Aerozine Road Bottom Bracket

Aerozine have produced one of the lightest bottom brackets we've ever had in on test and thanks to smooth-running bearings there is no bedding in period. It's available in lots of pretty colours too.

The Aerozine BB-05-RD-68, to give it its full name, uses external bearing cups which are forged from aluminium before being finished on a CNC machine to give tight tolerances for a snug fit in your frame. Using alloy also means the weight is kept down to just 81g. The overall finish is very good indeed with no burrs on the thread or machined faces. Installation is therefore easy; you only need to screw it in with your fingers before a little nip up with a spanner. The notches in the cups are the same as Shimano's and almost everyone else's so if you've already got a bottom bracket spanner it'll work fine.

The bearings are the important part though and the sealed steel units used here are beautifully smooth straight from the first pedal stroke, smoother than the Shimano 105 (200 miles) unit it replaced. The caps are plastic and upon removal of the cups they do seem to be keeping the moisture at bay working in partnership with the plastic shell and o-rings.

We've had plenty of wet weather over the test period and the unit is still creak free even though it is coated in grit and mud thanks to my lackadaisical stance on bike maintenance.

Aerozine offer it in both BSA or Italian threading with the option to go ceramic on the bearing front. The anodising looks smart and comes in a range of six colours which make the Aerozine bottom bracket look much more expensive than its actual twenty quid price tag.

Overall the Aerozine Road BB is a cracking value for money unit that looks smart and so far is offering impressive durability. The bearings may not be replaceable but for £19.99 you're not going to mind replacing the whole thing when they wear out.

Verdict

Expensive looking, cheap bottom bracket that keeps the rain out; smooth running too