Took me 4 years to stop greasing press-fit BBs

Used to grease every press-fit bottom bracket on install. Carbon frame, alloy frame, all of it. Thought I was doing it right. Then a BB30 started creaking after 200 miles. Took it apart and the shell was slick, bearing spun loose in there. Shop owner in Austin told me grease is for threads, not press fits. Use retaining compound or nothing. Switched to cleaning the shell with alcohol and dry pressing. Two years now, zero creaks. Anyone else get burned by this early on?

2 comments

2 Comments

karen_sanchez4922d ago

Grease on press fit is basically just asking for the bearing to walk out. I learned that the hard way too after a creak that sounded like a haunted house. The shell needs friction to hold the bearing in place, grease just makes it a slip and slide. Dry install with a clean shell is the only way that makes sense. I bet half the creaking BBs out there are just from people being too helpful with the grease gun. Retaining compound if you have a loose shell, otherwise dry is the move.

knight.felix22d ago

The "slip and slide" part is spot on, that's exactly what happens. I did the same thing on my first press fit frame, greased everything up thinking I was being smart, and the creak came back within a week. Pulled the crank out and the bearing had actually shifted in the shell, just from riding. Dry install with some alcohol on a rag to clean the shell, that's all I do now. And you're right about the retaining compound too, that stuff saved an old frame of mine that had a worn shell. It's wild how many people still slather grease on these things like they're bottom brackets from the 90s.