. Unfortunately, anything that was sub-$200 wasn't going to give me the performance that my current Truvativ Stylo Team crankset gives me (ignoring the BB issues).
Replacing my crankset tit-for-tat (Stylo Team GXP vs. my Stylo Team Isis) would cost me over $200, which is definitely more of a commitment than I was looking for at this time.
So...I decided to try another ISIS BB to hopefully get one more year out of my crankset. I decided to go with an FSA Platinum Pro MegaQuad instead of throwing yet more money down the drain with the Truvativ junk. I found one for $53 shipped. We'll see how this works out. If it doesn't...then I will get an entirely new outboard system for sure.
Thx...Doug
You might want to consider that "sealed" bearing sets are not really long term items. ( I maintain that there is no such thing as a sealed bearing, it wouldn't turn if it's sealed) Some of the posts about Shimano BB's going seven to ten years I find a bit hard to accept unless the bikes weren't ridden much, or were only ridden in dry, non-gritty conditions. I had a shop in Western Oregon for over twenty years, and came to expect about two years out of a sealed LX BB in a bike used for moderate off-road use. If the user rode with our crew (year-round, twice or more weekly) the LX BBs lasting time was more like one year. The grit and water does in any seals and bearings, regardless of who makes them. I do believe that the Shimano product is somewhat better than most others. The Truvativ stuff I have not been impressed with out of the box.dgangi said:Thanks for all of your input. Based on your suggestions I looked at the outboard bearing systems, which meant new crankset + BB. Unfortunately, anything that was sub-$200 wasn't going to give me the performance that my current Truvativ Stylo Team crankset gives me (ignoring the BB issues).
Replacing my crankset tit-for-tat (Stylo Team GXP vs. my Stylo Team Isis) would cost me over $200, which is definitely more of a commitment than I was looking for at this time.
So...I decided to try another ISIS BB to hopefully get one more year out of my crankset. I decided to go with an FSA Platinum Pro MegaQuad instead of throwing yet more money down the drain with the Truvativ junk. I found one for $53 shipped. We'll see how this works out. If it doesn't...then I will get an entirely new outboard system for sure.
Thx...Doug
I've had good luck with a Race Face Signature one.
one year and 700 dry ,non-gritty miles later , it is still holding it's own.
Sadly , they don't make them anymore.
I had good luck with the FSA ones also.
Hopefully , they will work for you.
one year and 700 dry ,non-gritty miles later , it is still holding it's own.
Sadly , they don't make them anymore.
I had good luck with the FSA ones also.
Hopefully , they will work for you.
1 - 13 of 13 Posts
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