What can I replace a 9 speed octlink with??

[Premier]

Hello all!

I have an Ultegra Octalink 9 speed - and the bottom bracket is going clunk, clunk, clunk with every turn of the pedals.

Looking around - it looks like Shimano is making the bottom brackets obsolete.

What can I replace it with, without replacing the whole drivetrain to 10 speed?

From what I can see - perhaps replace it with a 9 speed ISIS crankset? But can I use a 10 speed crankset and bottom bracket with otherwise 9 speed equipment? If not, can I just bolt on 9 speed chainrings to the 10 speed crankset? Will the cup style bottom bracket be ok with the bike? I dont want to spend a lot of money on the replacement (if I did - I would just buy a 10 speed groupset) Sorry if these questions sound a bit naive - I havent replaced a bottom bracket before.

thank you in advance..

[rustychisel]

ring around bike shops looking for 105 or Ultegra Octalink BB, that'll be your cheapest and they're pretty bombproof, last for years under normal usage. Or look on eBay.

You can't use ISIS BB with Octalink, different spline pattern. And ISIS is obsolete poo whereas Octalink is obsolete goodness. Avoid DuraAce BB for Octalink (different design, quite temperamental).

Or buy a whole new BB and crankset, but why? However, you should be able to use a 10 speed chainring setup with 9 speed cassette without much trouble, or go for a 10 speed chain as well. The variation in thickness is about 0.2mm or summat.