Wheels MFG BB86/92 Bottom Bracket [Rider Review]

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Talking about bottom brackets isn't as sexy as suspension or wheels but without one your bike is a sitting duck. To make matters worse they're confusing as all heck. Luckily, we have a guide to help you out as well as this handy review from our friend, Larry. He picked up a Wheels MFG BB and gives us his thoughts below. 

Introduction

I first discovered the awesomeness of the thread together Wheels Manufacturing bottom brackets with a Devinci Troy that had a press-fit bottom bracket that liked to start creaking about every other month. I loved the bike but hated the BB maintenance. This led me to search for solutions to my reoccurring issue. After some research, I found the thread together solutions from Wheels Manufacturing. If you haven’t seen or heard of them, basically it’s a press-fit cup that has threads in the middle. The drive side cup is pressed into the frame, similar to a standard press-fit bottom bracket. You install the opposite side cup by threading it into the cup that is pressed in and tightening it down to a torque spec with a bottom bracket tool.

Installation

The initial installation takes a little more time and care. The lip that you use a bottom bracket wrench or socket on is a little thin. If you're not careful the wrench can slip easily and too much pressure can mark your frame with the edge of the tool pressing into the frame. It’s nothing too difficult, it just takes some care when installing. Once installed, everything is extremely stable and I had no issues until it was time for bearing replacement.

Another nice point about the system is once it is time for bearing replacement, you push out the old bearing and press in new without removing the cups minimizing the chances of damaging your frame by pressing out the cups at an angle.

Performance

The bearings used are high quality and continued to roll smoothly for me for over a year. Instructions are easily followed and available online as well as extremely high-quality tools if needed. Being made in the USA also helps make the product even more worth it for me. Also, any bottom bracket standard I’ve searched for, they have a solution available at multiple levels of bearing types whether your looking for ceramic, standard, or angular contact. All of these factors into consideration made the choice easy for my recent Yeti SB130 and ARC custom builds. I want a bottom bracket that performs well for an extended period and requires little maintenance so once again I sought out the Wheels Manufacturing BB86/92 Shimano Bottom Bracket to pair with my Shimano cranks. As has come to be expected, the installation was straightforward and uneventful. And now I know I can look forward to many months of trouble-free performance.

We know how confusing bottom brackets can be. There are way too many "standards" that exists and that's enough to make you want to rip your hair out. No worries though. Check out our complete guide to easily identify your BB standard. 

Final Thought

As always, worldwide provided an excellent experience purchasing and fast, trouble-free shipping! Any questions I may have are always promptly answered. These guys rule!