the bottom bracket problem with modern bikes.

[S-Express]

From what I was told, there are occasional spot checks at local level,

I'm involved in club/regional level racing and I have never seen or heard of any 'spot checks' of any sort - leaving aside any liability issues about who would conduct them and why - it's just not feasible.

 

[mjr]

I'm involved in club/regional level racing and I have never seen or heard of any 'spot checks' of any sort - leaving aside any liability issues about who would conduct them and why - it's just not feasible.

I'm quite sure you could go your whole amateur career without seeing one, but equally I've seen the BC cars turn up unannounced at a local race in Bath. What they were looking for, why and how, I don't know - it seemed to be regulatory rather than scouting the youth riders, but I was just there watching the race and didn't know it'd be discussed a few years later

 

[S-Express]

It's not unusual to see BC/WC vehicles at local races - I see them all the time, they are the national governing body after all. What were the occupants of these vehicles actually doing? Were they weighing bikes?

 

[mjr]

It's not unusual to see BC/WC vehicles at local races - I see them all the time, they are the national governing body after all. What were the occupants of these vehicles actually doing? Were they weighing bikes?

Some of them seemed to be measuring stuff around the finish line and asking the organisers questions. I was there to watch the race, noy the officials. I don't see why it's so implausible that they might weigh, scan and measure bikes now they've got the power in the rules.

 

[S-Express]

Some of them seemed to be measuring stuff around the finish line and asking the organisers questions. I was there to watch the race, noy the officials. I don't see why it's so implausible that they might weigh, scan and measure bikes now they've got the power in the rules.

Nobody said it was implausible. But it is very unlikely. Anyway, I don't know what you mean by measuring 'stuff' - can you be more specific. Measuring the fenceposts? Measuring the height of the tea urn?

 

[mjr]

Nobody said it was implausible. But it is very unlikely. Anyway, I don't know what you mean by measuring 'stuff' - can you be more specific. Measuring the fenceposts? Measuring the height of the tea urn?

I think I noticed them measuring the distance the finish line was from the narrowing for the road to go through a gate, but I'm pretty sure they took other measurements and I didn't have an unobstructed view.

 

[S-Express]

I think I noticed them measuring the distance the finish line was from the narrowing for the road to go through a gate, but I'm pretty sure they took other measurements and I didn't have an unobstructed view.

ok - so they weren't looking at bikes then, that's the point I was getting at...

 

[Tenacious Sloth]

Just changed the Hollowtech II BB on my Merida Ride.

How joyously simple it was compared to the BB30 on the CAADX, and it only cost me a tenner for the Ultegra/105 version.

It only lasted 3500 miles of dry riding, but at that price combined with the simplicity of replacement I'm not too bothered.

The BB30 on the CAADX lasted 5500 miles of riding in all weathers before giving up the ghost.

I think for the home mechanic the Hollowtech is the better option.

Graham

 

[mjr]

I think for the home mechanic the Hollowtech is the better option.

Better than BB30, but the balls are still outside the shell and there's limited crank choice.

 

[Tom B]

As far as square taped bearings go I had been getting through them at a rate of two a year, they were lasting 8months over the summer and 4 over winter.
I ride pretty much every day no matter what the weather.

I was reading up old threads to see if i was possibly doing something wrong and read somewhere Yellow Saddle recommending nothing other than Shimano's UN55.
His reasoning I think was batter sealing. At £15 it was twice the price of the Sunrace BBs I had been using but the better seal was immediately clear.
It has been in around 2 months and so far so good.

My MTB has an FSA mega exo - whatever one of those is - I'm pretty fresh back to cycling in the last 5yrs so square taper were modern to me!

 

[Drago]

They ain't called FSA for nothing - full speed ahead to the dealers for replacements!

 

[mjr]

I was reading up old threads to see if i was possibly doing something wrong and read somewhere Yellow Saddle recommending nothing other than Shimano's UN55.
His reasoning I think was batter sealing. At £15 it was twice the price of the Sunrace BBs I had been using but the better seal was immediately clear.

A couple of local shops seem to have settled on the VP Components RBT211 and they seem pretty good, too. I fitted one to the Dutch bike last summer I think and it's running smoothly still, ridden most days. Similar sort of price.