How do I find the right size of bottom bracket?

Asked by: Kerri Hevron

To find out the size of bottom bracket needed, measure the inside of the bottom bracket shell in your frame, it will be 73mm, 70mm or 68mm. Some older frames may have Italian threaded bottom brackets, instead of the more modern English.

What is the most common bottom bracket size?

The common threaded bottom bracket uses cups or adapters with the thread specification of 1.37″ x 24 threads per inch (approximately 34.8mm diameter). The most commonly used term for this standard is “English” threading, sometimes abbreviated as ENG.

Are bottom brackets a standard size?

BSA, or English threaded bottom bracket, is the most common threaded standard in use today. It uses a 68mm wide shell for road bikes, 73mm on mountain bikes, with a 34.8mm diameter shell. A few bike brands use an Italian threaded bottom bracket but these are rare.

Will any bottom bracket fit?

To a certain extent which bottom bracket you end up buying is up to what kind of frame you have. Certain frame materials and drivetrain options only support one type of Bottom Bracket. There are two main types of bicycle bottom brackets in today’s market, namely, threaded and press-fit BB’s.

Is BB92 the same as PF92?

The frame’s bottom bracket shell inner diameter is 37mm. A bearing with an OD of 37mm is pressed directly into the frame. Trek is moving away from the BB90/95 system to what they call PF92, which is the same as a BB92 (41mm ID shell and 92mm width).

What is 68mm bottom bracket?

The width of a BB30 bottom bracket is 68mm or 73mm. On road bikes, it’s always 68mm. With mountain bikes, 68mm is most common too, but sometimes the wider version with 73mm width can be found. The diameter of the bottom bracket is 41.96mm, and the bottom bracket bearings are always pressed into the frame separately.

Does changing bottom bracket make a difference?

(Click here to read BikeRadar’s complete guide to bottom brackets.) According to Friction Facts’ latest report: “No statistically significant difference exists showing a general advantage or disadvantage of a standard type under similar loading conditions.

Do I need to grease the bottom bracket?

With the threads now clean and sharp the next step is to prepare them with a layer of good quality grease. The grease will enable a smooth fit between the cups and the frame, the grease will also reduce the chance of corrosion developing between the materials in the bottom bracket shell and those in the cups.

Why is my bottom bracket creaking?

Most of the time, the true cause is a loose chainring bolt—tighten them up and that’ll quiet most creaks. After you check the chainring bolts and if you still hear the noise, look at your pedals, crank bolts, seatpost, and seat. By checking these first, you’ll save an hour of digging into your bottom bracket.

What is the difference between BB30 and BSA?

BSA is English standard and have screw thread inside the hole ,usually use in shimano,while BB30 is Italian standard and don’t have screw thread, usually use in CP.

What cranks will fit my bike?

The three most common crank lengths for bicycles are 170mm, 172.5mm and 175mm. What size your bike has will likely depend on what size the frame is. Small bikes tend to come with 170mm cranks, medium with 172.5mm and large with 175mm.

Does bottom bracket spindle length matter?

The critical thing is your spindle length: as long as you can set up the correct chainline you will be good to go. But, again, best never to mix standards if you can at all avoid it. If you are looking to replace a cottered crank setup with a square taper setup, then look no further than a cartridge bottom bracket.

What does 24tpi mean?

How to measure a bike bottom bracket

How do you measure a bottom bracket on a bike?

Quote from video: In there so frame to frame. And you just want to measure that you're going for the metric. So you can see this is 73. That is 73 millimeters. So usually you're gonna have a 68.

Are all square taper bottom brackets the same?

Whilst both versions of the square taper Bottom Bracket look the same, the European made ISO square taper spindles are slightly longer, tapering down to a small end than the Japanese Industry Standard (JIS) Bottom Bracket spindles do.

Does bottom bracket spindle length matter?

The critical thing is your spindle length: as long as you can set up the correct chainline you will be good to go. But, again, best never to mix standards if you can at all avoid it. If you are looking to replace a cottered crank setup with a square taper setup, then look no further than a cartridge bottom bracket.

Are all BMX bottom brackets the same size?

BMX frames are made in a variety of sizes and shapes and the tubing where the bottom bracket fits is no different. Bottom brackets for BMX bikes come in 19mm, 19mm mid, 22mm, 22mm mid, and 24mm. Basically, this size refers to the size of the spindle that will pass through the bearing and allows the cranks to spin.

How do you tell if a cranks will fit my bike?

Crank length is measured from the centre of the bottom bracket axle to the centre of the pedal axle. If you’re not sure what length the cranks on your bike are, the quickest way of finding out is typically to just look at the backside of your cranks, just below the pedal axle.

How do you fit a BMX bottom bracket?

Quote from video: And one thing you can do to make sure you get the right bottom bracket is you can put the center spacer in the middle of the barians like a sandwich. And you hold it up to the bottom of the frame.