PINKBIKE POLL: Press-Fit Bottom brackets

Aug 7, 2015 at 2:47
by Richard Cunningham  

2013 Specialized Carbon Demo BB assembly
The Specialzed Carbon Demo's threadless bottom bracket shell is an aluminum insert which doubles to house the swingarm bearings - both are press-fit types.

There is an on-going battle between bike makers, retailers and customers over press-fit vs threaded type bottom brackets, with a large number of riders and bike shops opting for threaded cups. Frame and bike makers, however, have been systematically switching to press-fit types and if the trend continues, it will only be one or three years before all production mountain bikes will be converted to threadless bottom brackets. Before all you Knights of the Royal Order of the Threaded Bottom Bracket draw your swords, please understand that technically, ALL bottom brackets are press-fit designs. The only physical difference is that the conventional BB's bearing is pressed into a cup, while Press-fit types. like the popular BB30, have their bearings pressed directly into the frame. After they are pressed or tightened into a functional bottom bracket, both systems operate in exactly the same way.

WFO 9 bottom bracket
Niner specifies threads for its WFO 9 AM/enduro chassis and for all the frames in its lineup. Frame sales are a large part of the business and Niner insists that its bikes are cross-compatible among component makers and also user friendly.


Arguments in favor of threads are numerous, but only three are viable: Threaded cups can be serviced with simple wrenches that almost everyone owns; threaded cups allow component makers to have complete control over every moving part of the crankset from pedal to pedal; and finally, threaded type bottom brackets seldom creak, while at present, press-fit bottom brackets often creak.

There is a mechanical reason why seatposts, headsets and bottom brackets creak when they are stressed. When a smaller diameter tube is being held inside a larger-diameter tube, there is a significant difference between the stiffness of the larger and smaller members. When a bending moment is applied to the smaller tube, the smaller-diameter member flexes more than the larger-diameter one which is holding it. The smaller tube elongates slightly as it flexes and it slips inside the larger one. That microscopic movement causes the creaking noise. The slip can be exaggerated when a bearing is pressed between the two members, such as a bottom bracket, because flex in the bottom bracket axle is multiplied by the distance from the axle to the outer diameter of the bearing.

Because bicycles have a number of places where this situation can occur, and because cyclists in general are enflamed by any recurring squeak or rattle, designers have spent many sleepless nights figuring out ways to silence seatposts, hubs, pedals, headsets and yes, bottom brackets too.
Pressfit vs Threaded bottom brackets
Once assembled, the external-cup, 73-millimeter threaded bottom bracket (top) and the 92-millimeter press-fit type (below) are functionally the same and use the same size bearings. The Press-fit, design, however, offers more bearing support, it has fewer and less complicated parts, and it gives frame makers room to widen frame tubes or get creative with suspension components.

Those naive enough to believe that threaded bottom brackets emerged from the cycling industry's womb creak free would be dead wrong. One hundred years passed before bike makes got a handle on that one. Headsets creaked like baby toads until mountain bike designers ditched the threads and adopted oversized steerers.

There are strategies in place to silence bottom brackets. Some thread-in cups have Teflon liners which allow the bearings to rock silently. Some are glued in tightly with thread-locking material. Some makers, like Chris King, rely on precise manufacturing tolerances and insider secrets to ensure silence. There is also a theory that aluminum external threaded cups flex just enough to prevent slip between the shaft and the bearings and thus naturally prevent creaking at the source. The point is moot, however, because over time, natural selection has eliminated all the brands that made noisy thread-in bottom brackets.

Proponents of threads either ignore or forget that even a perfectly faced and threaded frame can require the skills of a safe cracker to get the cups started without cross-threading them.
Acros A-BB T1 External Bottom Bracket Tool review
It is easy to mess up the fine threads of an aluminum bottom bracket cup. Acros makes a tool which keeps the cup and frame aligned to avoid cross-threading expensive parts.

Anyone who has cross-threaded a cup the night before a race or ride can attest that it is game-over unless luck is on your side AND you have a sharp set of bottom bracket taps in your tool box.


Before you start hammering check the tool to be certain that the business end is aligned with the inner race of the bearing. It should not take much force to tap out the cups with the hammer.
Park Tool's press-fit bearing removal and replacement tools are simple to use and they get the job done in minutes - however, removing a threaded external cup with a spline wrench is a much more civilized process.

A large number of press-fit supporters come from the manufacturing sector because threading and facing frames is costly and bolloxed threads can be a significant manufacturing and warranty issue. Pressed-in bearings are simpler to install and replace, and press-in BBs are less costly. More important, though, is that carbon construction can produce a beautifully precise press-in interface, but it does not lend itself well to threads, so typically, a threaded-aluminum insert is bonded into the BB shell. Press-fit BB shells are made the full width of the bearings (92mm wide instead of 73mm) which also gives frame designers room to widen the frame tubes and make the BB area much more rigid. A number of home and shop tools now exist that make removing and replacing press-fit BB bearings a three-minute operation, and bearings can be purchased from any number of sources, including on-line industrial suppliers in any country. It would seem then, that the last real barrier to press-in is noise.

Pivot Les Fat 2015
A bit of an exaggeration, but the bottom bracket area of Pivot's carbon Les Fat illustrates how much wider and more rigid the frame can be made when press-in type bearings are used.

One can extrapolate that it is only a matter of time when bike and component makers will silence press-fit bottom brackets. Shimano has made great strides by encasing the bearing in a press-in nylon cup (other BB makers are now using similar cups). The thermoplastic has just enough give to absorb any bearing movement, and also, it can overcome a slight amount of misalignment or out-of-roundness in the frame. Nylon also does not transmit sound well, so the cups act as a silencer, which is a key feature, especially when one considers how carbon frames tend to amplify sounds like musical instruments. Eliminating creaky press-fits can't be easy, otherwise it would have been done long ago, but "difficult" is not "impossible," so:



Would you give up threads If press-fit bottom brackets were silent?






Author Info:
RichardCunningham avatar

Member since Mar 23, 2011
974 articles

272 Comments
  • 185 33
 2 years with pressfit, zero creaks, zero issues. Couple years before with threaded, same story. I feel that this whole debate is largely exaggerated. A couple of naysayers with access to world wide web spewing their hate because of poor tolerances or ineptitude during installation, making waves. It really isn't that big of a deal.
  • 58 10
 You've been lucky then. I have a bike with a press fit BB and it has creaked from day one. Santa Cruz made a compelling argument for the threaded BB when it comes to carbon mountain bike frame construction which is where their frames have threaded BBs. My next bike will be a Santa Cruz.
  • 109 4
 one side press, one side threaded... dispute resolved.
  • 5 3
 Same same IMO Got different bikes with different types. Bla bla.
  • 16 4
 Same.. 12 months running from rainy days to dusty days and not an issue... Creaking seat rails however... Gahhhh
  • 10 21
flag chyu (Aug 7, 2015 at 4:47) (Below Threshold)
 Blame the BB design because you did not service it.
  • 4 0
 As long as there's threaded PF30 like how Wheels Mfg and Enduro did, hopefully no breaks and creaks while maintaining frame stiffness.
  • 2 1
 @sileTzar
totally agree, that things have been hugely exaggerated, it's not about the customer, it's about sales, always will be in order for there to be a bike industry.

perhapse a it would be better to do a pole of the bike industry called - Progress for the sake of Progress?
  • 10 2
 Never had a Press-Fit creak yet. I worked in shops for years and have seen plenty of threaded BBs creak as well. From my experience creaking is most often from lack of grease when assembled by the factory. It's pathetic how little grease comes in headsets and bottom brackets. What I have noticed is the press fit type bearings seem to last longer, most likely because they are larger in diameter. this also allows for 30mm spindles which on threaded BBs make for really shallow bearings which usually don't hold up as well.
  • 27 2
 26 " wheels, threaded bb, 2x10, 20mm front 12x142 rear ....these numbers still all adds to me just fine
  • 5 2
 Couldn't they make a BB conicle in design? Cause I bet that would reduce creaks and be easy to install and remove not requiring threads.
  • 16 7
 DEATH TO PRESSFIT
  • 8 1
 Don't pour water in your BB... #fact
  • 60 17
 Press fit BB's work great for the type of riders who think AVID Elixer brakes are reliable and problem-free.

There are so many errors, ommissions, and naive assumptions in RC's article that I won't even bother to address them. This is essentially another one of his classic troll polls where he knows most riders dislike PFBB's and he is trying to get a reaction from them by disingenuously pretending that Press Fit is taking over and that its a superior design.

Notice that he didn't mention the fact that you can easily take threaded BB's out and swap them to another frame. Not so easy with Press Fit: just another reason it is assinine.

Santa Cruz won this debate years ago and nothing has changed.
  • 20 2
 Two weeks on press fit... Creeks like a mofo
  • 55 0
 I have worked as a workshop manager in some of the leading bike shops in the UK selling lots of high end road / mountain bikes, and yes, press-fit bottom brackets have been an ongoing problem for many customers (and mechanics).

This includes my own experiences owning BB30 and PF30, BB90 and BB92 bikes with original equipment bottom brackets and aftermarket / conversion systems.

The problem was so bad on some of the bikes we sold (a big brand with "OSBB" shell) that we were instructed to actually glue the press-fit cups into the BB shell using a low-strength, flexible epoxy made by 3M called DP420.

This was following numerous customers having repeat problems with creaking, premature bearing wear and the cups "walking" out of the shell under pedalling loads.

On my current PF30 MTB (a big brand ÂŁ3K carbon fibre bike), the BB diameter is slightly too large, and my Praxxis Works conversion BB for HT2 crank had to be fitted using Finish Line Fibre Grip (carbon paste) to get the darn thing to stay put.

Bear in mind the Praxxis BB uses an expanding "collet" design which expands to grip the inside of the BB shell, and it shows you how critical good tolerances are on press-fit systems.

Previously with the stock PF30 and BB30 OE nylon cups on 3 different frames from same brand, and the stock SRAM BB30 axle crank I had nothing but trouble with the cups, bearings and creaking.

Personally? I'd prefer the good old english ISO threaded shell, cannot say I've ever had any issues with using it or fitting it.

You have to be very cack handed to cross thread that design, perhaps best left to a mechanic if you think you are not capable of screwing in 2 threaded cups.
  • 5 1
 My only issue with PF30 (SRAM) is the bearings/seals. If I pull the cranks every couple of weeks and grease the bearings they never creak. However, if I wash the bike or do a wet ride it'll start to creak a few days after as rust forms and bearing surfaces start to pit.

I also think the lack of a BB drain hole on many carbon bikes doesn't help. Even with that O ring between the cups water still gets in when it's sitting in a water bath inside the frame.

People I know who run King BB's have had zero issues.
  • 5 1
 Third season on a pressfit BB. Replaced once due to expired bearings, which isn't unreasonable. Zero creaks, zero maintenance issues.
  • 10 3
 Don't like the options in the pole.

There should be this option: "I would support Press-Fit BB's if they were reliable and guaranteed to be creak-free"
  • 3 0
 I've had terrible since say one with my first pf 30 equipped Capra comp 1. The cups actually have play inside the frame and start Fucking the frame up from the beginning, just by pedaling. Have had a first warranty switch of the frame after 10 month. Now the bike is back at YT for the second frame check. The cups seem harder then the frame, so slowly ruin it. Maybe it's but the fault if the BB, but it's annoying as hell...
  • 1 0
 I think you either used a King or were very lucky........either way there's no room for a large ass hammer in my bike repair area.
  • 1 0
 MrEtnie,

I'm guessing a nylon Sram BB?

Did you try anti-slip carbon compound as hampstedbandit mentioned? If not maybe loc-tite blue threadlock compound?

The nylon Sram cups are slightly oversized and compress on install so usually there is quite a lot of +/- tolerance unless the frames BB shell is oversized?
  • 8 0
 An application of baby tears mixed with unicorn blood is a sure fire way to expel all creaks in PF bottom brackets
  • 11 0
 I'd rather see threaded headsets than press fit bb's!!!
  • 1 0
 There is somewhat of a valid reason for certain people to hate press fits. A few years ago Trek had press fit BB bearings on a few of their road bikes and they were all having a problem with the frame around the bearings flexing and causing a "popping" during moderate to heavy pedal strokes. Their solution? Press bearings that were slightly too large for the BB to the flex didn't cause popping. Generally when people have a bad first impression they are resistant to change.
  • 3 0
 www.praxiscycles.com/conversion-bb .
or similar chinese version .

Then you can enjoy a threaded bb.
  • 2 0
 @bikelikemadd

you might remember the grief Cannondale had with BB30 - aluminium alloy BB shell (on aluminium and CF frames), metal bearings pressed straight in, metal crank axle resting on metal bearings = customer and shop mechanic nightmare

metal on metal on metal = Frown

loctite? anti-seize? waterproof grease? copperslip? did not seem to make any real difference

I've seen PF30 systems where the bore tolerance has been too tight on the BB shell, and even with a SRAM PF30 system using nylon cups, the bearings become compressed on installation, causing premature bearing wear, clicking / creaking and need for constant maintenance

Its a weird one to witness, brand new bearing pressed into PF30 nylon cup, as soon as PF30 cup installed into frame, bearing is rough / graunchy when turned with fingers. Remove cup / bearing from frame, bearing feels "as new"....
  • 1 0
 @jclnv It is Raceface X-Type PF30 conversion cups made of aluminium. It seems the cups are actually a harder type then the aluminium part that is laminated into the carbon frame to hold the BB. I heard that it works better with E.13 Cups, that are used for the top model of the Capra, but the conversion would cost me 450€, as you have to switch BB, axle and cranks for this... The E.13 is a threaded PF30.
Waiting what solution YT suggests, as the bike is still in warranty.
  • 1 0
 Someone buy this man a beer!!
  • 1 0
 ^ @hampsteadbandit that is.... (stupid PB reply system)
  • 4 0
 Yeah but are you hard on the BB?
  • 1 0
 YT send me a full brand new frame, with new BB and new headset. They say they have checked the frame so that there is no play to start with and that the problem shouldn't arise with this new frame. Cool service, but I'm still rather unsure if this problem will stay.
Conversion cost is still an option... But 450€ for a bike that already cost 3700€... Hmm....
  • 1 0
 Good news. Yes I'd be tempted to go SRAM just so I could use the nylon BB shell. At least you would know it wouldn't damage the frame.
  • 4 0
 Ha, you would think it wouldn't damage the frame. If you have a carbon frame and the tolerance are off the nylon pfbb will start to wiggle around and eventually eat away at the carbon fiber and become looser and loosee until the bb is ruined. I know for a fact Specialized warrantied more than a few Tarmacs for this reason.

The best part of this article is the comments from people in local bicycle shops expressing their endless frustrations over this failed design and the thousands upon thousands of shop hours wasted because of it, not to mention the thousands of frames that have been wasted and warrantied because of it.

Second best part of the article is hearing actual mechanics absolutely berate writer Richard Cunningham for mentioning the possibility of cross threading a bb upon installation as a weakness of the design. Guess that's the difference between somebody who spends most of their time typing on a computer and somebody who actually works on bicycles.

Nice try at trolling RC, but another one of your epic fails. "Enduro racers don't need chainguides....Kenda Nevegals are great...freeride is an irresponsible term that will doom mountain biking..." But you got a lot of clicks, right?

My next blog will be titled: Survey: RC's troll polls; Good or Bad?
  • 1 0
 @Protour

I worked in 2 different Specialized Concept Store as workshop manager, and certainly warrantied a number of expensive S-Works frames with ruined BB shells caused by poor tolerances on their OSBB design - with the OE nylon press inserts housing the metal bearings.

These inserts were known to work loose, move around under load, causing misalignment of the bearings and damage to the BB shell and crank axle, as well as the bearings and nylon inserts. Eventually we were instructed to bond the nylon inserts with 3M DP420 low strength flexible epoxy.

Check this: ep1.pinkbike.org/p6pb10994408/p5pb10994408.jpg and ep1.pinkbike.org/p6pb10994440/p5pb10994440.jpg


Later models came with aluminium inserts already bonded into the BB shell.

Other issues I saw on older Roubaix ND Tarmac were the bonded aluminium BB insert suffering galvanic corrosion due to mismatch between materials, and bond failing / cracking, allowing the insert to spin inside the BB shell.

Have to say, all of these issues were taken care of very timely by Specialized at no costs to customer, and many got shiny nice new frames Smile
  • 108 5
 The bottom line is: Press fit bottom brackets is a cheap way to manufacture frames .
  • 11 4
 This is the true....but threaded is better than the press-fit, because if you have problem, you replace the house of the bearing and the bearing, with press-fit you replace just the bearing.... easy to understand...
  • 6 0
 How much exactly are they saving per frame? Because if it's barely a few bucks (if even?), I don't think anybody cares to have that added on the price tag for a better chance at getting a creak-free BB.
  • 10 8
 Pree-fit is a bullshit !!!!
  • 1 6
flag yoshiro (Aug 7, 2015 at 5:08) (Below Threshold)
 Not caring about Santa's argument about PF bad point - there is some threaded PF, right? Unless there's no threaded PF, I'll care for their argument.

Their 2014 and 2015 Nomad looks like my OTP tho.
  • 5 3
 It isn't any cheaper because the tolerances have to be tighter. The reason is to increase stiffness and reduce weight, but one you replace the stock plastic garbage PFBB with a reliable aluminum Praxis the weight savings are gone. The increase in stiffness is very marginal considering we are riding full suspension bikes full of pivots.

www.bikeradar.com/us/gear/article/complete-guide-to-bottom-brackets-36660
  • 4 1
 Dirtworks, my ibis ripley is press fit and I have yet to hear a creak.
  • 5 0
 29ers don't count! Yuck... Jk Wink Message me when it does and I'll give you some tips to fix it.
  • 6 0
 @treatyoself13 if that was true for the majority of Ripleys, why would they go back to Threaded on the new one?
  • 2 0
 My creaking back will probably drown it out by then! Appreciate the offer.
  • 4 0
 It costs them less but theyll charge more as its "new" so itll increase their profit
  • 3 1
 i made my own alloy press fit bottom brackets with enduro max ceramic hybrid bearings and fitted them my self, they are absolutely silent, they're equal to my other threaded chris king brackets. I think the problem is with using plastic bearing holders as the material is just not solid enough to stop the bearing moving in the bracket
  • 4 0
 The issue with Pressfit is that it's hard to tell if the frame is has an issue. Cannondale started the whole BB30 thing, and on a proper BB30 (done to the right tolerances) a road bike (where it all started) will not creak. All of these other Pressfit standards came about because manufacturers couldn't get BB30 right. Hence the creaking. So, OEMs that cut corners on quality assurance, precision, you end up with creaky frames. Newer standards attempt to fix this by adding in cups / sleaves. But ultimately, the issue is that the stiffness gained would mostly help a road bike RACER. Mountain bikers should be fine with traditional threaded BBs. If the frame design would significantly benefit from a pressfit BB, I say go for it. And a top shelf company will hopefully produce a good quality frame. Unless the frame design needs it, I think it just doesn't make sense. Mountain bikes are more about serviceability than BB stiffness. I want to be able to swap a cup when I have a problem rather than hammer bearings out of my frame. The fact that big corporations try to cover up their cost cutting measures with marketing bull shit just inflames the issue.
  • 1 0
 @mark3
You are correct sir.
  • 4 1
 @dirtworks911

Couldn't agree with you more, this article is a blatant con job! Most, if not ALL boutique bike companies still thread BB's because they know it's a huge problem, it's not worth cutting costs for unhappy customers. Big companies don't give a crap, they're still gonna sell bikes and they can afford PB to write up lies such as this.
  • 2 0
 Remember that one time Pinkbike removed my comment because it contradicted the author's views on this matter? Me too!
  • 2 0
 @dirtworks911 - DUDE! I was like, WTF... the comments are just f*cking vanishing on this thread. Not the normal "deleted"... but vanished. Talk about censorship!
  • 1 0
 @MrPink51
Yes , i have seen my comments deleted too.
If your views don't agree with the author or the company paying for advertising is deleted.
  • 2 0
 Only one comment was deleted by PB, because it contained a racial slur.
  • 3 3
 You committed an intellectual sin with this hack job industry blow job article, delete yourself. Just kidding RC. Kill yourself.
  • 76 3
 If you manage to cross thread a BB thread you are doing something fairly cack-handed or are forcing the wrong side cup into the frame. All you need is half an ounce of mechanical sympathy to not wind a slightly misaligned thread in with a spanner ensuring it's engaged for a couple of turns before leaning on it. I would say there's more risk of damaging a press fit BB interface by for example using a hammer and block of wood to fit a BB cup and having it misaligned and end up distorting the frame or cup.

Threaded BBs allow for an adjustable mechanical means of tightening the cup into a frame, which as you tighten the BB flange against the frame causes the BB threads to pull against the threads in the frame giving a stonger area of mechanical interface, ie if it's not tight enough, tighten it a bit more. Press fit relies purely on the tolerance of two (different manufacturers) manufactured parts and the skill of the installer pressing them in (relatively) perfectly aligned. On that basis I would say that threaded BBs are in fact more foolproof than press fit for an average mechanic.

In all the years riding bikes (most of which were second hand) I have managed to silence all creaky threaded BBs if creaking occurs, normally after hundreds of hours riding. The one bike I've had equipped with a press fit BB creaks after only a few tens of hours riding. There is nothing that seems to stop it creeping back.

Whilst technically speaking threaded BBs still have bearings pressed into a cup, the BB manufacturer has far more manufacturing control over the fit between the two parts and with the correct high precision tooling can be sure of a much tighter fit between cup and bearing. When you have two independent manufacturers working to the same tolerances the chances of not having a perfect fit increase.

There's a few paragraphs in this article that just don't quite ring true. 'It's easy to mess up the fine thread on an aluminium...'. I do have a tendency to be a bit gung-ho sometimes yet I've never knackered a BB thread with any combo of frame material or BB cup material even when I started out spannering my own bike when I was about 13. I know it can be done and has been done, I worked at a shop many eons ago and several people came in with LH BB cups wound in RH frame sides. Once we even removed a steel BB cup from a 20 year old steel frame after much swearing, Plus Gas and leverage. We ran a tap through the frame to ensure the threads were fine and it went through easily, only tickling the threads to remove a small amount of corrosion. New BB went much of the way in without a tool and just needed nipping up. You'd never have got a press fit BB to be in a bike for 20 years because the creaking after year 2 would have driven the owner insane and they would have thrown it in the skip or got a bike shop to change it.

I can understand the wider/bigger bearing argument but really, what's the problem with external threaded BBs. It seems a problem is being created (a la creaking press fitted BBs) by trying to solve a non-existent problem. On a cynical level we are being led to believe it's better so that we can be sold yet another type of frame which we need to change everything to fit and they can sell us new fandangled high price BBs because our old ones won't fit. The 'technical' explanation about creaking a differing stiffnesses seem sort of valid, but it just smells like reasons being cooked up to justify us buying into it.

Talking about price, the BBs I need for my press fit frame are more expensive than those I would have used on a threaded BB frame, so don't give me the 'cheaper bearings' BS. Also nylon/polymer cups, surely that's just masking or delaying the creaking problem, not actually solving/preventing it?

The one sentence that does ring true though is the cost to manufacture threaded BBs. Obviously there's more tooling involved and an additional process where alignment is key, but surely the importance of tolerances of ovality and alignment play a more important role in the manufacturing process since with a threaded BB there must be more leeway in size, simply because if it's a bit sloppy in the thread this can be hidden by tightening the BB cup and locking it in place. If a press fit BB is sloppy, you're stuffed basically. This heightend tolerance and manufacturing accuracy requirement must go some way to levelling the production costs of both types of BB, completely ignoring the fact that umpteen bike frame manufacturers have been making perfectly decent threaded frames for years and press fit BBs (although not a new manufacturing technology per se) requires setting up a slightly different approach to manufacturing and therefore more costs would be involved in setting it up.

Way to go Pinkbike, brand every threaded BB stalwart a 'Knight of the Royal Order...', start the article in a mature manner. Don't get me wrong, I like progress when the genuine benefits can be clearly put forward and validated with good supporting evidence, but when it looks like marketing I'm not swayed. And in this case trying to justify press fit BBs just doesn't fly when it all comes back to the fact that an awful lot of press fit BBs just end up creaking MUCH sooner than a threaded counterpart.

Sorry for waffling on, well done if you got this far.
  • 18 1
 *slow clap*
  • 5 0
 Sing it, sista!

Using hammers on a bike should be an absolute last resort, not a general practice, as in the consumer grade press fit tool in the picture. It's called "press" for a reason; they are meant to be pressed in and out with a press, not beat in and out with a sledge hammer.

Also, I've worked on my own bikes my whole life and worked as a mechanic in a shop for 3 years. I have NEVER cross-threaded a BB, nor have I had too much trouble getting them in. Usually it's when I'm trying to thread it in the incorrect direction or side.

The only potential benefit I can see is being able to widen and stiffen the BB area without widening the cranks. But does that single pro outweigh the lengthy list of cons?

The only way I could see this working is if they start making BBs more durable. Take for example, the swingarm pivot bearings on my moto. They are pressed in and have lasted through a decade of rain, mud, dust, rocks, jumps, etc. And they go through a lot greater forces than a mtb BB. How and why is that? Because they are serviceable, I would say. I can take apart my swingarm and grease all of the bearings without having to press anything out or back in, so nothing ever gets wallowed out.
  • 6 0
 You forgot to drop the mic...
  • 3 1
 drat! meant to +1 you veero my bad Frown

I'm onboard with valid arguments, and you sir have a nicely crafting piece of work. Well played!
  • 2 0
 veero :-) couldnt have said it better myself especially the "Don't get me wrong, I like progress when the genuine benefits can be clearly put forward and validated with good supporting evidence, but when it looks like marketing I'm not swayed."

seems like all i do these days is go on articles to moan about conflicting sales bs but im just old enough to remember all the stuff that was said the first few times around so that when they start talking nonsense i cant help but say how i see it. Some people for whatever reason can't or choose not too. We need more people like you on here and then things would start moving in the right direction with actual improvements to bikes. Simply inventing a new way of doing something with a slight improvement is somewhat of a moot point if it introduces a negative effect to...ie press-fit bb's.
  • 1 0
 No one discusses other options such as threading the large outside flange of a threaded BB instead of the spindle sleave. This allows frame tubes to be wider as with press-fit. Or an inverted collet that clamps from the outside of the BB tube for press fit. There seem to be so many improvements that could be made in bike engineerinng that take decades to appear (after other industries). Obviously production cost per unit sales is a major factor. I get a kick out of high tech in bikes but with a wry smile...I was using super strong, varied wall thickness carbon fibre ski poles last century and only in the last three years have we had similar tech in a handlebar for AM or DH use, correct me if I'm wrong? Anyway...those poles are still good after 20 years...and threaded all the way!
  • 1 0
 Nice writeup, veero. I think one of the main benefits of Pressfit is the fact that it reduces the weight. There is no need for an external besring cup and no thread, so you can actually do two things:
-increase the hollow section of the frame, making it a larger, lighter body with the same stiffness
-eliminate the Aluminium shell necessary for threads in carbon BBs. Not every mfg does it, but certainly is possible.

Wether or not this compromise is worth taking for a few grams is a different story. My Point of view is that: It ruins the business of "long life" bearings, because it is uncertain if you can remove the bearing without damaging it. Then there is the creaking issue, which wouldn't be a problem if the frames were more tightly tolerated - which would drive cost.
A nice example of a properly implemented "Press fit" bearing is the headset - it does not rely on tolerances to acheive alignment, but rather a conical bearing to ensure a correct seating of the bearings. Implemented like this I'd not have any problems with pressfit, but the current standard is not suitable for the task.
  • 1 0
 One difference I see between present day headsets and pressfit BBs is that the BB is in a compromised position. It sees a lot more water, mud, dust, etc. than the headset position, which necessitates either being able to service them or being able to easily replace them. I can't say how many times I've unthreaded a BB to find a bunch of wet muck down there. It seems that serviceability of bearings is going the way of the dodo, and in its place, throwaways. That includes all bearing positions, not just pressfit BBs.
  • 1 0
 Which is why I love GXP BBs. They have this neat little plastic tube between the bearings that prevents water inside the frame from reaching the bearings.
  • 1 0
 ^^^Yep, what I use nowadays. Is it still okay to drill a hole in the BB shell as a water drain? I'm sure it voids warranties and such, but we used to do it back in the day.
  • 55 0
 No, because Press fits don't last. Even the best made, finest toleranced PF bb is good for two or three bottom bracket changes then it's done. When the bearing seats on a threaded external BB are worn and the bb starts to creak you throw it away and buy a new one. I'm not prepared to throw the whole frame away every eighteen months because I like to keep riding through shitty Yorkshire winters that eat bottom brackets.
  • 16 2
 When it's worn just shim it with a bit cut from a can of Special Brew. That'll sort it. Proper job.
  • 13 1
 +1 to this. I don't want any component that sees very regular changes to be pressed into my frame as there is a limited number of times it's going to be changeable before the fit is no longer fully secure. Riding in Scotland I go through two or three BB's a year and I don't want to worry about wearing a frame by repeated changes. Fine if you're going to swap bike every year or two but as a system it doesn't currently seem great for the longer term owner.
  • 6 1
 But that means I'd have to drink some special brew. I wonder if Black Sheep cans have the same wall thickness...
  • 9 2
 Using a Shimano BB make this problem kind of irrelevant as the bearing is inserted in plastic and the plastic is pressed in the frame. Plastic won't wear out your frame like a bare bearing would.
  • 4 0
 @bikerali get a better BB for a start, 3 a year is too much
  • 1 0
 @Balgaroth Ding-ding, we have a winner. The harder material won't wear. That's why cleats are made of a softer material than clipless pedals, so the pedals don't wear out, just the cleats do. Just think if they did it the other way and you had to replace your pedals every six months instead of replacing your cleats.
  • 3 1
 I too destroy bottom brackets in less than a season. It doesn't matter which brand or design. It has to do with riding through mud and streams on nearly every ride. They quickly lose their grease, get contaminated with grit and are constantly being abused from high torque pedaling in a high gear up steep/short hills. The bearings just don't last. Bottom brackets are wear components that must be routinely replaced.

For that reason I don't buy frames with press fit bottom brackets. Press fit interfaces simply do not withstand repeated bearing installation and removal.
  • 3 0
 Also annoying is that PF BBs are basically disposable parts: once installed they can't be removed without destroying the BB (generally.) With my last PF bike the manufacturer recommended basically gluing the BB in with heavy-duty loctite to prevent creaking, which isn't going to do the frame any good....
  • 3 2
 "there is a limited number of times it's going to be changeable before the fit is no longer fully secure"

If you're cleaning and greasing the joint before each installation this shouldn't be the case at all. You're not going to plastically deform or fatigue fail the BB shell by inserting a dozen (or more) times, and you absolutely shouldn't be wearing away material as the bearing is inserted.

@Drew-O aren't threaded BBs equally disposable? All the ones I've ever used are sealed. If the BB needed to be changed (ie. wasn't working properly), why would you want to reuse it?
  • 3 2
 @Fix-the-spade So true, in wet grimy areas you need threaded unless you plan on throwing away your frame every 3 seasons. But be careful about talking too much sense here on PB, your thread might get mod-downvoted, I hear they get 100 downvotes per thread per mod account.
  • 2 0
 On my spesh, the LBS epoxied in some aluminum cups. When the bearings wear out (which they do fairly often - we finally get big bearings but then their not sealed well) I just pop them out and replace them with another $6 set of bearings, and it takes 3 minutes. So I'm pretty happy with that solution as I'd rather pop in some pretty cheap bearings vs trying to clean, degrease, and re-assemble them. No creaks, and presumably no wear because the pressed in cups never move or get replaced.
  • 49 1
 From running a bike shop, I can tell you I much prefer threaded BBs due to the fact that customers have little to no problems with them. In contrast, 4 of the last 5 bikes I've sent out with PF30 BBs have come back due to creaking and noise. There is no point trying to explain the above article to a customer as they will just not accept that. They've paid ÂŁ1000+ for a bike, so they expect it to be perfect, so when it starts creaking after a few rides, they come back very unhappy!
  • 5 1
 We had a customer buy a $6000+ road bike about a month after he comes in asking why his bike is creaking, so i told him that press fits are usally the cause so we can swap it. We changed the next day he was complaining of the same creak and for about a month he came in almost every day and we swaped the bb 7 or 8 times, along with lubing and checking anything that causes a creak.
  • 2 0
 @charlieh5816 So was the creak even from the bottom bracket then, or did you end up tracing it to the seat rails or something?
  • 6 1
 Sounds like a bit of a story to me. If it were in my shop, replacing the BB once would have been a last resort. It would have been a warranty case after that. If that's where the creak was coming from. There are ways of finding a creak without swapping parts. I couldn't tell you how many times I've seen people work on full suspension bikes trying to find a creak and after hours of testing the bike and working on it, they didn't check to see if the seat rails were tight.
  • 5 0
 Agreed with the OP. if a threaded BB comes into the shop creaking, a simple procedure and some grease (I also prefer plumbers tape) and the issue is solved. Happy customer, and no headache for the mechanic. The hardest thing to do is try to explain to a customer that A) your new bb is creaking B) the method of removing the bearings destroys them, so pay me $25 for new ones, and worse yet C) your frame may be defective, I cannot chase threads, face anything, just have to try for a warranty replacement frame. At that point, not only is the shop probably going to lose $$ for the time spent on the ordeal, but the customer is bikeless AND my mechanic has put down his skills/tools that in the past could have fixed the problem, and picked up a phone to the nearest rep to get a frame swap. (that was kind of a run on sentence) I am sure PF have their place at the top end of the sport, but I am not their nor are my customers or most other people who ride. I do consider us largely a disposable society, but I personally would like to keep my bikes for more than a couple years (they aren't getting any cheaper)
  • 1 0
 No it was a bit of carbon build up in the frame that would grind on the bb shell. We filed it down and used a lot of the red locktight. that fixed it but the customer was one of those guys who looks for problems and he came in saying his rear hub is making sounds.
  • 38 0
 Ibis learned their lesson, the new Ripley went back to threaded. The easy to cross thread comment made me laugh. If you cross thread anything, you shouldn't be working on your bike or anything else.
  • 11 0
 This right here. How hard is it to thread a BB in by hand first before going anywhere near it with the wrench?
  • 41 4
 Reads like pressfit propaganda... threading a BB is not that hard, seriously. And 'pressfit allows a wider BB'? Horseshit. There are 100mm and even 120mm threaded bottom brackets. Don't buy into the industry hype folks....
  • 8 1
 You're missing his point, for a given axle length, bearings inside the shell means a wider BB shell than bearing outside the shell. take a 68mm BB for example: the axle length isn't actually 68mm, it's 68mm + 10 mm on each side for the bearing cups. conversely, a pressfit BB using the same length axle can have a 20mm longer shell, because it doesn't have to leave space between the crank arms & the shell for the cups.

That said, you could design a threaded interface that accomplished the same thing. no reason you couldn't have a threaded BB shell with an ID of about 40mm to account for a 30mm axle & bearings. Heck, that's how english BBs originally worked, it's only in the last few years, with hollow axle cranks, that the bearings moved outboard of the shell.
  • 2 0
 @groghunter You're right, I misunderstood the point RC was making.... still much prefer BSA style over press fit.
  • 2 2
 I don't mind a threaded interface, but BSA is a standard of a bygone age that isn't really suitable for modern cranks: it was designed for steel BB shells, steel BB cups, & inboard bearings. I have a bike right now that had the BB threads wrecked by simply having a slightly loose NDS cup: because the bearings are now outside the BB shell, you have a 10mm long lever against the threads every time you pedal. with aluminum threads, they can get wrecked by that force if there's any movement whatsoever. doesn't show up until you try to pull the cup, it'll start out straight, but start tilting as it hits the wrecked threads, & you're pretty much screwed at that point. Also, it forces you to stick with heavier, more expensive steel axles. PF30 came about partly so that cranks could get lighter & cheaper by allowing large diameter aluminum crank axles instead of steel ones.
  • 2 1
 @groghunter So you're saying we should all be riding steel frames with threaded outboard bearings? Got it, i'll keep doing that.
  • 2 1
 I have some suggestions as to what you can ride, but your reading comprehension is so poor, I'm afraid you wouldn't grasp the concept.
  • 3 1
 That's ok, i wanna ride, not buy more shit.
  • 1 2
 Well, sadly for you, when you eventually want to buy a new bike from these brands that you seem to hate so much, you'll have to do without your decades old bottom bracket standard designed around steel road bikes. Awwwwww. Change is scary!
  • 2 0
 pressfit DOES allow a wider downtube...
  • 1 0
 pressfit DOES allow a wider downtube...
  • 28 2
 Negative prop me if you want but this was the last straw for me. After 10 years as a mountain biker and numerous I've turned my back on the industry, It's all about profits and coming up with the next big 'iPhone' innovation. After buying a 29er with a PF30 bottom bracket I had to take it back to the shop far too many times to have it fixed. If it were threaded I could fix it myself but had to rely on the shop as it would mean buying a whole host of new tools. Luckily I used to work as a pushbike mechanic so I knew what was wrong and found that the bottom bracket wasn't even installed properly at the factory. But after a few months it started creaking again for the third time and for a bike I only owned for a six months I wanted it gone and sold it. I want to buy a bike with proven technology, I don't want to be a test dummy for a money saving scheme invented by the MTB industry.
  • 1 7
flag tempest3070 (Aug 7, 2015 at 9:34) (Below Threshold)
 I can safely say your opinion is totally irrelevant if you're not a mountain biker.
  • 26 1
 The above text is a vast exaggeration concerning the "advantages" of press-fit and the "disadvantages" of threaded BBs.
There are two simple truths:
1. Mounting a threaded BB is as easy as turning a screw. You only need one tool, which is very cheap. That´s it. The threads can take high torques as well, so mounting and servicing threaded BBs should be doable for everyone who knows the difference between left and right. And not everyone is happy about using a large hammer on their expensive carbon frame, which RC states correct as being a bit "uncivilized".
2. A threaded interface does not get worse every time you mount it up. With press-fit cups, the tolerances are prone to becoming worse every time you remove the cups.

The true problem is, however, that the bicycle industry is not able to produce anything with decent tolerances in the first place. Brakes, suspension, frames, etc. If the tolerances for press-fit-BBs were good ... yeah, "IF"! But that´s "too expensive", it seems ...
  • 1 1
 I like your last paragraph, it sums it up pretty well. Any form of Utopia puts it this way. Our concept is pure and fantastic, no doubt about it, It is hard to put it in practice though... if it doesn't work (even after 10 years) it's just because we haven't found the right way yet, but this existing system is bad, baaad, baaaaaad, it works and everyone is happy only because bla bla blaaa and they are not really happy they don't know that they are not bbla bla blaaaa
  • 20 1
 A week ago I bought a used frame for my whife, with a pressfit BB. The bearing were dead, so I had to replace it. If it were a threaded BB, I would do it by myself in 5 minutes for free. But it was not, so I went to a service. After 4h the guy called me that he finally succeeded but it will cost me $10 more because the BB was glued to the frame and he struggled a lot while replacing them.
My personal conclusion is that my next bike will not have this ... issue.
  • 19 0
 Threaded all the way. My next bike will have a threaded BB. Vote with your money folks. This is clearly about manufacturing costs.
  • 16 0
 Yes please bicycle industry, i want a creaky bike for no added benefit to me, i want a new technology to replace my old bottom bracket which has never let me down, i want ovalised BB shells, i want to buy more tools and make my perfectly good old ones redundant and i want to kill my frame after a few bearing changes, but of course i can shim it when it's worn out so thats fine eh? It seems there are plenty of people lining up to have their wallets fleeced for more pointless shit, so please go ahead and be ripped of by manufacturers who are TRYING TO SELL YOU THIS TO MAKE MORE PROFIT! All technical advantages are bullshit, wake up, i'd have a threaded headset if i could. Smile
  • 1 0
 stranger you talk about threaded head set, been thinking about it for years!
  • 13 0
 Press-fit is just another reason for me to turn my back on the industry,they're getting less and less cash out of me as time goes on,i want 1.5 headtubes,external threaded BB's,i don't want 650B although i can see the benefit for others,and all this + malarky i can't get with,the trouble is is that like everything else that brings down cost,press-fit will always have it's major problems,creaking means flex,flex means somethings just not right,threaded BB's are always going to be a more mechanically sound solution to a problem,but then there's cost,does the cost outweigh the benefits ? yes i think it does,i'll gladly pay extra(within reason) if i were given the option for a threaded BB over a standard off the shelf Press-fit(if that was the case) so maybe the industry should be thinking about choices and not forcing us to buy inferior products just because it keeps their profit margins higher,after all it's us that's buying their products,choice is better surely ?
  • 15 2
 Threaded: tight tolerance is in the REPLACEABLE cup, not the frame. Press fit: once you start messing up that tolerance you'll have creaks for life, and the frame manufacturers will blame you for it.

Pinkbike, you've had a sh#t week. First you release that piece of cr@p track walk article with bad photos and the same joke repeated twenty times (go see dirt, their track walk article is 100x better). Then you release this terrible one sided article with a poll at the bottom which just shows the average Joe goes along with whatever they're sold and will end up with a bike they can't service themselves.

Sort it out.
  • 5 3
 GIVE THIS GUY HIS MONEY BACK!
  • 12 0
 Canfield said in an interview that a threaded headset would be easier fit for the end user. Also all components on a bike use bolts with threads not nails...
  • 1 11
flag Satanslittlehelper (Aug 7, 2015 at 8:10) (Below Threshold)
 What a stupid statement. The cups for a threaded headset still have to be pressed into the frame, same as a threadless and therefore require a headset press, which most home mechanics don't own. Have you ever adjusted a threaded headset? You really think using two giant cone wrenches to get a cover and jam nut adjusted just right is easier than turning a 5mm wrench? Also, do you really think a quill stem is going to work for a modern MTB application?
  • 9 0
 I think he is saying the headset cups themselves should have been threaded rather than a press fit. This would have made it similar to how we install threaded BB. No relation to threaded headsets like the traditional threaded 1 inch type.
  • 3 0
 That at least makes some sense, but reaming and facing a head tube to ensure the alignment of the cups is pretty easy. If threads are cut into the frame and aren't perfectly aligned the headset would never function properly.
  • 3 3
 Satanslittlebellend
  • 9 0
 This reads like a propaganda piece designed to sell the idea of press fit bottom brackets, rather than a poll. Press fit bottom brackets and integrated headsets are piss flavored Kool Aid and Pink Bike should be ashamed of itself for promoting such blatantly worthless crap.
  • 11 0
 Ahhh. Press-fit.
Sooner or later.
Due to ware.
It will be like throwing a hot-dog down a hallway.
Beware. Wink Razz
  • 3 0
 Exactly. I prefer my bikes threaded and my women press fit.
  • 12 0
 i have both... but threaded BB are so easy install!!
  • 7 0
 So PinkBike... there's your answer... about 40% of your readers would prefer you took away their first born child rather than using pressfit...

Please for the love of god will you pass on to your industry reps we don't want this stuff...

My last PF bike (a specialised stumpy), I'd would have to get a mechanic to replace the BB about once a month... that game gets old real fast! at 6ft 3inchs, 107kg broad shouldered monster, pounding down on a flimsy bit of plastic cup with shitty tolerances... the result was always gonna be a poor one. regularly the BB bearings would be shifted a degree out of line with the axle and it happily munch the bearings to a gritty pulp... creaking!!! I'd have killed for 'just' creaking

Currently have a chris King threaded BB on my old school SB66C that hasn't been touched in 12 months
  • 9 0
 Kind of stupid to have a poll no this. WE HAVE NO CHOICE! Like 650b, boost 148, axle sizes and the 400 other different "standards" ect..:-).
  • 2 0
 It's Pinkbike trolling to improve their page hit stats, to sell advertising space. One every week
  • 6 0
 in2falling^^^: I think you may underestimate the power of PB. The majority of the sport's bike and parts designers, retail workers, marketing specialists and brand managers - most of the folks that the commenters here are hoping will hear them out - are PB members who read this stuff every morning. Where else can they get this much unfiltered feedback on contemporary issues, including hard numbers? And the format includes PB readers who would never voice an opinion in the comment section, yet feel strongly enough about the subject to take time to participate in the poll. And,, love it or hate it, poll comments are always an entertaining read.
  • 2 2
 I answer the polls randomly, every time... just kidding Big Grin
  • 5 0
 I'm on my second! On a 2014 s works enduro 29. I am still up in the air about it. Only creaked when trails where dusty. But when it wore out constant creak!! Every pedal stoke! As they all do! But seemed to wear out faster. Only about 1000 miles.
  • 7 0
 I don't see why headsets don't go threaded as well, besides the extra "cost", but if I am paying $5000 for a new ride, I will expect the extra machining.
  • 1 5
flag Satanslittlehelper (Aug 7, 2015 at 8:19) (Below Threshold)
 Really? You don't see why? Have you ever used a threaded headset? You think a quill stem is gonna work well for you on a long travel trail bike?
  • 2 0
 I think what he means is thread-in cups, not quill

To each their own I guess. I'm OK with press in headsets.

Not really convinced by pressing BB bearings direct in to the frame though. Hated the carbon integrated cups on my Mojo and wouldn't want integrated cups on my BB for the same reason. But could probably live with press in cups from Hope/ CK
  • 4 0
 Yes, he's talking about the cups threading into the head tube, not old school threaded steerer tubes. And I've been saying the same thing for years, as a professional mechanic in bike shops for over 20 years. After the external bearing BB design appeared 15-ish years ago, that was one of the first things I thought: "Why not do this same thing with headset cups?" No headset press tool needed, no more cups going in crooked, and very-importantly, no more cups "settling" into the frame after a ride or two, requiring readjustment of bearing preload. It would be brilliant. Instead, everything went the opposite direction..
  • 2 0
 Having the cups thread into the frame is what I meant. Seriously, how can an 18 year old kid like myself come to this conclusion, but a room full of engineers can't seem to get a handle on it. Is it really THAT much more expensive to thread the steerer tube and have set thread dimensions that the majority of manufacturers follow? Apparently, it is.
  • 10 1
 JIS square Taper FOREVER!!!
  • 5 0
 Don't be ridiculous. We're not bashing all technological advances, just the technological disadvantages.
  • 6 0
 Still better than Press-fit
  • 7 2
 I will gladly run a press fit BB in a frame once manufacturers increase tolerances, spec higher end bearings, and seal the system appropriately. I've taken thousands of threaded bb's out over the course of a decade as a wrench, and they suck, so much. Threaded bb's LOVE to get stuck in frames, and a solid amount of the time, you find yourself reaching for the breaker bar to get enough torque on the thing to loosen those nicely frozen threads. Skin is probably going to come off at least one finger, but that's a given. The countless pressfit bb's I've done have been on road bikes, mainly Cannondales, that have started to creak after a few THOUSAND miles, through rain and whatever else. They're creaking because those nice lil bearings are approaching a very square shape, not because of poor tolerances, poor installation, poor manufacturing or just a second-rate system. Threaded bb's suck, and they need to go the way of threaded headsets. While I am surprised and disappointed in all of the creaking issues people have been having with the things, there are solutions to them. Bigger, higher quality bearings will handle and disperse the loads, increased tolerances in the bb shell and on the crank's spindle will decrease room for movement in both areas preventing creaking, and better sealing will prevent anything from getting into those fore-mentioned spaces. Add to that proper installation, and we'll be in a happy place.
  • 3 1
 Not to mention what happens to an aluminum threaded BB shell if you happen to ride with a loose BB cup for a while. say goodbye to those threads, & you won't know until you try pull it & it starts to go crooked on the way out. current threaded BB standards were designed for steel frames, with steel BB threads, with internal bearings and solid axles that kept the leverage from pedaling closer to the center of the BB, placing less lateral force on the(stronger because they were steel) BB threads. If you were to design a threaded BB standard from scratch today, it wouldn't look like the english threaded monstrosity we've been slowly bastardizing for the last 20 years. It'd be probably about twice the diameter, to allow for 30mm aluminum axles while still keeping the bearings internal instead of outboard, & it would have taller, coarser threads to account for how little tolerance aluminum has for threads that deform.
  • 5 0
 In Portugal we have an expression that says something like: "If my mother had a moustache, she would be my dad..."
Em bom portuguĂŞs: "Se a minha mĂŁe tivesse bigode, era o meu pai!"
  • 4 0
 "he point is moot, however, because over time, natural selection has eliminated all the brands that made noisy thread-in bottom brackets." - Laughed at this. As a mechanic I can tell you that the one think I hate working on the most are PF-BB's, and the writer's use of the past tense here to describe the "natural selection" of BB is just wrong. This past week I had to fix this issue on three different bikes. All of which are 2015 models or newer. What I find the most irritating is most fixes are all temporary. Even Specialized's recommendation of epoxy (yes, they do recommend you use epoxy to help keep there BB's from fixing) works for only about a year.

To answer the question-- if BB's were silent I probably would still go threaded, simply because the noise is only a symptom of a larger problem. If the BB shell(Frame, or plastic cups) is made out of anything softer than aluminum the aluminum ring of the bearing will eventually gouge into it. Which will eventually lead all other bearings installed later having a poor fit.
  • 5 1
 The amount of apathy in the voting is astounding. I guess most people just want to let the shop install their stuff and then never look at it again, gradually letting the bearings decline over the life of the bike. I doubt there's a home mechanic who looks forward to press fit BB. I buy a frame, I build it up. When the bearings go bad, I replace them myself. If I switch from Shimano to Sram cranks, I buy a new BB and install everything myself without waiting for a LBS to do it, over charge me and likely screw something up. End of story.
  • 3 0
 I've been using Hope's press-fit bottom bracket (www.hopetech.com/product/press-fit) for over a year now, no creaking whatsoever. Bottom brackets of this design tend to be more expensive compared to regular PF ones and often require special tools to install however.
  • 6 1
 I would go further and would like threaded headset cups also please. Pressfit will never work generically with industrial tolerances.
  • 3 0
 Press fit? No thanks. Bearings die, and I don't want to be stuck for hours, or even days, waiting for a LBS to fit me into their service schedule. especially if I'm away on a biking vacation. which is exactly what I had to do yesterday in Whistler.
  • 3 0
 Press fit BB's suck.... End of!!! The PF30 BB made me hate my Stumpjumper until I got an FSA glue in adaptor to take Shimano HT2 cranks... Haven't looked back since and I'm no longer going through 3 x crappy barely sealed SRAM press fit BB's a year!!!
  • 4 1
 I've been soured on pressfit bb's. My last bike, a Cannondale Trigger 29er, was always creaking. It wasn't necessarily the interface between the frame and bearings either. The bearings themselves did not last more than a couple months before they got rough and noisy. The frame had no drain hole in the BB which didn't help. The system is a good idea but I don't want to replace bearings every couple months and listen to the noise. I work as an automotive technician so press fit bearings are nothing new to me.
  • 4 1
 Threaded always, in a 2 decade period of building customs and getting into the manufacting end of the business I can say NEVER EVER will I use press fit period. Why go backwards to my late 70s days of bmx press in?? Maybe if incurred Brain Damage and couldn't think !!! If they go away, my attention will turn to fabricating my own. Not gonna have crap shoved down my throat period. Hundreds of builds and never a single thread issue, why would I ?
  • 3 0
 Oh , and rc, you forgot that threaded bbs have a plastic internal sleeve to stop the water that comes down your seat tube from getting into your bearings from the inside. Listen to the hate and frustration here. Not just from weekend warriors, the biggest haters are the bike shop mechanics who have to deal with the customers problems.
  • 3 1
 First thing I did when my new bike with pressfit came home was to remove the dust wipers from BB -shimano- bearings (among other inspection). They came bone dry. Packed them up with grease, assembled, torqued the left crank preload to spec and one year later they are running perfectly smooth and silent.

Had a creak appear recently on out-of-the-saddle efforts and my first thought was the BB. Nope, traced the noise to stem and handlebar!

I think that most of BB problems that appear have to do with not preloading the bearings properly. When properly torqued crank preload makes the cranks spin very hard! It frees up with time but leaving it with little preload gives the bearing the space to start working loose and creating noises.

Just out of thought, I wonder why manufacturers haven't changed the pedal to crank interface, I think it's been a standard for too long, right?
  • 6 0
 Don't give them ideas.
  • 2 0
 How do you preload a set of bearings?
  • 1 0
 www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW0xmT6ONus at about 9:58 mark you can see he preloads the bearings with the left crank cap. I haven't found a video where they actually use a torque wrench, but on my tool it specifies 0,7 - 1,5 Nm. That may not seem much, but 1.0Nm is way more than hand tight.
  • 2 0
 Please, for the love of riding, can someone just post a reply to this message that says "buy this press fit bottom bracket because it just works perfectly". I almost don't care about the cost... I just want a bottom bracket that doesn't come loose every ride.
  • 2 0
 you need another mechanic, dude...
  • 2 0
 "A large number of press-fit supporters come from the manufacturing sector because threading and facing frames is costly and bolloxed threads can be a significant manufacturing and warranty issue. Pressed-in bearings are simpler to install and replace, and press-in BBs are less costly."

And yet after making the production of frames less costly, the prices just keeps on going ridiculously higher. I just wish that all these cost cutting in the production of our bikes would somehow reflect on the price we riders have to pay.

I answered "I don't care - ...", by the way. Because, really, has any standard change stopped any of us from riding?
  • 2 0
 Both my DH and Trail bike have press fit, total bloody pain in the ass. If I get 3 months out of one I'm doing well. I made a tool to remove them using a short piece of copper pipe and cut four slits in the end with a saw, 90 degree's apart. I then splay the ends slightly, slide the pipe through the BB normal end first and the splayed out end opens when it is past the bearing, I then tap the other end and out she pops, easy Smile
  • 2 0
 pressfit is fine. bb30 is a bummer cuz bearings tend to wear quick and do tend to creak. cheap oem bearings may be the main issue here. I find really rough or completely seized bearings in fairly new bb30 bicycles often in my shop
  • 2 0
 As for Industry trying to make the latest gimmicky "I Phone" comment... well you have to understand everyone has bills to pay, and only way you make money is to be a salesman and trick people into buying stuff they don't need. Even better if you and all your industry buddies collaborate on gimmicky stuff like 29" inch wheels or "PFBB"... industry really do NOT want people to keep one bike for the next 20 years (though I have 2 bikes at the 15 year mark and both are just as awesome as anything you see in the store).

Besides, hobbies are suppose to cost money! and if it has boobs ore wheels you are going to spend a lot of money! that is just how it is.
  • 2 0
 I've had 9 mountain bikes in the last 10 years, all but one had threaded BB cups and 26" wheels.
Nobody needs them to keep reinventing the wheel to get us to buy new bikes, we already do buy them.
"Besides, hobbies are suppose to cost money!" Yes they are but you don't just lie down and get buttf***ed by the manufacturers.
  • 1 0
 well your choice to buy or NOT buy... you can always take up knitting. I don't think the tools in knitting changed much the past 500 years.
  • 3 1
 If it is only a matter of time to silence press fit bbs and it keeps the price down then I'm voting for that! Price on bikes nowadays can really be an issue for some riders. I have always had treaded bbs and no issues but I'll always be in favor of stronger and simpler components, so if someone can get the creaking out of press fits then that will be where I'm heading next!
  • 18 0
 The manufacturing savings will never be passed on to the consumer, this is about profits.
  • 4 1
 But most pressfit bbs DO cost less at this time also for the custemers don't they?
  • 2 0
 Yeah right, bottom brackets are just so expensive! That's why they're doing it... Lol
  • 2 1
 Longman, NO, they do not cost less. The cost the same, more if you pay to have them installed, because they are more work to install and service.
  • 1 0
 It's not a matter of time, it's a matter of money. It is possible to make a press fit BB system that's silent, problem is it'll cost just as much as a threaded system, possibly more.
  • 1 0
 BB install is the same price! Please, explain how they are more difficult to service, because I haven't encountered that problem in my 8 yrs of wrenching...
  • 1 0
 Ok thanks for making that a bit clearer Smile
  • 5 0
 Beau-Doug, PressFit is not more difficult to service if you own a bearing press, and a bearing puller, which most people do not. Threaded bbs require one $15 dollar wrench, and can be installed by pretty much anyone. Sure you could install PressFit at home with a block of wood and a hammer, then knock it out with a drift, but then you're just setting yourself up for problems. So either way you pay more with PressFit, either you spend 200 on new tools and do it proper, go ghetto with a hammer and ruin your frame, or pay to have it serviced everytime. Some people go through bbs quickly, so it's even more inconvenient to have a PressFit. Also, honestly I've been wrenching for a long time as well, and it definately takes longer to properly align and press in bearings than it does to simply thread the cups in.
  • 3 0
 @laerz That pretty much sums it up perfectly IMO. I prefer threaded BBs for the same reason that I prefer RockShox over Fox: I can easily fix and service it all myself at home without the need for expensive tools and without worrying that I'll do any expensive damage. I must admit that these do look somewhat promising though: www.praxiscycles.com/conversion-bb.
  • 4 2
 "A bit of an exaggeration, but the bottom bracket area of Pivot's carbon Les Fat illustrates how much wider and more rigid the frame can be made when press-in type bearings are used."

What? In the picture there clearly are raised areas around the bottom bracket. If those didn't exist and in their place there would be external cups, the stiffness would of course be exactly the same.

But that's a non- argument anyway, since external or internal bottom bracket cups have nothing to do with threaded or non- threaded. If there is going to be a new "standard" anyway, and if width/stiffness was of any concern, it would of course also be possible to have internal bearings with threaded cups.
  • 5 0
 Seriously? A cup threading tool? It ain't that tough people. Just sayin........
  • 3 1
 my experience with servicing my different bikes through years tells, that for a garage mechanic like myself threads are simplier. So I stand by threads. However this is only IMO. I can see the point of making wider frames with press-fit, but I believe it is a temporary problem and surely as material technology progresses, frame width will not be so crucial and threaded BB will have the upper hand again.
  • 2 0
 I'm all for press fit BBs, well if they managed to do it in the way the creators of BB30 meant. BB30 is clever because you're meant to be able ream straight through the shell in one pass, after weld and heat treat, ensures fit and concentricity.

However manufacturers insisted on putting lips in, not bothering to machine at the end of production, etc, etc. Then decided to put the bearings in plastic cups to take up some of the inaccuracies, shrinking the bearings and introducing a source of creaking.

Press fit BBs correctly implemented are great, my BMX BBs have never, ever, creaked, and why would they? Stuff fits right. Someone in MTB had a stupid idea, now we've PF30, PF92 etc, when if it was just done as BB30 was meant to be in the beginning, there wouldn't be any complaints.
  • 2 0
 The question should be who wants a $3000 carbon frame with the bb finish work of a huffy? I find it hard to believe that engineers can't design a press quiet press fit interface. The simple answer is that many manufacturers are content not doing so.
  • 3 0
 Easy to make a smooth hole to insert a press fit BB. Cheap to make. Difficult to service. So the bike companies save money and the consumer gets to spend money on expensive tools. More about greed than innovation.
  • 2 0
 If pressfit were the standard for many years they woud come up with the "all new threaded and easy to instal, no creaking BB".

Same happens in my opinion with the 15 mm axle. If the 15 were the standard they would come up with the 20 mm axle and its stiffness and so on....

Pure busine$$!!
  • 5 1
 after decades on bike sites like PB I am stunned to see that over 50% here do not give a shit and will use what ever comes on their next bike. Meh......WTF?
  • 1 0
 Cause being a dick about wheel size is more important.
  • 2 0
 Reading the comments it seems as if there are lots of problems with pf30 and bb30, but not so many problems with bb92. So perhaps the issue is not as simple as pressfit vs threaded, but that some pressfits are better than others.
  • 1 0
 Funny how industries can be different. In machinery / gearboxes threaded joints are avoided as much as possible because of their fragility, espacially during overhauling/service. 99.9% of all bearing mounting in gearboxes are press-fit type.
  • 1 0
 Yea, find me a gear box with plastic cups as filler for poor tolerances. Please make valid comparison. Gearbox press fits and are metal to metal, the tolerances are much tighter. Completely different than the PF of a bike frame.
  • 1 0
 I did buy a bike once that had a PF30. Funny things was though, it had adapters to run a threaded BB. What the hell is the point of that? My current ride is a BMC Trailfox TF03 and it has a threaded BB. I think I will stick with threaded. Way easier and I have never had any problems. This article is ridiculous!
  • 1 0
 Haven't read all of the posts, but the BB30 on my Rocky Mountain creaked quite a bit at first. After talking to a Shimano tech at a race, I had my LBS remove it, clean everything up, put liberal amounts of green lock-tite, re-insert, and it's been quiet as a mouse ever since. Rocky uses Race Face BBs with aluminum cups so removal/replacement is simple. Apparently this is not always so easy on cheaper BBs with plastic cups, which can lose their shape/tolerances more easily. Still, I'm not 100% sold on press-fit, and I admire Santa Cruz for holding out.
  • 1 0
 I keep hearing that press fit bb's keeps production cost down for manufacturers, however, the prices of bikes keeps going up!!! I will never buy a bike that has crappy press fits. As mentioned so many times, bottom brackets need to be replaced often. I am not willing to hammer one out every time and risk damaging an expensive bike. I guess that's what the bike industry wants you to do, buy a new bike every time you need to replace your press fit bottom bracket.
  • 1 0
 you can't compare pressfit with a headset. When you change the bearing in the headset you do This in the cups. You can still change the cups if the bearing doesn't fit anymore. With press fit this is not possible. And I change my bb more often than the headset bearing. In my opinion it is along term issue even if I would believe you can do this 50 times there is the risk of damaging the frame every time you change the bearing.
  • 1 0
 Make a thing, mark a thing, marketing. If you take the time and use common mechanical sense the threaded shells are no problem. XT bearings sell for 14 euro's and take 5 minutes to install. I never, I repeat never had squeaks with threaded shells. 9 out of 10 people I ride with had to do something about their PF shells at one point. And if this wold work so well why are most BMX frames still using the good old threaded bracket?
  • 3 0
 Guess I'm one of those lucky ones. 2 Stumpy Evo's, never creaked. I just kept it clean and put new grease in every so often. You know, took care of the bike.
  • 1 0
 Press fit versus threaded, with he latter being better in my mind, has been high on my list of things for evaluating bikes for purchase. Problem is, the bikes that have threaded aren't what I want geometry wise. I've had a King threaded BB on my Blur 4x for 5 years now. I teflon tape the threads just in case but I have never had a single issue with my BB. If I am going to spend $6K plus on a bike I shouldn't have to replace much on it unless I crash... Seems like it would be more expensive for manufactures to use press fit if they constantly have to deal with warranty issues and send out replacement cups?
  • 1 0
 Jesus so many morons with opinions. Why can't humans ever just say "hey you like this, that's cool I like this, cool man well enjoy the trail, you too buddy" end of story but no everybody has got to have there option heard by the world! Just picked up a pressfit bike today. Rides awesome. My threaded other bike rides awesome too. Both have noises coming from one place or the other. Won't stop me from slaying the trails. Don't like something don't buy it how hard is that to comprehend! Theses are abstract things that are made of materials from our earth. There gonna make some dn notice at some time. We're not riding on padded silk pillows here! Move in with life please!
  • 1 0
 "Don't like something don't buy it how hard is that to comprehend!" The problem is most people have bought it and only then find out it's problems.
  • 1 0
 I have a Kona process 153 with a raceface pressfit bb. No creaking (yet). I ride in dusty conditions which make the chain squale like hell, but once I clean and lube the chain the bike is quiet. So far I'm ok with bb92 but I am running a metal bb to a metal frame.
Now would I prefer the ease of installation of a threaded bb? of course. So far I'm content with (but constantly listening/checking) whats on my Kona.
  • 1 0
 i work in a bike shop that gets plenty of cranky roadies complaining about their creaky bbs. theyre a pain in the ass and so are their bbs. unfortunately cannondale road frames manufacturing has gone down hill because their bb30 were great but the press fit is nothing but trouble. the solutions they offer are super bogus too. when the press fit creaks they send you a bb30 sleeve to epoxy in place but the sleeve is swimming in the large press fit shell so the epoxy takes up the slack, super lame. i cant believe they even try to pass that off as a viable solution. we have epoxied the press fit in place with some luck. and different manufactures say use green loc-tite while others say install it dry and i'm used to installing a bb with grease but that doesn't help keep it in place, only reduces noise. too much load on the cranks for press fit to work IMO
  • 1 0
 I'll have 4 years on my Pivot 5.7 next Feb. A new BB each year. They are cheap but now I can push them in with my hands I have a little clicking noise. I wish I had loctite the first bb when the bike was new. I do loctite the bb on all subsequent installations.
  • 1 0
 Yeah, prefer threaded but have 2 bikes with pf and have had success replacing the bb by tapping in with a rubber mallet, very gently... I knew they needed replacement when, after removing crankset for a clean, one side of the pf bb fell out...
  • 4 3
 ehhh,,,, BMX has had el cheap-o press since day one... headsets are pressed in, bearings often are pressed in... to me, PF is better simply because there next to zero change you can mess up the frame in the event the bearings fail. industry tells us PF is a cheaper production cost....ok, how much cheaper I wonder. Me, I don't really care... I'll use whatever. I throw a cheap pair of darts just as well as a high dollar set of darts.
  • 1 0
 I had a hell of a go with the BB92 on my Process. The plastic cups never lasted long and I could not run an alloy cup without it putting too much pressure on the bearings. I ended up running a Real World Cycling Pivot Specific BB and it seems to be doing the trick finally. I guess Pivot is notorious for having a bit small BB shell. I have nothing against press fit or threaded but if you make a component press fit the tolerances need to be spot on. When I e-mailed Kona about this they blew me off saying that it is not uncommon to have to mill and face the BB before running alloy cups. Pretty lame response from a company that otherwise seems legit.
  • 1 0
 I'm not really well versed on BB technology as all my bikes have threaded. So can someone clarify and let me know if I have this correct:

The common threaded is essentially bearings that are housed in a set of cups which thread into the frame.

Then there are press fits where the bearings themselves are pressed directly into the frame. (which seemed to be the ones talked about in this article)

And then there are also "press fits" that have a press fit cup, which the bearing is then mounted/pressed into. (this type seems to have been glossed over in the article.

Do I have the basics correct here?
  • 1 0
 You got it. There are styles which have a separate cup that press in at the same time or before, as an adapter (i.e. BB92 shell to BB86 bearing). They are cheaper to purchase, allow for better frame design, and easier to service. In some conditions they are prone to creak more, but if you ride hard you'll end up going through a bb or two every year, no matter style is in your bike.
  • 1 0
 I had a 2011 Trek Fuel ex 8 with press fit. The drive side pushed out with finger pressure. I sold the bike ASAP. I bought a 2012 Trek Remedy 8 with a threaded BB and have had no issues in three years. I also own a 2014 Scott Genius with a press fit. It is well constructed in that location. No issues what so ever.
  • 1 0
 BMX has been using press-fit almost exclusively for years and I've never had an issue with it. Installed mine myself with a piece of threaded rod, some large washers, two nuts, and no idea what I was doing. Not sure where press fit got such a bad wrap. I suppose it just works better with chromoly.
  • 1 0
 I've bought used bikes for the past 2 years and with no trouble all while getting higher spec bikes a year or two old for a great price! Most of these bikes had 20mm axles / threaded BB / 26 inch wheels etc. Bought a new Giant Reign 2 a month ago and although I love the bike, it does make more noise than any of the used bikes I've owned. Also because of all the new "technology" which makes any aftermarket parts more expensive, I pretty much have to exclusively by them through shops for full price making upgrading more costly and more hassle.

Overall, I'm bummed with all the new axle widths / bb pressfittting blah blah becoming Industry Standards where you CANT EVEN buy a new bike anymore with certain things you may have been a fan of and are forced to adapt and pay for the new stuff that may not necessarily even be any better!!! I know the bike industry has to progress, thus change must happen at some point but there is just to much happening too fast
  • 1 0
 There is a finite amount of times a bearing can be pressed into a housing before the housing itself gets slightly oversized and doesn't hold the bearing as snug as it used to. On headsets its not a problem as hownoften do you change those. Bottom brackets though, a new one every 6 months or so?
  • 1 0
 i want whatever is new surely thats the best thing to have right?..... or so says unfortunately way to many people all to often these days :-(

be sure to check back next week for the next batch of new standards in hammer fit bb's and ++ tyres and 3" diameter bar clamps cos using anything else would just be silly.

i know its tempting to hate on all old tech but please cant we honestly just view everything with a little bit of apprehention...after all its your hard earned cash that gets this stuff and if you cant be bothered to try and figure out if its actually worth the cost and effort to get the latest stuff then.....i have some new 17.5"mm diameter bolt through hubs that are gonna be way better than anything your using now (well except 20mm but only losers use them right?) there a snip at 500 euros each oh and there completely incompatable with anything you own so look foward to changing to new forks and frame but i guess everyone likes this sort of thing these days.
  • 1 0
 They want press for because they don't want you torquing on their piece if shit dispisable carbon frames.
The money saving thing is full on bullshit. Really??? a couple bucks labor at best on a $1500-$3500 frame.
So full of shit I can't believe it.

Wish they'd just stop f*cking around.
  • 1 0
 I consider the threaded BB's to be superior. Years of use with no real drawbacks.

That said, I have two press-fit BB bikes now, one that has gone year and a half in service with two wet seasons in there and the BB is just as good as the first day. The other one is still new, but so far so good. Also, they are aluminum frames.

I have never removed/installed a press-fit BB, but until then, I reserve judgement. I prefer to work with threaded interfaces.
  • 1 0
 REVERSE EVOLUTION IS THE NEW MARKETING TECHNOLOGY. Press in vs. external thread-ins, there is a reason the external threaded cup bearing systmes were developed and so successful over the vinatge press in bearings. Anything to market the industry even if it its out dated but shiny and in new in packaging.
  • 3 1
 I'm happy with threaded, It's nice and easy to maintain/replace the BB's, but if my next bike has press fit then I'm going to be wary about having to take the ol 'ammer to it
  • 2 0
 Never will I buy a PF junk frame. Santa Cruz don't let me down! stigmata is not a santa cruz frame its a bastard son coming to collect its dues!
  • 2 0
 as for bearing removal on a press fit, how many times have you knocked out the inner race and had to get the home made drift out! every time!! *rage at shit pressfit*
  • 1 0
 Never. How is this happening to you, so often?
  • 1 0
 I use to really hate Pressed Fit Bottom Brackets! but now that I got all the tools to service a PFBB on Amazon, and for less than $100 total, well now I don't hate PFBB's as much anymore.
  • 1 0
 SAVE SOME DOUGH, DUDES! Pick up a bearing and seal driver from an auto parts store, then drive to a home improvement store and buy a long threaded bold with proper washers. I've been using this $15 kit for 5 years, now and it has worked well for every style of bearing on all bikes. I would recommend purchasing a specific removal tool, though
  • 2 0
 This is the worst article of any type I've ever read, seemingly written by someone with zero shop experience or bike riding experience. Garbage.
  • 6 3
 Press fit makes sense, but how many people can change a bearing without messing it up?
Creaking BB Suck
  • 2 0
 Just got my first press fit BB EVIL the following . Not had any issues with that tho your comment forces me to be honest about press fit and havering the skill to change bearings . I've used threaded for all my bikeing life so press fit is new to me and when it comes to needing new bearing I'll be honest it's going to my LBS as I have not got the skills to do this . I have a good idea how to and have changed BB bearings in a hope threaded BB so I'm not fully clueless . But when it comes to carbon and press fit and this would be my advice to others if your not sure be honest and leave well alone . LBS is key
  • 4 0
 Idk, I haven't personally changed a PF bearing, but I've pressed in headset cups using my own DIY tool and PF bearing installation certainly can't be any harder than that. I think the installation difficulty is overblown probably. Seems like you could do it with a piece of threaded rod, some nuts & washers, and a couple crescent wrenches/channel locks. I installed my headset the same way. You can't be sloppy, but I wouldn't say it was difficult.
  • 1 0
 The problem is getting the bearings dead strait, because un like headset bearings which you can get away with being slightly out bb bearing will wear out or start creaking with any out of alignment issues
  • 1 0
 Yeah but that's what the washers are for. As long as the washer OD is greater than the BB shell OD you'll always install the bearing flush with the BB shell. If you look at the purpose-built PF BB tools they're basically just what I described. As with anything, you have to be attentive during assembly but it's not rocket surgery.

Now if the shell face isn't true then you have a different problem.... but that's a frame problem, not a PF problem. In that case then you can probably face the shell (which you have to do with threaded BBs anyway sometimes).
  • 2 0
 Can we just have a MID BMX BB finally? Works like a charm and is simpler than Donald Trump. That, of course, if you are for some unimaginable reason looking to replace a BSA.
  • 1 0
 The question was 'if they were silent'...

1. easier removal and install
2. better frame design and cheaper manufacturing
3. lighter weight
4. and quiet

who wouldn't want that?
  • 1 0
 Could a pro mechanic please, chime in! Preferably, someone in the pro DH series. PLEASE!!!
  • 1 0
 My 2015' hard tail I just bought has a press-fit, didn't really realize till after I bought it, time will tell though. I have never had any bottom bracket problems on any bike I have ever owned though.
  • 2 0
 How long have we been threading BB's into frames with very few issues? How much bitching (and right fully so) have press-fitted BB caused in a short period of time?
  • 1 0
 There is a lot of stuff now that are not designed to last, that way companies get to charge you for replacements Sucks but that is the way it is, the only way to get change, IS NOT TO BUY IT!
  • 1 0
 This is an old thread! (no pun intended), but my first ride on my Intense Primer with PF BB, technical, stream crossings and it was creaking like morning crickets. I'll never again buy a bike with a PF BB.
  • 2 3
 I build my own carbon frames by hand and the press fit bb makes more mechanical sense. Found tolerances are tricky to get right to avoid any noise problems. Just discovered a US company called BB Infinite (www.bbinfinite.com) who make complete press fit units. Only just started using the first one, but so far so good. Awesome quality. Press fit is still in it's infancy, give it time to iron out the niggles.
  • 1 0
 How’s it been working out?
  • 1 0
 @jeremiahwas: Been great so far. Used the recommended loctite to fit and made sure the cranks are fitted correctly with the right tightness. Ran it for 2 years of admittedly not very hard riding, but still going strong...
  • 1 0
 @beeekilbee: Got mine in the mail.
  • 2 0
 i get through a press fit bb every few months, utter tat. ball ache to remove too.
  • 1 0
 There has to be a way to have the cups in there and just change the bearing. Much Like the headset. Cups are pressed in and you can just drop the bearing in.
  • 2 0
 i read that as: "Would you use this system that doesn't creak, or this one if it didn't creak?" Who cares then?
  • 3 0
 While we're at it, can we change to threaded headsets?
  • 1 0
 I pray to the Gods of biking that the PF BB92 I have in the frame I just bought won't be creaking after a few rides ...
  • 1 0
 the worst part for me is to have to use the hammer with the press fit system
  • 1 0
 really? I hope you not using the hammer for install, lol
  • 1 0
 I voted pressfit. But after reading the comments I'm convinced that threaded is the way to go. Good discussion!
  • 1 0
 Press fit=profit.

It's not about technology and the ride anymore. It's about making that $$$ as fast as you can.
  • 2 0
 it has design advantages, its not a conspiracy.
  • 1 0
 to all of you, start investing in the locktite co., their profit will rise the next quarter!
  • 2 0
 this is why i cannot make my mind up on a Capra or a Nomad.....
  • 2 1
 Can we have a list of all manufacturers making threaded BBs? we don't need PF manu list, let's put them into shame! LOL
  • 1 0
 The only standard I truly hate is Trek's BB95 for carbon frames. I can live with the others.
  • 1 0
 These things are awful. I worked @ trek and these were a customer service nightmare. bearing with a metal shim? joke for a few thousand dollar frame.
  • 1 0
 Want to install a Cinch crank, or any crank with a 30mm spindle? Sorry. No bearings are available to accommodate.
  • 2 0
 PF-lame Threaded -Not lame this discussion-lame
  • 1 0
 I actually do have a sharp set of BB thread taps in my tool box in case I decide to change BB night before race day
  • 1 0
 Most Press fit BB's suck. The one's that cost like $40-$50. I'm using a Kogel BB and it's awesome!!! Sweetest bearings ever!
  • 1 0
 Oh and the Nylon cups suck... the bearings give in like a week...
  • 1 0
 Question is biased. What if press fit never achieved creaklessness? Just ask bmx types who hate press fit after many years
  • 2 2
 Personally, I'd like to see threaded inserts (i.e. Helicoil), made of steel, used in alu frames for the bb and headset.
  • 1 0
 Why is this article so biased? Tell us who paid for it, pinkbike...
  • 1 0
 I have a pressfit BB and it fucking creeks and it's a pile of shit
  • 1 0
 You have too many leg torques powers
  • 1 0
 There's no reason to replace my threaded BB with this press-fit trash.
  • 1 0
 My spanish BB works wonderfully...
  • 1 0
 Threaded forever. shit, i still ride chromoly bmx- looseball axles.
  • 1 0
 Bmx type bb is the way forward
  • 1 0
 I'll wait to upgrade to pressfit once they get it sorted out.
  • 3 2
 It is not, and will never be, possible to " sort press fit out", physics dude.
  • 1 1
 "Niner specifies threads for all the frames in its lineup"

Pinkbike at it again with false info.
  • 1 0
 I meant Press fit, and disposable. My phone sucks shit too, haha
  • 1 0
 I didnt even know about them till now!! LOL
  • 1 1
 The upcomming standard is left side drivetrain.
  • 1 1
 Thanks Rich for another great article
  • 3 4
 I don't care. Gearboxes don't need BB.
  • 2 0
 what do your cranks bolt onto then!?
  • 2 0
 main shaft.
  • 1 0
 This has to be bullshit.
  • 2 0
 Are the main shaft bearings/bushings built into the gearbox case, bolted or pressed into it?
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