gearguywb
Member
Anyone had creaking issues? I have a bit over 2k on the RSL and it has developed an annoying creak, particularly when under hard efforts. It is loud...I mean LOUD. Tried all of the usual suspects, seatpost, pedals, skewers, re-torqued just about everything. LBS (very good mechanic) took the cranks off and the SRAM BB certainly did not feel smooth at all. We are going to try a new one next week.
Any other thoughts or things to check?
Not sure what else to check but from my relatively short experience (3 installs) with pressfit 30 bb cups: make sure to not over press them in. The park tool comes with bearing cup presses that will press in the rubber dust seal and pinch the bearings when used. I've found it best to use just the flat bases of the headset press (no additional cups) to press in the bb.
Using the cups my bb felt like crud. Using just the headset press, they were butter smooth. I've only got a few rides on the bb though, so no info on longevity of the bb or creaks yet.
Also, to remove the cups you pretty much can destroy them since you have to use the headset remover tool and it can deform and chew up the plastic. Slipping a metal washer in behind the cups before hammering them out helps keep the bb shells reusable.
That's my biggest complaint with PF30 at the moment, the removal almost guarantees replacement.
Funny. I'm having a similar issue with my Sram crank/BB on my 29'er (non-Moots). I realize that the BB systems on these bikes are different, but they are both Sram systems. I went to the Sram website for some trouble shooting and found that first of all, the thread in BB needs to be tightened to 35 to 40 LB FT! It says that if it continues to creak, see your LBS.
pzung
Member
I had the same LOUD creaking noise in my RSL this last week every time I put hard effort on hilly climbs. I thought the noise was coming from my fork+front wheel. Took it to my LBS to troubleshoot. After a couple hours of swapping out parts, greasing everything we could think off, we finally took apart the crank and saw that the SRAM BB30 bearing on the non-drive side was very dirty and not spinning freely. Took some effort to remove the press fit sleeve + the bearings and replaced it with a new one.
I attribute this problem from the water that got collected in the BB after a 5hr rainy race in the East Coast of Taiwan a couple months ago. I couldn't get all the water out of the BB and since there is no draining hole at the bottom of the BB, all the sand, mud, and water got collected inside the BB. The bearings are not sealed and protected, so mix all these things up, the combination is not good for the lifetime of the part.
Last year during cross season I had a similar creak in the PF BB 30. It was the drive side bearing that had been ridden in the mud, power washed and put away wet. Not a nice way to treat a bike for sure. I have now found that if you do ride/get caught in the rain it is a good idea to pull the crank and let the bearing drain of water build up. I have also played with pulling the seals on the bearing and "thumb" packing the bearing with water proof grease. This works okay, but in the end needed a new bb. With the Sram system they are not too expensive (unless ceramic)....I got one cross season out of the stainless bb....which to me was pretty good considering the conditions.
Jon@Moots
gearguywb,
I am of the opionion that the ceramic is cool and super smooth until you go to replace it. The pro guys I saw on VS. this am riding in Le Tour are running that stuff anywhere they can....for me and my common man riding style, I'll stick to the Stainless version.
Enjoy!
Jon@Moots
One more item about the PF BB 30....before you install the new, make sure to clean out the ti shell and use anti-seize.
Thanks,
Jon@Moots
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