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Les Fat BB Options

1546 Views 9 Replies 5 Participants Last post by Shamis, Oct 23, 2021

Shamis

Discussion Starter · Oct 19, 2021

Hi all, I've owned and ridden a Pivot Les Fat since 2015 and I've been through 7 Bottom Brackets in that time, and now ready for an 8th. This is a 2nd/3rd bike so it does not get a lot of miles, but I'm regularly cleaning and checking items like BB when it gets used. According to Strava data, this bike has 2500 miles on it, so 7 bottom bracket replacements is pretty shitty.

Part of the problem was the choice of using a carbon press fit BB Shell for a bearing system that was intended for 24mm spindles, and opening that up to 30mm with the same 41mm OD for bearing shells. This makes for a skimpy bearing size. Originally, these bikes came with a single row bearing BB and that lasted about 2 months. When I went back to Pivot and E13 about this, they said they recognized the problem and had found a dual row bearing solution. I brought my bike down to E13 since they are fairly local to me and they fitted the newly designed BB. I got 6 months out of this one. Improvement, but not really acceptable. Since then, I've just continued to replace BB's about once a year, even with really low mileage use in dry warm conditions. At this point, I can literally remove and press in new BB with my bare fingers because the frame shell is worn and super thin in that area. The BB on this bike looks impressively massive, but outward impressions do not tell the story of the Bottom Bracket bearing interface.

Has anyone found bearings for this system that seem to hold up? I could spend the $150-$180 on a Wheels Mfg unit and keep using the lifetime warranty, but I would rather not have to keep fiddling with this thing. No one seems to make a 1 piece design for this interface, and I can understand why. There are just not many bikes out there using 132mm wide BB shell with these puny bearings + 30mm spindles.

I started looking at BBInfinite who's whole claim to fame is a giant one piece BB for crappy carbon press fit interfaces, but they only offer a 2 piece design for my width and kinds of defeats the whole idea of what they are trying to accomplish and their BB's are $200-$325 depending on bearing choice.

Let me know your experience...

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Flying_Scotsman

· #2 · Oct 19, 2021

Shamis said:
...... I can literally remove and press in new BB with my bare fingers....

This is ringing alarm bells for me... bearings may be moving and not aligned properly causing premature wear. Wheels Manf BB may help to secure the BB with its screwed together nature. I have also never heard a good word said about any fat E13 BB/Chainset.

There is a chap on YouTube called Hambini, he is rather loud and there are many expletives, but he has many videos that demo issues with frame PF alignment / bearing seat tolerance issue. He also sells machined BB's that try to overcome these issues

HAMBINI: Engineered Excellence - Hambini Engineering

Hambini, a brand synonymous with precision engineering that is unequalled in the industry. Hambini products are designed, engineered and manufactured in the United Kingdom. They are precision engineered to Aerospace tolerances, using aerospace materials by an aerospace engineer

www.hambini.com

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Jayem

· #3 · Oct 19, 2021 (Edited)

Shamis said:
Hi all, I've owned and ridden a Pivot Les Fat since 2015 and I've been through 7 Bottom Brackets in that time, and now ready for an 8th. This is a 2nd/3rd bike so it does not get a lot of miles, but I'm regularly cleaning and checking items like BB when it gets used. According to Strava data, this bike has 2500 miles on it, so 7 bottom bracket replacements is pretty shitty.

Part of the problem was the choice of using a carbon press fit BB Shell for a bearing system that was intended for 24mm spindles, and opening that up to 30mm with the same 41mm OD for bearing shells. This makes for a skimpy bearing size. Originally, these bikes came with a single row bearing BB and that lasted about 2 months. When I went back to Pivot and E13 about this, they said they recognized the problem and had found a dual row bearing solution. I brought my bike down to E13 since they are fairly local to me and they fitted the newly designed BB. I got 6 months out of this one. Improvement, but not really acceptable. Since then, I've just continued to replace BB's about once a year, even with really low mileage use in dry warm conditions. At this point, I can literally remove and press in new BB with my bare fingers because the frame shell is worn and super thin in that area. The BB on this bike looks impressively massive, but outward impressions do not tell the story of the Bottom Bracket bearing interface.

Has anyone found bearings for this system that seem to hold up? I could spend the $150-$180 on a Wheels Mfg unit and keep using the lifetime warranty, but I would rather not have to keep fiddling with this thing. No one seems to make a 1 piece design for this interface, and I can understand why. There are just not many bikes out there using 132mm wide BB shell with these puny bearings + 30mm spindles.

I started looking at BBInfinite who's whole claim to fame is a giant one piece BB for crappy carbon press fit interfaces, but they only offer a 2 piece design for my width and kinds of defeats the whole idea of what they are trying to accomplish and their BB's are $200-$325 depending on bearing choice.

Let me know your experience...

Yeah, the BB92 and derivatives are frustrating. Big screw-up and very short-sighted.

I use the Hope double-row "BB" in my Pivot. It's made by Enduro and they make the same BB. It's not really a "BB", it's just the bearings really. This has held up pretty well, vs. the race face unit that crapped out in no time. This is definitely a weak point of my Pivot, since like you say, the system was designed for 24mm spindles, not 30. If you use a DUB BB and crank, the bearings are bigger. That's the whole reason they came out with DUB, to work in BB92 and make "one" BB/crank spindle size that worked for everything (since 30mm did not really work in BB92 sized shells).

Hope or DUB? DUB would require new cranks.

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Shamis

Discussion Starter · #4 · Oct 20, 2021

Flying_Scotsman said:
This is ringing alarm bells for me... bearings may be moving and not aligned properly causing premature wear. Wheels Manf BB may help to secure the BB with its screwed together nature. I have also never heard a good word said about any fat E13 BB/Chainset.

There is a chap on YouTube called Hambini, he is rather loud and there are many expletives, but he has many videos that demo issues with frame PF alignment / bearing seat tolerance issue. He also sells machined BB's that try to overcome these issues

HAMBINI: Engineered Excellence - Hambini Engineering

Hambini, a brand synonymous with precision engineering that is unequalled in the industry. Hambini products are designed, engineered and manufactured in the United Kingdom. They are precision engineered to Aerospace tolerances, using aerospace materials by an aerospace engineer

www.hambini.com

Thanks for the response. I'll look at his content and see if this is something that will work for me. Unfortunately, I have yet to find any products that allow a BB92 132mm to thread together. BBInfinite looked like the solution, but they said they faced too many tolerancing issues when trying to machine a 1 piece 132mm unit, so they offer a two piece in these cases which really doesn't solve any problems.

My e13 Chainset has pretty bullet proof. The only frustrating thing about it is the difficulty of finding the fatbike chainwheel replacements and I'm running a 28T so they don't last very long, either. I guess the tensioning system is also pretty crappy using that 2 piece plastic tensioner, which I've always has to use addiotional spacers.

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Shamis

Discussion Starter · #5 · Oct 20, 2021

Jayem said:
Yeah, the BB92 and derivatives are frustrating. Big screw-up and very short-sighted.

I use the Hope double-row "BB" in my Pivot. It's made by Enduro and they make the same BB. It's not really a "BB", it's just the bearings really. This has held up pretty well, vs. the race face unit that crapped out in no time. This is definitely a weak point of my Pivot, since like you say, the system was designed for 24mm spindles, not 30. If you use a DUB BB and crank, the bearings are bigger. That's the whole reason they came out with DUB, to work in BB92 and make "one" BB/crank spindle size that worked for everything (since 30mm did not really work in BB92 sized shells).

Hope or DUB? DUB would require new cranks.

I'll definitely look into the DUB option. I'm at a point right now where I need to replace chainwheel, cassette, chain, and BB so it moight be a good time to look at new Crankset options. I have some terrible clicking in the BB under heavy power so the 1st thing I need to do is strip everything down and have a very close look to make sure I don't have any cracks going on.

I don't ever plan to get rid of this bike as it was a surprise 40th B-Day gift from my wife. I have no need for a Fat Bike, but it brings so much joy to pedal around on 5" tires that I will always hold on to it.

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bme107

· #6 · Oct 21, 2021

I have been using a Race Face BB on my Bucksaw for 6 years and 3200mi. Pressfit w/ 30mm cinch. Not an issue.

Just needed to replace the same BB on my Stache after only 16 months and 900 miles. Tried to strip and regrease it but it was so crunchy. Same style and crank as Bucksaw.

Replaced with Real World Cycling (enduro) stainless steel dual row. The outer race has a lip formed into it and it is the cup itself. Fingers crossed it lasts longer.

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Redlands R&C

· #7 · Oct 21, 2021

I "think" middleburn was still making a fat crankset with a 24mm spindle, that might be an option?

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Jayem

· #8 · Oct 21, 2021

Redlands R&C said:
I "think" middleburn was still making a fat crankset with a 24mm spindle, that might be an option?

Or find someone's older RF metal crankset, since those were all 24mm. I have an older RF Turbine and I'm holding on to it as a backup, but there gotta be some out there and being metal, they make pretty decent used cranksets. An unlike their CF cranksets, the metal ones are actually pretty good.

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Flying_Scotsman

· #9 · Oct 22, 2021

Redlands R&C said:
I "think" middleburn was still making a fat crankset with a 24mm spindle, that might be an option?

Correct, they were bought over a couple years back by BETD.

https://www.mountainbikecomponents.co.uk/product/rs8-x-type-crank-no-spider-for-100mm-bottom-bracket/

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Shamis

Discussion Starter · #10 · Oct 23, 2021

Problem I'm running into is that the Les Fat BB width is 132mm. None of the above Cranksets are compatible. Might just have to try a different branded BB and see how it goes. Since bearing is machined to press for directly into frame, I can only search for different brands

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