Shimano has lightened up their Ultegra Bottom Bracket with the SM-BBR60 for HollowTech II cranks. This new design drops 14g off its predecessor and features a new seal system which reduces friction by 50%.
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The product weight specified is an approximate weight based on the manufacturer's specifications (if available) or our measurement of one or two examples. For most products, the weight will typically vary by 5% to 10%.
Weight: 77 grams | |
Spindle: 24mm | |
Frame Interface: BSA/English Threaded | |
Frame Interface: Italian Threaded | |
Spindle Diameter: 24mm | |
Bottom Bracket Type: Shimano (24mm) | |
English (BSA) | Mfg PartNum: ISMBBR60B |
Italian | Mfg PartNum: ISMBBR60I |
A threaded bottom bracket is a thing of beauty and this one did not disappoint. Lightweight, clean, and precise -- everything you'd expect from Shimano. This one went smoothly into my Surly Straggler, allowing me to re-purpose an Ultegra groupset for an all-steel, all-terrain ride. My only complaint was that it required yet another BB tool to install it.
I replaced my old Ultegra bottom bracket with this new 6800 version. There was substantial engineering effort put into this to decrease the drag from the seals. It's noticeably smoother and easier to pedal.
Do note that Shimano now has three different sizes of bottom brackets so you'll need the right tool for each. DA 9000 is the smallest in diameter, then Ultegra then 105 and none of them are the same size as the old outer diameter. Shimano includes a plastic adaptor with each bottom bracket to fit the old size Shimano tools (from Park or others). However, when you try and torque it down to the required 35nm or so, it's very easy to strip the plastic adaptor. Plan on getting the right tool ASAP. For this bottom bracket the right tool from Park Tool is the BBT-59.
Anyhow, this is a great deal in a BB in terms of cost and performance.
You can have it in any color you want, as long as it's black. The threads are not very robust, so make sure your BB is perfectly clean so you don't have to use any effort to thread it in. The seals look pretty effective, but probably not on par with a sealed cartridge. It seems pretty straightforward to set the preload, but the smallest change can make a noticeable difference in resistance when spinning the crankset by hand (and with no chain).
That's the end of the bad news. Otherwise, it is really lightweight and it feels like there is zero friction when you have it dialed in. Oh, and it's super cheap compared to any of the sexier options out there.
I am a fan of this style BB and wish all of my bikes had a threaded shell. Simple, straightforward installation, and quite economical. This is a noticeable upgrade to the previous 6700 BB that had a lot of bearing tension on the spindle, this unit spins much easier. I would give 4 stars but that durability was an issue previously and unknown with this new unit. However, with the reduced bearing tension I do expect that it will last much longer.
This shimano bottom bracket simply works, and looks great. Even comes pre-greased at the bearing interface, ready for you to install your crankset.
I had similar issues with the tool adapter, specifically using it with the park tool BB total. it was a tight fit tool-to-tool, but it works. In contrast to other review, I was able to get it plenty tight by being careful.
Numerous comments talk about an included tool to help with the bottom bracket install. The part I received, SM-BBR60B, says "SMBBR60 BC137 W/O TLFC", and does not include any installation tool. I have a Park Tool BBT-59.2, which is the correct tool for installation, so it's not a show stopper for me ... but might be for someone else if you're expecting an installation tool to be included.
You are correct, these require the proper size tool adapter, which Shimano includes with their bottom bracket cups. We strongly suggest using great care and a high quality torque wrench to ensure proper care for the bottom bracket cups and the included tool adapter. Thanks for your feedback. -Thomas