The part nobody wants to identify by eye
Bottom bracket standards are the least loved corner of the bicycle industry, and for good reason: there are dozens, several look identical, and the wrong one will not go in.
Three things have to match before a bottom bracket will fit your bike:
- The shell width — 68mm and 73mm are the common threaded sizes, 89.5/92mm
- the common PressFit ones
- Threaded or pressfit — whether the shell has threads cut into it or the
- bearings press into a smooth bore
- The crank spindle — SRAM's DUB spindle is 28.99mm, GXP steps between 24mm
- and 22mm. They are not interchangeable
If any of those is wrong, nothing about the part will work. This is a genuinely good reason to bring the bike in rather than order from a photo.
Threaded versus pressfit
Threaded shells are the older approach and, for most riders, the easier life — they thread in, they come out, and a creak is usually solved by cleaning and regreasing the threads.
PressFit bearings sit in a smooth bore held by interference alone. Done properly with the right tools they are fine and slightly lighter. Done badly, or on a frame whose bore has gone slightly out of tolerance, they are the single most common source of a creak nobody can find.
This is a workshop job
A bottom bracket needs a specific splined tool for its exact standard, and pressfit needs a press and a bearing extractor. Fitting one with the wrong tool is how shells get damaged, and a damaged frame shell is not a cheap mistake.
We will do it properly — book through our workshop, or find us at Hout Bay Cycle Co and bring the bike.
Related: drivetrain parts, the wider tools range, and the SRAM bottom bracket range on its own.
