I'm a mechanic and normally avoid (like the plague) workshop videos which don't come from Manufacturers or people like Park Tool. This is is one of the best videos I have ever seen . It is refreshing to see a real engineering approach to things. Thank you
Being an engineering student with a hideously creaking BB30 this has been the only video to fully explain why exactly it happens (and a marvelous solution for it) , not just the usual assumptions of garage mechanics. Thank you!
I can confidently say this is a mind blowing engineering information, broken down so well for a simple Joe like me to comprehend and damn, you made those BB30 manufactures seem lazy for not doing their job well enough! This is genius, 🙏❤️🕊
As a former engineering student and did robotics in high school, this video is absolutely amazing. Information was well explained, and so was the solutions with all its positives and negatives. It blows my mind you even went ahead and measure the disparity, designed your own BB, and then machined it. To us mere mortal/garage "engineers", this is nothing short of amazing.
Two years ago I bought a used Cannondale Super Six (the old model made in USA) with an BSA interface glued in (original Cannondale) with a Campy group set - only now I am getting aware how lucky I was After reading the magazines (Tour- I am a German speaker) I thought it was a sinn to install campy crank instead of the light Cannondale ones - now I see that this has saved me from many issues
I am most amazed buy the differences between this video and your current (2020) ones. This one was quite good. Today's are much louder for unknown reasons.
Now this is a really good presentation without the swearing and disparaging comments which have become an odious feature of your current crop of videos. You have lost the clarity and simplicity of this video with recent stuff. Explain the engineering flaws, show the solution and let the viewer form their opinions. They will more than likely agree with yours if you have explained matters clearly. You are smart enough to do away with the expletives and mature viewers will be more likely to watch to the end.
I can't believe what I've just seen here. So to summarise: you've made a dummy BB30 bottom bracket, constructed your own installation and removal tools, measured disparity from spec in microns with lazers, then built your own custom Shimano BB adapter. So far, so freaking amazing. Thanks for putting a skewer through the Praxis works adapter. You've saved me a bunch of money and aggravation. Getting back to some of your comments that I want to test with you. You suggest using loctite 641 around the outer race of the bearings but my experience (and that of other cyclists) is that the inner race/spindle interface is also a major area of problems and needs a lick of 641/609 as well. On my new Cannondale, the crank spindle is already exhibiting signs of fretting under the bearings and 641 has made a big difference in reducing that issue. Also - in terms of bearings: do you have any recommended manufacturers for the 6806? There are the obvious candidates such as SKF/Enduro. Do they produce bearing races with sufficient precision for BB30 installations?
Thanks for the feedback. In relation to your questions. 1. Bearing systems should be designed so one end is fixed and the other is floating. In bottom brackets, the fixed is the interference into the housing. If you fix the crank as well, you will run in to a problem when the crank expands through heat (perhaps a warm day), it will at best reduce bearing clearance and cause more friction. At worst it will spin the bearing around in the housing. 2. I don't recommend Enduro at all. I think they are overpriced. SKF/NTN/FAG/INA/Nachi/NSK are the ones I would recommend. All of those bearings are produced to ISO/JIS standards. Enduro are designed to ABEC which is essentially a design standard for skateboards. 3. With reference your cannondale spindle. This is a problem whenever you have a hardened steel surface against an aluminium one. It's also the reason why Shimano always line their BB's with nylon or delrin to prevent the fretting. Not much you can do about this one. Retaining compound won't work in the long term. 4. I would hardly say I was amazing! Hope that helps Hambini
Can you provide a link to where we can order a bearing you'd recommend? I see a lot of 61806 with these dimensions; 30mm 40mm 7mm, is that correct? And how do I order smalley snap rings for my BB30?
Most all of the bearing manufacturers he listed are readily available here in the US. You do not need to have a Japanese bearing shipped from the UK and spend that money, plenty of companies already import them. Google is your friend. If you live in or near any kind of city, I promise you that there is an industrial parts supplier near you that will carry these bearings, or can get them easily. They are not bicycle specific, they are industry standard.
In my experience most creaking is caused by wear to the crank on the non drive side. Even with brand new bearings you can get creak is your crank has even the smallest amount of wear. my advice is if/when the bearing needs replacing that you replace the crank at the same time. this will most likely eliminate any creak until the bearing next needs replacing
As always, after hours of searching for how to do something not-so-standard on my bike, I end up on your channel. You truly have THE BEST advices and explanations on how things work and what to do with your bike. I am so sorry that there aren't more people who know about your channel, but I'll make sure to tell anyone who inquires to look for the answers here! And by the way, I was wondering what is that you do - and I didn't expect anything less than aerospace engineer, since you have so much knowledge. Thank you once again for your brilliant work!!!
I totally nerded out on this video. I have no engineering experience, it's not normally my thing but I was fascinated by this tutorial. No rants in this one! Great stuff Hambini, you're a legend...
Have been speaking to Hambini regarding fitting a Hambini BB. You can come unstuck if a part of the bike sits proud inside the bottom bracket. In my case it was a LOOK bike that has a retained bolt embedded in the epoxy for holding the cable guide underneath the bike. So you can't get the one piece BB over and reseated on the other side when installing. So please check your bottom bracket has free access to go right through. Hope this helps.
Wow, that was thee most informative presentation ever, I have Scott Pro, with Di2 which has driven me bloody mad, changed to Shimano, better but not brill, bought a tool set from China for 30 squids, brilliant, fitted my new Shimano bb, better but still a wee creak, now going to try Locktite….failing that my beautiful Scott is going in the bin or canal...carbon floats? many thanks, incredibly useful....
Very good Hambini. From engineer (mechanical) to engineer and cyclist (Litespeed Solano) to cyclist, you hopefully have applied for your patent by now. This idea is the bomb!
An excellent clear explanation from a well educated youngish engineer. It makes a change to listen to a real engineer as apposed to a salesman or management type. Thanks
Outstanding. My 18 year old son wants to study mech. engineering. I have been showing him your videos, as your wide knowledge of materials and their properties, your aptitudinal know-how, your industry-specific terminology, your ease of expression and overall presenting abilities are all fantastic. You make a very, very good teacher and exponent of the subject. You make a seemingly drab and tedious subject really interesting and your confidence even helps to glamorise the subject!! Thank you for these!
Hi. Im new to MT maintenance and have been in the hunt for a detailed video about bottom brackets, especially adapter shell removal and installation. My search is over. 😁The English standard adapter shell started to slide out of the frame and caused my pedals to hit the swing arm. Now thanks to this video I have a full understanding of whats going on😀👍I just need that plastic sleeve and other tools to push it all way out then back in. Thank you so much. Liked and subscribed💯👌👏
Wow - stumbled across this video by chance - really impressed by what I see in the couple of videos I have looked at so far. Thanks for so much information presented with such clarity that even I can start to understand the hitherto mysterious world of bottom brackets! I must have been lucky with my Cannondale Synapse which does not suffer from 'creaks'! I have book-marked your web-site for if/when I need to fix any issues. I also now have a better understanding why I was recommended to go with a threaded BB for my self-indulgent 70th birthday present to myself (custom Ti frame by Seven).
Best explanation/analysis of BB30 I ever seen. And exactly on example of BMC TM01 I am struggling with! Thank you for your efforts! You are really passioned about mechanic and excellent engineer with proper hands. Respect.
Brilliant, I'm very impressed. Once my cannondale slate is out of warranty, the modification displayed in this video will be fitted. Thanks for the information.
Thank you very much for this excellent presentation. The creaks are gone now, after first pressing the BB30 cups into the OSBB 61 x 46 mm(!) bracket (specialized venge carbon frame 2013) and using the Loctite 7471 to fix the cups in the carbon frame and, later, use the Loctite 641 to fix the BB30 bearings into the cups.
A huge thanks to you Hambini for posting this video. An absolute joy to watch and simple to understand unlike most of the youtube “cycle channels” that are looking to boost the following by substituting fashion following and attempts at humour for real info. You have a big thumbs up from me and I’m now a subscriber.
I love it, fortunately I've got a good old threaded BB (Campag Record.) I just find that BB30 was a poorer solution to a problem that was already solved by the outboard Shimano/Campag threaded systems. Now people are having to 'bodge' (And yours is one amazing A+ bodge:) ) a way to adapt frames back to the more reliable system. Unfortunately these adaptors make the whole system heavier than a standard threaded set-up...
@RollinRat No kidding the world is full of idiots...and that's why I love my mid eighties Benotto, chromoly and campagnolo group set...still in original shape.
@RollinRat Glad to hear that. I just hate all the new over engineered pricey garbage that has been coming out over the years. Carbon fiber is garbage in my opinion.
@RollinRat press or interference fit is everywhere in engineering applications, frames shouldn't be an exception. Hambini has even made his press fit rather than threaded.
Finally, someone making some profound statements about an industry that is going into the wrong direction whenever it can. Thanks for the insight. I'll keep your offer for the replacement in mind should I ever be facing a bike with this "standard".
Having watched your tech talk on the GCN show my first impressions were, wow this guy talks sense and I quickly realised that you are able to transfer your engineering knowledge and scrutiny into pure cycling science which, as a cyclist I can relate to. I too have an engineering background and love to set my own bikes up from scratch which can be as equally satisfying as riding them. This video gave an excellent insight into the bottom bracket design and your re-designed fitting looked like the dogs bllockos..... Personally I wish you all the best mate and hope your channel opens a few more doors for you in the not too distant future. (Hopefully the doors will be made from titanium with ceramic angular contact bearings for ease of access lol) but all the best. "I'm a cyclist and I live in the Pennines"
Firstly, loving the channel...... especially your "say it how it is" style.... Just one thing though..... Loctite activator doesn't make bond stronger...... it improves the curing on inactive surfaces, such as Anodized Ally etc.... Activator actually reduces the bond strength considerably below the locking compounds "Potential" strength..... BUT when bonding difficult surfaces, it's better to have a reduced strength bond that works, rather than a bond that fails to take.... I know it a small point, but I think it's work making, for clarity.
me, expecting to fix my click by watching this video: *clicks video thumbnail* you: "nothing really worked well so I built my own shell, out of titanium" ....thank you hambini
Yes, I got a kick out of that bit as well :) I ride a 20 year old Litespeed Ultimate and the machining on that frame is spot on so obviously I've got a thing for titanium ;)
Impressive. Thanks for sharing. I came here trying to figure out what the BSA bottom bracket standard was, and ended up learning a whole lot. Thanks again.
Good info. Seemed not to mention that bottom bracket creak can be from INNER bearing to crank axle as well as OUTER bearings to frame. Retention fluid to both a good idea
I bought a Planet-X carbon frame a few years ago, that had a BB30 bottom bracket. The Planet-X press-fit bearings and circlip fit well. I ran a vernier around the inside of the bb on the frame, the inside was good (ie round). I used a set square to try and ensure the bearings would line up laterally, they did. I fitted the press-fit bb, and the chainset (SRAM Red). So far in the last 6 years, no creaks. But I have only ridden about 2000 miles.
Wow. I love your presentation and how informative it was. You addressed an issue and not only explained why it was problematic but created a solution. I have a connondale quick 6 and have been experiencing a clicking or popping when pedaling and considered the bb or the crankset. I was looking for a solution and came across your video. I’m intrigued by your adapter and would love one for my bike but not sure if I could fabricate anything as remotely as impressive or effective as yours. Nice work
Very helpful video. After watching I'm confident that threaded external bb cups are the best for average joe cyclist not racing in Le Tour. subscribed -
Apparently, Team Sky still insists on threaded bbs, and as far as I can see, Pinarello still uses them on all their bikes. If you can win the TDF today with threaded bbs...yeah, press fit bbs are 100% bs.
I think that will change when the UCI drop the weight limit. When they do that, the weight saving from a pressfit BB will force Pinarello to look in that direction
Hambini BTW excellent video and keep up with making more, but I disagree with the comment. BB is a heart of the whole drive system and in my engineering opinion weight savings should never compromise BB area. You can shave the 100g or so elsewhere on the bike. Happy owner of Pino Dogma with threaded BB smiling hearing horror stories about press-fit.
Thanks for the BB 30 video. Your explanation has convinced me to avoid BB 30. Any alleged stiffness or lightness advantage is negligible compared to the problems. Different in the world of bicycle machine design is not always better.
I use Hollowtech Bottom Brackets for my road bike and no problems at all except it was like shite to install it by the bike tech who managed to get the job done.
cannondale BB30 on aluminium caad8 caused me no end of problems creaking like hell evans just relubed it and gave me it back within a ride creaking again. ended up having a threaded bracket fitted. costly mistake buying a cannondale You are an aerospace engineer wow!
I’m a mechanical engineer and that means nothing in this context. However, I’ve two Time frames with BB30 and over many years or use have never a creak. It’s all about manufacturing; Time makes incredible bikes. The rest use at your own will.
This is such a good video & explenation of my imense iritations from my creeking BB30. I have a Norwegian Nakamura, with press fit BB30´s which have plastic cups in which the bearings are pressed into. The hard thing to know then of course, is if the creeking comes from the friction between the Carbon frame and the cups, or from the bearing and the plastic cups, or from them both. I will ask my mechanic if he´ve used the additional locktight primer you showed. Because he has tried to fix this twize with no luck. I can´t believe that the road biking industry haven´t stopped with BB30 and moved on to a better solution. It seems to me that a 90,5mm standard where they machine the titanium bearing housing and have ways to incorporate that titanium housing into the barbon frame, would be the best of both worlds? Or is just the 68mm threaded BSA the best choice? Thanks anyways, so glad to see someone who has had the same problem, yet also the knowledge to do something about it and share. Thanks!!
Awesome video. You just have to start your own bicycle building business. I suspect you won't because I doubly suspect that this isn't the only thing you're brilliant at.
So why so many complaints of creaks on caad13 (and other al frames)? With a properly stabilized and jigged alloy frame it should be straight forward to machine an accurate bore straight through to proper interference fit tolerance?
Great explanation. Clearly the bike industry should be using single piece adapters to get better bearing alignment. Maybe you could spin the cranks without chain to demonstrate friction reduction.
Hambini, great video and excellent potential solution. Sorry if I've missed it, but roughly how much of each Loctite solution should I be using to fix the outer race into the shell? It's a carbon fibre frame. Thanks in advance! Freddie
Hi Hambini, amazing content, congratulations for your channel. I have a CAAD12 think it has a BB30A that differs from BB30, I was wondering what BB would you recommend, many thanks and keep up the great work!!!
Hambini, regarding your BB30 adapter, if the holes in the frame are not perfectly round (like your blank) will your adapter not slip from side to side? At least with the Praxis there is a lip and and thread to hold the two cups together. What will hold your adapter in place if friction is not enough?
Mr Hambini, I have a question regarding the one-piece bb30 to shimano 24mm adapter sleeve you made.. I was thinking .. after pressing it in from one side all the way thru.. the only thing keeping the one-piece sleeve in place is friction. Is that enough to keep it place. Doesn't that set up needs a lock ring of some sort for added security to keep that from slightly sliding back out where it came in? The material you used for the demo is aluminum/metal and the interference friction( is that correct?) is high because of the nature of the material.. But what if the frame material is carbon.. and have gone thru a number of bearings as such the 42mm bb shell have slightly been enlarged due to the process of press in and out. I hope you can comment and highly appreciate your suggestion. Thank you!
No Problem. I'm a great believer in open source, so I will leave it that way. I might put a link at the bottom to see if anyone wants to purchase a ready made one.
Hambini I'm sure people would, especially with the ease of maintenance. It's a very clever solution I think. I'd get one if I wasn't running sram red 22 with bb30 cranks. Guess I'm stuck running bb30 bearings in my caad10. I might get myself a press tho so I can do my own bb work because at the moment it's the only thing I can't do at home.
Yep, unfortunately you are stuck with BB30 cranks as they have a shorter axle. The crank arms flare out more to give the heel/ankle clearance. I would definitely recommend a press tool, although you could go down to your local DIY shop and get a piece of M10/M12 stud bar, penny washers and two nuts, it would do the same job although it would take a little longer.
Hambini I like the idea of the diy press. Might give that a go and source some bearings local here in Australia. Where do you get the retaining clips from? Are they something that needs to be changed with the bearings?
A bearing and transmission shop should be able to sort out the rings. If you get your crank out and shine a light through the hole, see if there is any corrosion. If they are corroded change them.
