SRAM GXP bottom bracket opinions/quality

[uad782]

Hi Everyone,

My Fargo's SRAM GXP 73mm BSA bottom bracket is nearing failure after less than 12 months. There is some play in the cranks.

I am interested in opinions of quality of these BB's.

I also wonder if I could use a Hollowtech II with the Hope adaptor or if there are any other adaptors.

I also don't like the fact SRAM won't let me buy a new BB online from overseas where I can get it $20 cheaper.

Any comments appreciated.

[Duck!]

If you're using a GXP crank, you MUST use a GXP bottom bracket. Unlike (largely misinterpreted) Hollowtech II/MegaExo systems, GXP has a stepped spindle with a 22mm left end, rather than the straight 24(.something)mm spindle of the others. Shamefully typical of SRAM, the concept is good in that the stepped spindle clamps the inner race of the left bearing between the spindle and left crank, in theory making it impossible to overload the bearings, because the right side is essentially floatimg, but in reality the concept is let down by the quality of execution. There are other manufacturers of GXP-type bottom brackets, with varying levels of quality.

[queequeg]

Hi Everyone,

My Fargo's SRAM GXP 73mm BSA bottom bracket is nearing failure after less than 12 months. There is some play in the cranks.

I am interested in opinions of quality of these BB's.

I also wonder if I could use a Hollowtech II with the Hope adaptor or if there are any other adaptors.

I also don't like the fact SRAM won't let me buy a new BB online from overseas where I can get it $20 cheaper.

Any comments appreciated.

It depends on how well you look after them. I have ruined a GXP bottom bracket by riding through water that was over the bottom bracket. Water got into the bearings and they were done. However, if you maintain them by taking your crank out and carefully popping the plastic seal and dust cap off the top of the bearings, and refill them with some fresh grease, they will last for ages. I was easily getting 10,000+km from a bottom bracket. The one I just pulled off my bike has been on there since August 2015, and has done over 20,000km. All it takes is regular serving to keep the bearings running smoothly. It's still showing little signs of play, but I have just removed the GXP cranks from my bike and fitted my Rotor 3D+ instead, so I am now using a BSA30 bottom bracket.

If you want something non-SRAM, have a look at the Wheels Manufacturing ones such as https://wheelsmfg.com/bottom-brackets.h ... e_dia=7120

or Wishbone does one as well.

http://www.wishbonetw.com/product-1.php?id=102

With the wheels manfacturing ones, the bearings are replaceable, so you don't have to ditch the cups each time.

[baabaa]

Yeah hard to get a good run out of a sram bb if you ride in any sort of rain, mud or muck so I do use one of these with a hope 68/73 mm bb on a stylo GXP single speed crankset
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/bottom-brac ... t/?geoc=AU
I think I tried to fiddle around and use a shimano bb (Ultegra SM-BBR60 and then a 6700) with the hope adapters but the fit was quite snug around the axle, got a tad frustrated so gave up and went back to the hope which just works.

[uad782]

Thank everyone,

Baabaa, that is the adaptor I was talking about. Sounds like it doesn’t work with Shimano. Are the hope hubs ok and does the adaptor work well?

With the hope hubs I gather you can replace the bearings. Is this correct?

[am50em]

Maybe these with replacable bearings?
https://www.uberbikecomponents.com/view ... tible#tab1

[baabaa]

Um Hope hubs? Yes I have a few sets of these, one rim braked the other just a rear 135/ 6 bolt (a sp dyno up front), have been issue free in regard to bearings to date but I don't think I am hard on gear. The Hope BB if is that what you are asking about is just the standard stainless steel bearing job and has been no trouble for the past three years, again I am soft on gear but being single speed it has been run with a set tension so I may like that, dunno but the sram bb didnt....
To me all of hope stuff seems pretty good ( use hubs, stems, bbs, seatposts, skewers)

[uad782]

Sorry I meant Hope bottom bracket. Just ordered one and the adaptor from the UK.

Appreciate everyone’s advice.

[geoffs]

I'm using a Chris King GXP BB on my wifes bike and it's lasting well so far.
If you want to buy SRAM parts and groupsets online then have a look at Starbike in Germany

[im_no_pro]

I've had no issues with mine. Replaced it about 18 months ago but that was after 8 years of service (but not the volume of km's many on here would do in 8 years). I went into my (known to be expensive) LBS with a reasonable level of trepidation purely because I wanted one on the spot. Their off the shelf price was cheaper than what I had found online, which was both pleasing and incredibly surprising.

[kurtis19842]

Bumping this topic after a few years.

I want to get a cheapie 2nd hand set of SRAM Red cranks, currently running Ultegra BB.

What's the consensus now on HT II to GXP adaptors? It seems like a cheap way to convert, and Shimano BBs seem to be more durable than SRAM. If they are a goer, do they need any wavy washers? Or is it just bolt and go.

Thanks,
Kurt

[baabaa]

Bumping this topic after a few years.

I want to get a cheapie 2nd hand set of SRAM Red cranks, currently running Ultegra BB.

What's the consensus now on HT II to GXP adaptors? It seems like a cheap way to convert, and Shimano BBs seem to be more durable than SRAM. If they are a goer, do they need any wavy washers? Or is it just bolt and go.

Thanks,
Kurt

I doubt that shim bbs are more durable, nothing wrong with sram BBs they just dont appear to seal out muck that well.
My comments above refer to every day and all weather commuting.If you ride mostly in the dry or have mudguards for the wet they will be fine.Why muck about with an old bb and a new gxp adapter if you dont need to? Suggest just get a sram and you know it will work.

[kurtis19842]

Thanks for the reply.

I've read a lot more negative reports of Sram BBs, whereas Shimano has a better reputation. This is with respect to wet weather durability/sealing, and as well, concerns about poor bearing tolerances that people had with Sram BBs.... Oversize IDs of the main bearing leading to play between the bearing/BB interface. See 10:00 in the following video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4b9RwOWgoY

But it sounds like you've never had this problem?

[baabaa]

I have no idea about all that.
So an average BB is what, less than 70$? Not a lot of $$ really. If you want a "better" bb, pay more and think around a hope or wheels manufacturing, chris king, SKF, white industries or a Phil or...
Durability is a broad word. Shim or sram = the same. Do you want one that lasts for how long? Months of sitting in salt air or in heaps of kms? Do you race, then ceramic may be best. Also depends on your weight, how you ride and under what conditions. Any bb will run better and to me, they seem to last longer with good mudguards. I have had no issues with sram other than the plastic seals appear thin. I swapped one out on my touring bike which I have built for long haul, off tar road stuff for a hope as they have a adapter and focus on engineering for bike bits quite well. The other (sram) was on my road bike and as I wanted to go from a racey 52/39 to robust 46/36 stopped using it. Still seems fine to me after two years and about 1300 ks a month in dry weather?
Have also used basic FSA gossamer cranks with mega exo BB on the recommendation of my LBS. One lasted around 15000 ks before I was dumb enough to damage the plastic seal and another one has more than 20000ks in wet and dry, has been trouble free and still runs smooth.
People here on this site often say FSA bb are rubbish, so I guess they must know more than I do, be harder on bike bits or just ride a lot more than I do, but who knows and even cares?
I think the fun part about riding bikes is you get to do your own testing on bike bits and then work best for you and not that of what someone who has a thought bubble on the internet.

[queequeg]

My commuter bike came with SRAM GXP so I have run that for many years in all sorts of terrible weather. Of course, this predates SRAM and their stupidity (now followed by Shimano) about online shopping, so whereas it used to cost me $25 for a new GXP Team Bottom Bracket, now it costs three times as much. Perhaps through a lucky accident, the Ultegra 6700 cranks on my steel road bike got ruined when I had to hacksaw a stages power meter off due to a siezed bolt, sacrificing both the Stages and the cranks. It was a terrible power meter anyway! So, what I ended up doing was keep the SRAM SRM power meter I was trying to sell (unsucessfully), which was on the commuter bike, and I moved that to the Steel trainer bike, so weather is no longer an issue, and the Bottom Bracket is still on there and going strong.

On the commuter I went to BSA30 using my Rotor 3D+ crankset that I took off my Cervlo S5 before I sold it (as it has the p2max power meter). That uses a Rotor BB that does not have stupid restrictions on online shopping. My Cervelo R5 uses a PF30 Bottom Bracket, which is currently a SRAM one, but once that dies it's over to a Rotor PF or a Wheels Manufacturing one. My Gravel bike uses a Rotor 24mm bottom bracket which is Hollowtech II compatible.

I never really had any issue with my particular GXP cranksets. I still have both my SRAM Apex CX cranks, as well as a spare set of SRAM S900 Carbon GXP Cranks. I have seen the Hambini video where he proclaims GXP to be the worst pieve of engineering he's ever seen and uses a lot of colourful and largely unnecessary language to express his views. What he was really saying was that the tolerances of SRAM made components is terrible, and when the tolerance on the BB is out, as well as the crank spindle, and then you have a frame also out of tolerance because it's Pressfit and not aligned, these things all add up. It's nice to know that he can build you a bottom bracket that will solve almost any tolerance issue you might have with a specific setup.

[g-boaf]

Bumping this topic after a few years.

I want to get a cheapie 2nd hand set of SRAM Red cranks, currently running Ultegra BB.

What's the consensus now on HT II to GXP adaptors? It seems like a cheap way to convert, and Shimano BBs seem to be more durable than SRAM. If they are a goer, do they need any wavy washers? Or is it just bolt and go.

Thanks,
Kurt

I doubt that shim bbs are more durable, nothing wrong with sram BBs they just dont appear to seal out muck that well.
My comments above refer to every day and all weather commuting.If you ride mostly in the dry or have mudguards for the wet they will be fine.Why muck about with an old bb and a new gxp adapter if you dont need to? Suggest just get a sram and you know it will work.

You can now get replacement bottom brackets from third party manufacturers that are far better than the SRAM or Shimano default offerings. Wheels Manufacturing and BBinifite are examples. Kogel is another.

My main bike has a Kogel cross sealed ceramic bottom bracket that has been just excellent regardless of conditions. And I rode that bike a lot!

[10speedsemiracer]

+1 for what G-BOAF said. I've used a few Wheels Mfg BBs in different bikes, and they're very good.

[kurtis19842]

Thanks for all the input. I have been convinced. Got myself a SRAM GXP crank, and the shop is organising a BB for me.

Cheers,
Kurt

[stevenaaus]

I don't have a problem with my apex gxp BB. Just bought and installed a cheap rival OCT crankset onto the same bike... Was impressed with the self extracting bolt design.

So does anyone notice the difference of the wider gxp bearing placement over a tradition shimano BB? My 2004 gxp tcr just climbs like a Billy goat, but it's probably the frame and not the bb?