Is this the worst bike product ever?

Yep, it's the SRAM GXP Bottom Bracket and Crank, a product so bad that it's a miracle that it ever got off the design desk.
I have been unlucky to have two bikes come with these on and they make me angry. VERY angry. It's therefore time for a rant.

[@michaelmechex]

My experience couldn't be further from this. I have an 11 year old bike with an original GXP bottom bracket that spins smoother than any brand new Shimano. I actually replaced DUB with GXP, because the 29mm axle is too big for the most common bb shells, so they use dinky little bearings that wear out super quick. In fact, the most common cause of creaking and premature death of bb (except stupid undersized bearings) is wonky, misaligned bb shell in the frame. Most brands wouldn't bother making it precise, because consumers automatically blamed the bb. I switched all my bikes to GXP because it's the cheapest way to get stiff, light and reliable cranks and they all work perfectly.

[@Stopadoodledoo]

It’s quite surprising to hear that, as I have had nothing but trouble with them and the two bike mechanics confirmed that they were awful. Maybe you got lucky and I got really unlucky 😃

[@a8f235]

What I've learned is if you want a headache you go study BB's. The evolution of them is like watching two toddlers in the sandpit, going: Toddler #1: *Oh no you don't!* Toddler #2: _lol I sure will..._ Toddler #1: *Alright, don't mind me then..* Toddler #2: _Oh no you didn't!_

[@Stopadoodledoo]

Spot on, could also apply to a number of other innovations and standards the bike industry has devised over the years. I have a collection of old and new rear wheels, hub widths of 135, 142, 150 and 148mm. How long before they decide on something new and ‘essential’?

[@essjayaitch]

I had similar experience with an FSA crankset that I had on a road bike a few years back. The FSA BB's that fitted it didn't last very long, probably not helped by the way the cranks had to be assembled. FSA had a mind boggling assortment of BB's, but only one would fit this particular crank. I fitted three of them over the time I had that bike until they were no longer available. Funnily enough, the bike I had after that had a press-fit BB and that one unit lasted longer than all 3 of the ones I fitted to my old bike!

[@Stopadoodledoo]

I can see why companies want to innovate but it’s just a shame that they seem to beta test them on us, the purchaser. There’s also the factor that we in the UK spend half the year riding in atrocious conditions that product developers in sunny California don’t really think or care about. Winter and GXP really don’t play well together.

[@paulclark9968]

GXP BB,s Purchased a gravel bike from a well known website supplier PX, and after 100miles of riding the BB sounded like a pepper grinder, so brought a replacement , if fact i brought 4 SRAM replacements , fitted a new one (which was very very easy) and guess what , after cycling all Spring , Summer and now at the end of Autumn the BB is sound free, no noise , no creaking , spin,s great, only because i have 3 replacements sitting in a box !!!!!!!!! Sods Law.

[@Stopadoodledoo]

You’ve been lucky by the sounds of it. I also know who to come to for them next time 😂

[@davesbikelife]

I hate bike problems like that bro hope you get it sorted 👍🏽

[@Stopadoodledoo]

It really is component problems mate, SRAM GXP is/was an awful design. I've got two new BB's on order now as they're only going on the hack bike, and didn't want to buy new cranks for it. The Pinnacle is used for bombing around town/local trails/commuting only now since I got the P7 - the components on it are being downgraded as the decent stuff like the Hope wheels have moved onto the P7 to be replaced with teh low end stuff that came with.

[@daniellarson3068]

Seems like these carbon fiber bikes have some issues with bottom brackets. The bottom brackets in old steel bikes last many years. I guess it's what they call a "mature" technology.

[@Stopadoodledoo]

The Pinnacle hardtail and Alpine are both Aluminium mate, the P7 steel. I’ve seen far too many carbon frames damaged on the rocky Lakes trails to make me never consider getting one!

[@mtbboy1993]

How can engineers think that have two bearing sizes make sense? maybe they thought the extra weight of the chainring made such a big difference. One thing is for sure GXP sucks, I've not tried one. But nobody loves them.

[@Stopadoodledoo]

The age old adage of them trying to introduce new standards so you had to buy their products, I fear

[@TrailTrackerSwitzerland]

The SRAM DUB bottom bracket is also junk. I haven’t managed to make one even last a year. I’ve never had to replace either a Hope or a Chris King one though. Speaks for itself.

[@Stopadoodledoo]

GXP has put me off SRAM cranks and BB’s forever, same as a set of FSA cranks put me off all their products back in 2000 (stands for F%}%ing S#%t Alloy).

[@donpalmera]

This sounds bad but not sure it's the worst. For me the design on of the derailleur hanger on some Canyon MTBs is the worst. Instead of having 2 screws to hold it in place it has one and depends on the axel and hub to keep it in alignment and flush with the frame. Which means if you take the back wheel off getting it back on is a literal nightmare with the wheel hub wanting to go one way and the derailleur pulling the hanger in the other direction and bending it to shit in the process. If the back wheel isn't done up tight enough the hanger will bend around the axel and then the chain is eating the drop outs or having fun behind the cassette. BBs seem to be universally the weak part of bikes. There is one Shimano BB (BB UN-300) that fits my old commuter GT. I've bought 3 so far. The bearings are crap to start with and then they only last a few hundred miles. That said the "crappy" prowheel BB I have on my Crush and you have/had on your P7 seems to be a trooper and seems fine after a few thousand miles. It's outlived the bearings in 2 sets of crankbrothers stamp 1 pedals.... holy shit those things suck too.

[@Stopadoodledoo]

Yeah, that mech hanger system does sound like it sucks. Still sticking with GXP bottom brackets and cranks as worse though, as they came OEM on tens of thousands of bikes, so there’s thousands of people out there stuck with creaky BB’s and cranks that are incompatible with anything else. SRAM Gripshift should be up there in the Worst Products Ever list too. Thankfully only seen on cheap kids bikes now but at one time, they were sold as high end kit and appeared on decent bikes, ruining them instantly. As SRAM didn’t do a trigger shifter at the time and the cable pull ratio was different to everything else, if you wanted trigger shifters then you had to buy a new mech too and basically throw the SRAM stuff away.

[@donpalmera]

@@Stopadoodledoo But if they didn't change random stuff to break backwards/cross vendor compatibility how are they going to make sure you have to completely replace your bike every few years? 😂 At least BB shells are mostly standard so you can switch the BB and cranks out for something less crap if you have whatever custom tool you need to remove the current BB. I think Hope says they try to have spare parts for 10 years after the last sale of their products? Seems like a good way to explain why you are spending a few hundred quid on Hope components to the wife "Look, if I spend a few hundred quid now I won't have to buy another 2000 quid frame for at least 10 years. Just look what happened because of that GXP thing, I had to buy a whole new bike!".

[@Stopadoodledoo]

@@donpalmera So annoying isn't it? I have a garage full of bike parts that are neither use nor ornament. High quality 26" wheels, 1 1/8" steerer Fox 36's, non-Boost cranks, basically a full 9 speed XT groupset, etc. Saying that, I still have three 26" wheel frames and occasionally build up an old bike for a laugh - my old Iron Horse Sunday is basically a front brake and handlebar away from being complete!

[@the_trooper_72]

Great vid,. Absolutely beast of a bike which is a shame about the bb.. I had no end of problems when I brought my first hardtail, replacing the bb every couple of weeks.. Until I swapped it out for a different one.. Now I have absolutely no issues whatsoever..

[@Stopadoodledoo]

Thanks. To be honest, the video just came to mind when I took the BB out of the old hardtail and thought 'these are garbage', hence why I recorded it on the way across Chester to the Bike Shop and then back again, prior to putting up the Christmas decorations far too early with my 8 year old Daughter 😀 In the end I plumped for sticking with the awful GXP BB's (ordered two) as it's only for my hack bike, but I have got really frustrated in the past with GXP. At one point (pre KZbin), I was doing about 100 miles a week on the hardtail and it was going through bottom brackets at an alarming rate. I don't get to ride anywhere near as much as that now so hopefully the BB will last, erm, a month? It's just a shame that cheap (and badly designed) BB's are such throwaway products, when your bike is so dependant on them.

[@the_trooper_72]

@@Stopadoodledoo I've always said that too especially when the ride itself is dependent on how well that bb lasts out.. On another note, when I fitted my last bb, I used white lightning grease which is like a transparent/waterproof lube specifically designed for bb replacement.. It's something that I didn't know about until recently when I watched another KZbin video about bb replacement.. (I was tired of getting the guy in the shop to do it so I thought I'd do it myself.. Turns out, I done it better than he did!! Haha)

[@Stopadoodledoo]

@@the_trooper_72 nice one 👍 Another hack I always do is to use Copperslip Grease in the BB threads, so they don’t seize in there. Saves a ton of hassle further down the line

[@the_trooper_72]

@@Stopadoodledoo yes, I've heard that too!! Nice1 mate 👍🏻

[@guilhermemorgado9967]

Just use a spacer to make the left side 24mm. 10 years ago i got a Chris King bb for gxp, and it is all 24mm, but they give you the spacer/sleeve to increase the diameter. Any hollowtech bb works for those cranks i have with the sleeve/spacer thing

[@Stopadoodledoo]

I bit the bullet and ordered a couple off CRC (arrived yesterday). End of the day, it’s for what’s now my hack bike. When I get round to upgrading the cranks on my P7, those will be handed down to the Pinnacle.

[@millsshumps1968]

Exactly. BB30 is by far the worst BB design because of the silly tolerances requirements and so they tend to creak not long after installation. GXP is a close 2nd or 3rd but definitely the worst

[@guilhermemorgado9967]

@@Stopadoodledoo All I meant is that GXP you can easily spend 5-10 euros/dollars/pounds and make it full 24mm. It would have been far worse if it was 24.2 or whatever other number bigger than 24mm. Not that I like these, but they ain't "the worst" IMO

[@rantingwrench]

GXP is a shit standard that is better off dead. However, you can get non-SRAM alternative BBs. A Hope 24mm BSA with their GXP converters, or Chris King ThreadFit 24 with Fit Kit 6 (if you're feeling particularly baller) will last you forever.

[@Stopadoodledoo]

You're absolutely right, a terrible product that's better off being a black mark in the MTB history books. I guess the problem is that there's still a lot of people out there with GXP-only cranks so for the foreseeable future, we'll all be hunting down the worst BB's ever. I did wonder whether Hope offered a GXP compatible option, will take a look at those next time. Thanks.

[@rantingwrench]

@@Stopadoodledoo The aftermarket options (at least those by Hope and CK) are basically bodges - they just step the NDS bearing of their regular 24mm (Shimano) BBs down to 22mm with shims - but at least the bearings are good! I've fitted a couple of the Hopes to customers' bikes with decent success.

[@powdamunki]

Me too with hope shim on my gxp’s. At least the sram cranks don’t fall apart- looking at you shimao

[@Stopadoodledoo]

@@powdamunki I've always been really lucky with Shimano cranks, apart from some XTR's that a ham fisted mate managed to wreck by under-tightening them when I lent him my bike for a few weeks, Ended up with some second hand 24Seven 3 piece cranks on it (the destruction was noticed upon arrival in Les Gets) which were the heaviest and worst things that ever existed!!

[@adaffodil6695]

Nope. Fully agree with you. They are crap. I would also put all the modern 30mm ali spindle cranks into this categeory as well. Chap had his BB sieze on a ride and it wore the axle on his cranks untill they were scrap in about 1/2 a mile. 24mm steel spindles all the way!

[@Stopadoodledoo]

Damn, that’s crap; agree with you too.

[@JoeJoe-C137]

Sram bashing.. love it! The DUB is useless to, 18 month old bike 4th BB only a few rides old and creaking already, and when they go... they really go. You can't push pedal arms backwards they go that stiff

[@Stopadoodledoo]

You'd think they would learn but nope. I think part of it is that they are wanting to bring in new standards, the problem being that they are just awful. To be fair, I've had some pretty awful Shimano BB's over the years too, especially if you want to save cash (never a saving in the long run). I once had a Chris King BB, cost over £100 but lasted for years.

[@JoeJoe-C137]

That's issue I've got both my hardtail n big bike running gx on dub, I got a nice spanking shining xtr bb in spares but have to upgrade crank or bite bullet and go hope or ck BB... or continue with these £27:99 dub's every 12 weeks 😂

[@JoeJoe-C137]

Never tried the nukeproof but mate said he got 18 months out of it

[@Stopadoodledoo]

@@JoeJoe-C137 That's exactly what I was contemplating earlier; is it better to spend the cash now and save it (in GXP BB cost) in the long term, or just buy a new BB and in a few weeks time, have the grinding followed by the play in the cranks. I went for the latter. At some point, I know I will upgrade the cranks on the P7 (probably to Hope - love the ones on my Alpine) so the ones on that can move onto the Pinnacle and the nice Truativ/bad BB combination cranks will go in the parts bin.

[@Stopadoodledoo]

@@JoeJoe-C137 That's not bad at all; didn't even know Nukeproof made BB's...

[@Wildernessoutside]

ive had a hope ceramic bb running in a bike of mine for about 15 years and its still going strong

[@Stopadoodledoo]

That’s damned good, just shows that paying more for a quality product saves cash in the long run. I had a Chris King BB that lasted for years on end, moved from bike to bike. I remember being pained to cough up the £100 when buying it but how many Shimano BB’s would I have gone through over those years?

[@dodgymtbknee]

they should be buy one get one free 😄 seeing the 'evans cycles' shop brings back memories. i use to race with euan evans back in the 90's when we were kids.

[@Stopadoodledoo]

Even so, you would still be having to track them down a fair few times a year 😂

[@tomsan91]

I'd argue it's not the worst BB idea, Cannondales BB30 takes that crown

[@Stopadoodledoo]

Possibly, but I imagine the only people to suffer from the Cannondale ones are Cannondale owners, whereas GXP was OEM on a ton of bikes. So slightly less pain inflicted on many more people = Worst 😂

[@jamble7k]

i thought they did this just to dodge shimano patents

[@Stopadoodledoo]

That’s probably a big part of it 👍

[@HallMarc_Trails]

I'll take your word for it, i won't be buying one, well, it seems i can't anyway 🤣

[@Stopadoodledoo]

Think yourself lucky mate, utter garbage. I’m being totally serious about their longevity. When I was doing silly weekly miles on the Pinnacle, especially in winter, they would last a couple of weeks before they started having play in them. Even when I was making the original lockdown videos riding around Chester, I went through two of them and in quite a few videos, you can hear it creaking.

[@Officialtiekid]

hope cranks are awful. anything that needs a complicated tool to fit and remove a simple can bugger off. if you're struggling to find a gxp bb from the high st just buy a few from a express they are about £6

[@Stopadoodledoo]

It’s a while since I bought the Hope cranks and BB but I thought the tools came with them? Possibly not for the BB tool now I think back, but if I did buy one separately then it can’t have been much. An extra expense for sure but I have so many tools that now serve no purpose (1 1/8” headset press for example) that it doesn’t really register any more. I would rather have the Hopes taking a bit longer on a way less regular frequency though…

[@blusoda0021]

Some engineering is a waste of paper. Lol, although you did scare me with the thumbnail, thought you were going to have a go at threaded bottom brackets . 😅

[@Stopadoodledoo]

There's no way I would have a go at threaded BB's, I've never had a bike with press fit ones yet and I don't intend to. I'm a luddite at heart, and have never heard a good thing about them.

[@blusoda0021]

@@Stopadoodledoo if it ain't broken, don't fix it

[@davesbikelife]

@@blusoda0021 no exactly what you mean buddy 😭🤣👍🏽

[@blusoda0021]

@@davesbikelife still baffles me that press fit BBs existed. 😁

[@SecwetGwiwer]

There are much worse out there.

[@Stopadoodledoo]

I would say to let me know which so I can give them a go and make a ranty video about them but I think I’ll pass 😃

[@SecwetGwiwer]

@@Stopadoodledoo sure, Octolink. Pretty sure the bearings are even smaller and the cranks have a habit of working loose which (as you can imagine) is quite annoying. I think they’re pretty much defunct now though.

[@ElectricMountainBiker]

Guess I'll avoid them then 😂 I have no idea about this stuff, I know a little more now 👍🏻

[@Stopadoodledoo]

A useful and informative rant then. My work is done 😂

[@ElectricMountainBiker]

@@Stopadoodledoo 😂😂 is it ever 🤓

[@MTB_Derbyshire]

SRAM......never trusted them but then again never gad tgeir stuff. Marc l's SRAM level T (or whatever they were called) brakes were dangerous i am confident to add. Truly awful😢

[@Stopadoodledoo]

I do like their gears (athough I kind of prefer Shimano if I am honest) but there's a few of their products, like BB's and especially brakes, that are just prone to fail or be questionable designs. They started out just doing drivetrains (remember Gripshit - no spelling mistake there...) and bought out other companies to increase their market: Rockshox and Avid (where the brakes come from) being too. God know what they did with the latter as Avid Juicy's were great brakes!

[@MTB_Derbyshire]

@@Stopadoodledoo the Cotic Jeht I demoed had SRAM gears they were ok. Just not as smooth shifting.

[@Stopadoodledoo]

@@MTB_Derbyshire What I really like about Shimano shifters is that you can shift down by either pushing forward or backwards; sounds a daft thing to like but then, I'm a daft person. I also love their mechs; not had one for a while (until I bought the P7) but they're way cheaper and just as strong as SRAM ones. As for cassettes, I always go for Shimano ones.

[@Ruffest]

What's a bottom bracket?

[@Stopadoodledoo]

It’s the twirl pipe that lets the power sticks move round and round in circles

[@BoAndHisBike]

Sram also makes the best brakes😉.

[@Stopadoodledoo]

Yeah…… 😂

[@millsshumps1968]

Sram GXP is not the worst that goes to BB30.

[@Stopadoodledoo]

They too are awful but there was plenty of other options available whereas there’s not for GXP 👍

[@Chungleas]

Don't hope Do a compatible BB?

[@Stopadoodledoo]

Not sure mate, will look into it though. Thanks.

[@troyrogers1236]

Nice orange sram did a simalar thing with the howlfezr cranks,...they required that howlfezr specific bb and theyre hard to find in 68-73 size ..can find 83 easily ...i put a square taper on mine becaise i found some nice kookas. I got a orange too! 224!

[@Stopadoodledoo]

Thanks, been an Orange fanboy for many years (had a 222 and a 223 back in the day). SRAM have been trying to create new standards for years, problem is that they haven’t yet come up with one that works 😂

[@pleaselikeandsubscribeme]

you bloody tell'em Liono!!!!!!

[@Stopadoodledoo]

I will, and did 😂

[@pleaselikeandsubscribeme]

maximum snort !!!!!@@Stopadoodledoo

[@Stopadoodledoo]

@@pleaselikeandsubscribeme fingering a seagull is illegal in Gleneagles

[@pleaselikeandsubscribeme]

but rules are to broken bobby@@Stopadoodledoo

[@thomasdkholten]

Gxp is the reason I run Shimano cranks with my Sram groupset

[@Stopadoodledoo]

If they were Boost compatible, I would be using my old (really old) XT Hollowtech cranks. Got some non-Boost Saints too. Damn bike companies and their ever changing standards and improvements 😂

[@breakr4144]

Rather stupid concept but the issue is mainly the quality of thel sram-made gxp bb. Other makes are way sturdier.

[@Stopadoodledoo]

Yeah, probably make it awful on purpose so that you have to buy replacements more often.

[@mart7798]

yes it is.

[@Stopadoodledoo]

You know it mate 👍

[@ashleyscarth8363]

Buy shimano slx crank,with shimano bb or hope,sell the carbon cranks,

[@Stopadoodledoo]

Who would buy them mate? They’re GXP compatible 😂

[@MTB_Trekker]

Before my time...

[@Stopadoodledoo]

If you want to experience what the olden days were like (bought the Alpine in 2019; ‘18 model), you can have these ones when I invariably replace them 👍

[@MTB_Trekker]

@@Stopadoodledoo 😂😂😂😂

[@iamcyberpunk68]

DUDE YOU ARE WINDED JUST TALKING BE CAREFUL

[@Stopadoodledoo]

I was in a rush to get across town and back as needed to collect my daughter so was basically pedalling quite hard, jumping off and filming something and then off again. Never had chance to get my breath back 😂

[@blueluny]

please be careful cycling one handed. maybe film with your right hand so you can keep the left foot the rear brake. I was adjusting a face mask once and had to brake.... went over the bars .

[@Stopadoodledoo]

Thanks for your concern, I only do so when it’s safe to do so 👍

[@dickielove]

I used to buy them 2 at a time 💩

[@Stopadoodledoo]

In the end, not wanting to splash out for new cranks (especially for what's now the hack bike), I did just that and ordered two GXP BB's from CRC. I don't hold out much hope in them lasting long though.

[@MTBMark47]

My Scott Genius uses a GXP pressfit ,just fitted a new one after 2 years and around 2500mile ....dont have any BB problems with the other bike either ⚡⚡🚴‍♂️⚡⚡🤣

[@Stopadoodledoo]

If I were you, I’d be removing and preserving it forever as you have the four leaf clover of GXP BB’s there, that will be revered for centuries 😂