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Saturday, 01 March 2008
This week chef's special - FSA Platinum Pro ISIS Bottom Bracket 
Forged hollow chromoly spindle for ISIS Drive, with integrated bearing design. Cold forged aluminium cups, composite anti-creak sleeve, new improved external water seals
. Chromoly crank bolts (M-15)
GEBERAL SPEC
ISIS Drive CNC-machined hollow CroMo spindle Ti-Nitride coated spindle Alloy centre sleeve Double row deep-groove sealed cartridge bearings Forged aluminium cups with anti-creak composite sleeve M15 alloy crank bolts Finish: Anodized cups and sleeve English threading - 68 and 73mm (BC-1.37" x 24T) Italian threading - 70mm (M36 x 24T) Sizes: 68mm x 108, 113, 118, 123mm; 68mm E Type x 113, 118mm; 73mm x 113, 118, 128mm; 73mm E Type x 113, 118, 123, 128mm; 70mm x 108, 113, 118mm Weight: 199g
About two weeks ago... Nice sunny afternoon in the garden on maintenance day.
The day before, I went to check out Swinley Forest for the first time. It was a nice ride but unfortunately I've bent my chain guide. So I decided to get it sorted and took everything apart just to find out the BB makes noises like TGV train passing by. Well let's go shopping then :) I don't know why but I kind of like when something is about to be replaced - don't you? :)
To find the right BB took me long hours on the net. I went through many opinions and reviews of different brands and models. The choice was rather difficult. There is many ISIS BB's on the market in a very wide price range, but after a long research I went for this mid range FSA - later I'll explain why. Somehow it was very hard to find the right size (73/118mm) in a good price. In CRC you can get one of those for £34.99 but they don't have 73/118mm (only 63/108 and 63/113) here BTW CRC supplies seems to shrink since last year and I think they also withdraw from FOX distribution. If I'm right that might be harming to CRC's position on the market.
At the end of the day I've found one on All Terrain Cycles for £39.95 + £3.99 shipping. Well - not the best deal but at least they have it. Arrived next day (earlier than expected). Model delivered with black aluminium cups.
BB nicely packed with polyethylene tube
This is how it looks in reality: 
Nice finish; very precise machining smooth bearings (so far) Don't forget to smell it :) (yep! the smell of a factory - I'm a pervert ;) ) Thread locking paste pre applied on cups to prevent unscrewing and also sealing the threads form water. Strong and stiff M15 bolts and hollow spindle to reduce weight and make it stronger with less CrMo steel used. For some of you it can be kind of a paradox that empty inside spindle can be stronger than solid one, but it is truth. It is much easier to break or bend solid bar of steel than tube/pipe.
Front View
The spindle is coated with titanium nitride that makes the surface incredibly hard. Thingie there just above the spindle it is a bit of grease.
Right! Now it is time to get the old one out. It wasn't a easy task. It never happened to me, that BB stuck in frame so badly. I took some heavy tools to undo the cups.
My old BB after struggle to get it out:
So after a long fight old BB has been defeated without even a scratch to the frame. Great victory!!! I was worried it could pull out the aluminium thread prom the frame while undoing - it didn't. Lucky me.
Is a bit of a messy here, yet. Remember before you put the new BB in make sure to clean frame's threads. As you can see bit of sand got into the BB's socket - this is a thread killer especially this kind of very fine, high diameter, aluminium thread. So clean it well before you proceed. Do not put any grease on threads either BB or frame as BB comes with pre applied thread locking compound. It might be a good idea to put a little grease inside the cups around the cups' flange to prevent water from getting in.
Here it is on its place
The FSA BB feels stiff and firm. Now the most important test durability. I will keep you updated with all the details - how it performs etc. So far so good. I'll get back to it after a few rides and let you know about the results. BPD :)
Read more about weaknesses of bottom brackets, and find out more where bike industry goes in article Keep the REAL BIKE SCENE Alive PDFs FSA 2008 catalog BB torque specs ISIS Drive Perspective ISIS & Square Taper Installation
Other Articles: Keep the REAL BIKE SCENE Alive!!! Oryx - An Icon In Bike Design Hope Mono 6 - Short review ATC2K Extreme Helmet Cam Swinley forest map Newbee |
enjoy your ride!
Comments
2008-03-0116:54:17 Great article. Were you an engineer in a previous life my friend