Feature

Fri 7 Nov, 11:21 am UTC

Major backing for FSA's BB30

By Warren Rossiter, Cycling Plus

FSA have secured backing from major brands for the BB30 threadless bottom bracket standard.

At the engineering launch of FSA's BB30 in Taichung City, Taiwan last week, the firm revealed they have the support of 16 bike manufacturers, including Cannondale, Giant, Kona, Specialized and Trek. FSA said at least 10 more major bike companies are yet to be announced.

The most important designers and engineers from Taiwan and the world's bike industry were present at the technical briefing. FSA managing director Matt VanEnkevort was on hand, along with Douglas Chiang, MD and engineering supremo of FSA’s partner TH.

Production of frames compatible with the press-fit BB30 standard is a more involved process than with traditional bottom brackets, with tolerances for the revolutionary inboard bearing design being plus or minus just 0.2 of a millimetre for the circlip recess and an incredible 0.0025mm (+/-) for bearing fit.

To aid the manufacturers in achieving this, FSA are providing a full set of high-quality tooling to those who have signed up.

From nylon mockups to production

Before the launch, we visited FSA's HQ to see at first-hand the production of the new BB30-ready chainset range.

FSA have been innovating through their R&D design teams in the US and Italy for many years, with the final design and engineering processes developed at the company’s manufacturing plant in Taiwan. The designers develop new ideas and perfect existing models using the latest 3D modelling technology, thanks to a partnership with AMD computers.

Inside the r&d studio at fsa's taiwan hq: inside the r&d studio at fsa's taiwan hq

This is linked to a fast prototype CNC machine in the testing department which can produce an accurate nylon mock-up of any FSA part within a couple of hours of the designer in the studio pushing the button from his desktop.

Crank arm to fit fsa's new bb30: crank arm to fit fsa's new bb30

FSA have invested millions of dollars in quality control, really ramping it up in the last few years as part of the A-Team, a consortium of Taiwan's leading cycle industry manufacturers founded in 2003.

This is apparent even from the earliest stages of production. For example, the raw aluminium billets have a full three-dimensional metallurgic analysis before they are cleared to be used in the CNC machines producing FSA components. Similarly, every bearing is put through high-speed testing before it is put into the assembly process.

With carbon fibre, again nothing is left to chance, with every hollow carbon product being X-rayed before it is released for finishing - final machining and the application of lacquer and graphics.

distortion in the central hollow crank arms spine means this one is a fail: distortion in the central hollow crank arms spine means this one is a fail

Distortion in the central hollow spine means this crank fails its X-ray

This one, meanwhile, is perfect: this one, meanwhile, is perfect

This one, meanwhile, is perfect and can be released for finishing

So why BB30?

The first major benefit is weight saving. By eliminating the BB cups of existing systems (think Shimano or Campagnolo) and being able, because of its shorter length, to use an alloy BB spindle rather than chromoly, weight is reduced by up to 12 percent.

Secondly, the BB30 is significantly narrower than current bottom brackets. For performance cyclists and especially TT riders, a super narrow Q-Factor (the distance between the pedal platforms) is the holy grail for power and aerodynamics.

Another benefit is that, because the crank spider can be mounted significantly closer to the BB shell, the crank arms have to bend out more. This gives much greater heel clearance over the crank centre, so new carbon cranks should no longer look second-hand after a couple of weeks' use.

Fourthly, bigger bearings and shells mean FSA can produce a significantly bigger axle, making the BB stiffer. According to German testing institute EFBe, this means gains in stiffness in the case of the range topping SLK-Light of 27 percent over the previous MegaExo model. It is also 23g lighter. Bigger savings can be found in the mid-range Gossamer, where 113g can be saved and it is 37 percent stiffer.

Lastly, the BB30 is claimed to be much more durable. A bigger bearing assembly should result in longer bearing life, there are no threads on the frameset to keep clean and with the inboard bearings are out of the grime.

This remains to be seen, but with FSA promising to deliver us a BB30 equipped bike imminently we’ll be able to get that into our long-term testing program and report back in due course.

Major bike brands signed up to BB30:

  • Argon 18
  • BH
  • Bianchi
  • Cannondale
  • Cinelli
  • Co-Motion
  • Dahon
  • Diamond Back
  • Focus
  • Giant
  • Jamis
  • Kona
  • Merida
  • Raleigh USA
  • Specialized (under their own version)
  • Trek

Manufacturers at the engineering launch:

  • Advanced Int'l Multitech Co., Ltd.
  • Alu. Mega Industrial Co., Ltd.
  • Alu-Mate Industrial Co., Ltd.
  • A-Pro Tech Co., Ltd.
  • Asiana International Co., Ltd.
  • Axman Enterprise Co., Ltd.
  • Cannondale Sports Group
  • Castello Cycle Co., Ltd.
  • Chuan Well Co., Ltd
  • Ciclogic Ind. Co., Ltd.
  • Dahon California Inc.
  • Dodsun Bicycle & Machinery Mfgers
  • Forever Machine Ind. Co., Ltd.
  • Fritz Jou Mfg. Co., Ltd.
  • Genio Bikes Inc.
  • Giant Mfg. Co., Ltd.
  • Great Go Cycle Inc.
  • Hsu Sheng Bicycle Ind. Co., Ltd.
  • Ideal Bike Corp.
  • Joy Move Co. Ltd.
  • Kenstone Metal Co., Ltd.
  • Leeche Int'l Sports Co., Ltd.
  • Maruoean
  • Merida Industry Co., Ltd.
  • Ming Cycle Ind. Co., Ltd.
  • Ora Engineering Co., Ltd.
  • Oyama Industrial Co., Ltd.
  • Radiant Long Bicycle Co., Ltd.
  • Rikulau International Co., Ltd.
  • Sanfa Bicycle Industrial Co.,Ltd.
  • Shine Wheel Ind. Corp.
  • Southern Cross International Corp.
  • Taiwan Hodaka Industrial Co.,Ltd.
  • Three Peaks Bicycle Comp.
  • Top Image Int'l Inc.
  • Trans Link International Co., Ltd.
  • Trek Taiwan
  • Wei Chieh Bicycle Compony Ltd.
  • Wheeler Ind. Co., Ltd.
  • Willing Ind. Co., Ltd.
  • Youn Live Industry Co., Ltd. 

BB30 cranksets:

    Vision’s tri/tt specific max carbon aero chainset: vision’s tri/tt specific max carbon aero chainset

    Vision’s Tri/TT-specific Max Carbon aero chainset

    K-Force light standard road chainset: k-force light standard road chainset

    FSA's K-Force Light standard road chainset

    SL-K light mtb triple: sl-k light mtb triple

    FSA's SL-K Light MTB triple

    SL-K light road compact: sl-k light road compact

    FSA's SL-K Light road compact

    K-Force light mtb triple: k-force light mtb triple

    FSA's K-Force Light MTB triple

    Gravity racing freeride chainset: gravity racing freeride chainset

    FSA's Gravity freeride chainset

    FSAProBmx chainset: fsaprobmx chainset

    FSA's Pro Bmx chainset

User Comments

There are 11 comments on this post

Showing 1 - 11 of 11 comments

  • FSA's BB30? I understood it was a free standard pioneered by Cannondale http://www.bb30standard.com/ - unless this is some different standard with the same name.

  • You are right aracer, I don't know why FSA often gets the credit but BB30 was developped by Cannondale many years ago, they later had the carbon BB30 or SI crankset manufactured by FSA (the lighter and better alloy Hollowgram is still made by Cannondale themselves). Then, Cannondale opened the standard and FSA, SRAM and others just recently adopted it...

    But it's good to see more brands adopting it.

  • I thought Greame Obree did it first, with his oversize, narrow, low Q factor, BB system!

    I'm sure he would enjoy the royalties....It would stop those washing machine jokes too.

  • I'd be more annoyed at Specialized for once again stiffing anyone buying their bikes. Industry standard - nah? Just pay twice as much from the Specialized dealer! Yay!

  • From this article I gather the bearings are a press fit directly into the bottom bracket shell which means it is defiantly not a diy replacement job, it will have to be done with the correct tools by someone who knows exactly what they are doing!

    No more buying bottom brackets from discount mail order suppliers, we will all be forced to pay whatever price our local specialist demands. Fine for Road Bikes where my bottom brackets lasts for years but I get through at least 2 every year on my Mountain Bike, (no I don’t use a pressure washer, just bucket and brush,) by riding it in the wet sticky clay conditions around here. Is a low Q factor that important on a mountain bike? Give me practical low cost maintenance every time.

  • It's great that the BB30 standard is being adopted so widely throughout the bicycle industry, ultimately it means that thousands of riders will be able to tap into this technology and the associated benefits that it brings in areas such as performance and weight savings.

    Just to set the record straight, although FSA have an extensive array of BB30 cranksets for 2009, the standard was developed by Chris Dodman (Chief Engineer in Cannondale's Advanced Products Division). It was first introduced at the 2000 Tour de France by riders on the Saeco team, racing on Cannondale's CAAD6.

    In 2006 Cannondale held an open conference at the Eurobike tradeshow inviting bicycle and component manufacturers (including FSA) to learn more about the BB30 standard. At this time the website www.bb30standard.com was also launched by Cannondale to provide technical details to manufacturers wanting to adopt the standard.

    So whilst time has passed and facts can become blurred if you remember two things (1) Chris Dodman and (2) Cannondale you'll always come out on top of the mid week BB30 pub quiz!

  • Park has introduced a set of tools for installing and removing BB30 and BB90 Bottom Bracket Systems (Item #BBT-39). The bearings are pressed into the bottom bracket shell with a headset press. They are removed by inserting BBT-39 and tapping with a hammer. It looks pretty straightforward.

  • fantastic another standard,octalink,powerspline,outborad fsa/shimano/raceface fit, outboard truvative fit. How long will it be before one of the big groupset makers decides they need to be different again. Is this not just an exercise in making the previous obsolete. Were the old models that bad! Will i have to buy a new frame to fit this-Yes. Will I need to buy new tools-Yes. Will I soon be needing a new creditcard-Yes. Marketing is a powerful thing lighter,stronger,narrower must surely mean I will go faster?

  • Nothing at all wrong with square taper...

    It seems to me that there are way to many 'standards' out there. I wouldn't mind, except that every time something new comes out the old stuff seems to move towards obsolete. Well I want reliability, not necessarily weight saving, and for MTB I don't think I want an alloy axle. Enough steel BB axles snap on people to make me think alloy is a bad idea, and won't an alloy axle wear out due to the softness of the material? There's too much hype and too much marketing of cheap rubbish with high price tags. Look at HTII and equivalents - the bearings wear out in anything from 6 months down to 3 rides. Why? No idea, as a cheapish square taper used to last a couple of years minimum. So I'd be pleasantly surprised if this new standard is actually an improvement. Lets hope so, but I won't be holding my breath...

  • thank god, someone has finally created another BB design.

    It was about time that the boring old simple BB got shuffled into this standards nonsense. As this industry always says "if it ain't broke, bring out something new so everyone will think it might break..."

    Personally I really don't like the sound of bearings being pressed directly into a frame. How often do you change your BB? - some people every 6 months - that's a lot of pressing in and out - bad for the frame material.

    You will have to have it done at a dealer to ensure the gurantee from the manufacturer and it won't be cheap. Alloy axels? just that extra bit of flex you always wanted.

    But not to worry there'll be another standard out in 6 months anyway...

  • Will be interesting to see now many manufacturers eventually build frames supporting BB30.

    I've used Cannondale's BB30 aluminium cranksets for 3 years now, it looks and works great and no issues (haven't snapped the aluminium axle, no creaks, etc).

    In fact this is a key factor determining which bike I go for next (if its not a C'dale).

    Also stripped and rebuilt the system myself upgrading to ceramic bearings, the tools were supplied with the bike (easy DIY job).

  • 1

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