Easton BSA68 30mm Bottom Bracket

The Easton Cycling BSA68 30mm bottom bracket is a fit and forget option. The bearings run smoothly and the seals do a good job of keeping the water out. What more do you want from a BB?

While Shimano has stuck with a 24mm axle diameter for its cranksets, many others have gone down the 30mm route for increased stiffness. Easton is one of them, and this is what this BB has been designed for.

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Easton says it has developed a seal that achieves low levels of drag while still retaining excellent protection qualities from the elements. Keeping the water out has allowed Easton to use a thinner, low-viscosity bearing grease which offers more durability at high speeds than a thicker one. Its testing found that a thicker grease was being thrown to the outer bearing under the centrifugal force when spinning at high speed, and sticking, so it wouldn't return to the inner race at lower speeds. This would mean increased wear of the inner race bearings. Using a thinner grease allows for the bearings to be protected at a range of speeds.

It's hard to quantify in the real world without knowing exactly which greases Easton is using, and what other manufacturers use.

What I can say is that I've been using this bottom bracket on my winter bike over the last couple of months, so it's seen plenty of wet weather and rubbish road conditions, and everything is still running smoothly and, more importantly, silently.

Admittedly, that is quite a short period for a full test, but I have been running the PF86 version in my other bike for well over a year now, and that is still running as smoothly as the day it went in, after about 5,000 all-weather miles.

Aside from this BSA version, the majority of frames are catered for: BB86, PF30, BB386 and BBRight. There are also spacer kits available.

At £59.99 the Easton is more expensive than many other 30mm compatible bottom brackets on the market. The Praxis Works M30 which is used on my gravel bike is hardwearing and also smooth. That has an rrp of £35, although you'll need a specific tool to remove or install it, which lifts the price a touch. The Race Face Cinch BSA30 is £39.95.

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Overall, I've been seeing good results from Easton's bearings on both versions that I've been running on my bikes. They are pricier than some rivals, but if you want a fit-and-forget product then it's possibly worth the outlay.

Verdict

Smooth-running bottom bracket that shows no signs of being affected by rotten weather