smudge ★ Posted April 13, 2015 Share #1 Posted April 13, 2015 Shouldn't there be a cap or something on this? There's lots of grease, but there's a lot of sand getting in there too. ???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airehead Posted April 13, 2015 Share #2 Posted April 13, 2015 This is wrong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrAzY Posted April 13, 2015 Share #3 Posted April 13, 2015 looks fine to me! the bottom bracket is sealed. the grease is there to lubercate and keep the grime out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allen ★ Posted April 13, 2015 Share #4 Posted April 13, 2015 Well, there's your problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Come Lately Name Posted April 13, 2015 Share #5 Posted April 13, 2015 It's fine - just a PITA to get the extractor tool in, if'n you need to. Unless it's over-packed, grease really shouldn't be spooging out between the crank spindle and the cup, though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddmaxx ★ Posted April 13, 2015 Share #6 Posted April 13, 2015 Is that grease at the end of the spindle on the outside of the pedal as well????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smudge ★ Posted April 13, 2015 Author Share #7 Posted April 13, 2015 OK, thanks guys. It just seems like it should be sealed so the sand can't get in there. I guess I'm still getting used to this sand EVERYWHERE thing. Didn't get super muddy yesterday, but it was still a great time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted April 13, 2015 Share #8 Posted April 13, 2015 ...clean that crap out of there, soldier !! Then drop and give me twenty !!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zealot Posted April 13, 2015 Share #9 Posted April 13, 2015 Yeah Smudge, that's pretty typical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsharr ★ Posted April 13, 2015 Share #10 Posted April 13, 2015 Careful with all that grease or you will get smudges everywhere. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddmaxx ★ Posted April 13, 2015 Share #11 Posted April 13, 2015 Little smudge here, little smudge thereHere a smudge, there a smudgeAll around the bike a smudge.Madam Smudge she had a fat bikeE I e i ooooh. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smudge ★ Posted April 13, 2015 Author Share #12 Posted April 13, 2015 Ohhhhhh boy. (rolls eyes) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Square Wheels Posted April 13, 2015 Share #13 Posted April 13, 2015 I know nothing about fat bikes, or any bike maintenance actually, I trust all that to my shop. I can't even change my own chain. Even so, that looks wrong to me. All bikes are exposed to dirt and water, I would assume a fat bike more so than a road bike. My road bike does not ooze grease from anywhere, it's nice an clean, all of the time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted April 13, 2015 Share #14 Posted April 13, 2015 I know nothing about fat bikes, or any bike maintenance actually, I trust all that to my shop. I can't even change my own chain. Even so, that looks wrong to me. All bikes are exposed to dirt and water, I would assume a fat bike more so than a road bike. My road bike does not ooze grease from anywhere, it's nice an clean, all of the time....I do this stuff, and I too do not understand the source of the "grease", if that is what it is. Sealed BB units in good condition do not weep grease, but it's hard to tell what is in there without dismantling it, and if it's still working well, that's usually inadvisable. @smudge, if you are riding in loose sand all the time, stuff like bearings and chains will wear significantly more rapidly, and there is a chance (if that's grease in there, not something else) that your BB bearing unit is beginning to fail. If it's grease (feel it between your fingers) and you have a warranty, you might want to inquire at the dealership. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted April 13, 2015 Share #15 Posted April 13, 2015 I know nothing about fat bikes, or any bike maintenance actually, I trust all that to my shop. ... ...says the guy who runs a bike forum. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Square Wheels Posted April 13, 2015 Share #16 Posted April 13, 2015 ...says the guy who runs a bike forum. I like to support my LBS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddmaxx ★ Posted April 13, 2015 Share #17 Posted April 13, 2015 Well, he says he can fix forums? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsharr ★ Posted April 13, 2015 Share #18 Posted April 13, 2015 Well, he says he can fix forums? Here is proof. This is SW after he upgraded the software a few weeks back. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Square Wheels Posted April 13, 2015 Share #19 Posted April 13, 2015 Red is definitely my color. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rattlecan ★ Posted April 13, 2015 Share #20 Posted April 13, 2015 ...I do this stuff, and I too do not understand the source of the "grease", if that is what it is. Sealed BB units in good condition do not weep grease, but it's hard to tell what is in there without dismantling it, and if it's still working well, that's usually inadvisable. @smudge, if you are riding in loose sand all the time, stuff like bearings and chains will wear significantly more rapidly, and there is a chance (if that's grease in there, not something else) that your BB bearing unit is beginning to fail. If it's grease (feel it between your fingers) and you have a warranty, you might want to inquire at the dealership.Good advice. I will add if you see the word "Powerspline" anywhere on the crankset, expect the bottom bracket to die an early death. They are notoriously short lived, even when not ridden in adverse conditions. And, you cannot upgrade at replacement time unless you replace the entire crankset, because Powerspline is not interchangeable with any other interface. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smudge ★ Posted April 16, 2015 Author Share #21 Posted April 16, 2015 Just for the hell of it, I emailed the place where I bought the bike. It's their bike, their specs. Most of the components are pretty good (Sram X7), but they put this stupid crank on it. Put the damned Sram X5 crank on it from the get-go! But they didn't. So here's the response I got:**************Hi Lisa,The bottom bracket on the bike is fully sealed although exposed the grease keeps the grit and grime from contacting with the bearings. It is always good to make sure that you maintain good clean bottom bracket grease such as this. A nice replacement that is quite affordable is a raceface crank set or an FSA Comet Crank set. Thanks for your email! Best Regards******************Dumb response in my opinion. Either way, once this one is toast or I'm over the 28 tooth small chain ring, I'll be putting on the X5. Thanks for your help. You made much more sense than this goofy response. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddmaxx ★ Posted April 16, 2015 Share #22 Posted April 16, 2015 They did that on purpose? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parr8hed Posted April 16, 2015 Share #23 Posted April 16, 2015 Never been a fan of that set up. Having said that, my singlespeed has that same type BB on it. That was my first roadie as an adult and now sees back up duty as a single speed to ride in adverse weather or with the family. That bike has seen countless thousands of miles and I have only replaced the BB once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaddeus Kosciuszko Posted April 16, 2015 Share #24 Posted April 16, 2015 **************Hi Lisa,The bottom bracket on the bike is fully sealed although exposed the grease keeps the grit and grime from contacting with the bearings. It is always good to make sure that you maintain good clean bottom bracket grease such as this. A nice replacement that is quite affordable is a raceface crank set or an FSA Comet Crank set. Thanks for your email! Best Regards****************** In other words:Dear Lisa,We're rather embarrassed that you caught us putting a rather ordinary bottom bracket on that model bike because we wanted to shave costs everywhere we could. We know it's not a higher quality part, but we shoved the bike out the door with it anyway hoping customer backlash wouldn't make us look like idiots. So far, not too many people have complained which means we're ahead on the money game of putting cheaper parts on the bike vs. alienating our customers. But if it really bothers you, or if it fails as soon as we think it will, then you can spend even more money with us by upgrading the bottom bracket to the part we should have put on the bike in the first place. Yeah, we'll be happy to take your money again.Thanks for your email! It gave us a chance to patronize you by not really answering your question and allowed us another opportunity to try to sell you more stuff!Best Regards 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smudge ★ Posted April 16, 2015 Author Share #25 Posted April 16, 2015 EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!Well said...er, translated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtyhip Posted April 16, 2015 Share #26 Posted April 16, 2015 Yeah, dumb setup for a bike to be ridden in the muck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Come Lately Name Posted April 16, 2015 Share #27 Posted April 16, 2015 EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!Well said...er, translated.Yeah, BB is one place they like to skimp to hit a price point because people don't look there. BB choices for fatbikes are somewhat limited because they're "special", just like you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddmaxx ★ Posted April 16, 2015 Share #28 Posted April 16, 2015 (edited) I'm not convinced in any way that the grease should be there and isn't the result of a failed part or sloppy construction.The BS flag remains on the field. Edited April 16, 2015 by maddmaxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reverend_Maynard Posted April 16, 2015 Share #29 Posted April 16, 2015 I don't think it's an issue, personally.No BB is truly "sealed". There's a rotating cranshaft running down the middle, and a stationary shell pressed or threaded into the frame. Somewhere there's a seal, gasket, flange, whatever that keeps the good grease in and the bad stuff out. These can never be 100% perfect at keeping bad stuff out. One of the ways to help keep dirt and water away from that area is to pack it in grease. Since grease is relatively immobile, any dirt or whatever that gets trapped in the outer layer of grease will not make it's way towards the actual seal, and not get into the seal. Maybe there's more than necessary, and it's applied sloppily, but grease in that area is not necessarily a bad thing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smudge ★ Posted April 17, 2015 Author Share #30 Posted April 17, 2015 Ya, I'm counting on the great amount of grease to be a good thing. And I'm pretty much planning on upgrading to the X5 eventually. Hmm, when I do that, will I be extra special or not so special?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted April 17, 2015 Share #31 Posted April 17, 2015 I don't think it's an issue, personally. No BB is truly "sealed". There's a rotating cranshaft running down the middle, and a stationary shell pressed or threaded into the frame. Somewhere there's a seal, gasket, flange, whatever that keeps the good grease in and the bad stuff out. These can never be 100% perfect at keeping bad stuff out. One of the ways to help keep dirt and water away from that area is to pack it in grease. Since grease is relatively immobile, any dirt or whatever that gets trapped in the outer layer of grease will not make it's way towards the actual seal, and not get into the seal. Maybe there's more than necessary, and it's applied sloppily, but grease in that area is not necessarily a bad thing. ...yeah, you can certainly do that. But besides the fugly aspect of it, it is a pretty primitive solution to a common problem. There are a lot of others, mostly involving plastic or rubberized caps/rings.If the thing works, it works. Don't fix what ain't busted. But at least the warranty issue has been clarified. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smudge ★ Posted April 17, 2015 Author Share #32 Posted April 17, 2015 Page, why i s that laughing emoticon at the end of your post?? A potential warranty issue is exactly why I addressed it with them! Ah well, I plan on upgrading anyway. But still.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaddeus Kosciuszko Posted April 17, 2015 Share #33 Posted April 17, 2015 .. Don't fix what ain't busted. GAH! Don't even speak such things! It defies one of the laws of physics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Come Lately Name Posted April 17, 2015 Share #34 Posted April 17, 2015 Ya, I'm counting on the great amount of grease to be a good thing. And I'm pretty much planning on upgrading to the X5 eventually. Hmm, when I do that, will I be extra special or not so special?? Think of it as an opportunity to upgrade to a one-by drivetrain! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted April 17, 2015 Share #35 Posted April 17, 2015 Page, why i s that laughing emoticon at the end of your post?? A potential warranty issue is exactly why I addressed it with them! Ah well, I plan on upgrading anyway. But still.... ...I was laffing about the nature of their response, and how it seems to indicate a company that might be reluctant to honor a warranty, if such exists. Ride on, fat bike girl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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