Sunlite Square - Comp Cartridge Bottom Bracket - 68mm, ENG, Square Taper, 103mm, Steel

Rebuilding a 1973-ish Nishiki Olympic 10-Speed bicycle, the original crankset was toasted, thanks to a botched backyard repair job. Since a) original cottered cranks for this bicycle are rather difficult to find (especially in good shape), and b) it made perfect sense to "upgrade" the bottom bracket to a more modern bottom bracket and tapered square crankset, this seemed like a good choice. This is the second tapered square bottom bracket that I purchased. The first one, purchased at a local bike shop, had a 113 mm length and the chainline wouldn't line up once I put the new crankset on. So, I ordered this one (with a 103 mm length) from Amazon. Even with the 2nd day shipping, the price was less than I would have gotten at the local bike shop. This was the LAST piece I needed to complete the mechanical portion of the Nishiki rebuild, so I didn't want to wait for an extended period of time to complete the project -- which is why I went with the 2nd day shipping. The item arrived on time, as scheduled. When I first went to inspect the item, I noticed that the left support fastener was cockeyed on the bottom bracket (probably as a result of UPS's typically "gentle" handling ... ugh!). It wouldn't budge by using just my hands. So, I carefully screwed the left support fastener into the right side of the bottom bracket housing (pay careful attention to the thread direction!), and was able to apply enough gentle pressure to be able to remove the left support fastener. Be sure to apply a very thin coat of grease to the threads on BOTH sides of the sealed cartridge bottom bracket. Insert the right side first, and then screw in the left support fastener (again, pay close attention to the thread direction!), and torque both sides down according to specs (printed on the box). Then, apply your crankset and left crankarm, pedals, mount the chain, adjust the derailleur (if necessary), and your repair is complete. This sealed cartridge bottom bracket is very smooth -- being that it rotates very smoothly. The entire item is made of metal, so there are no plastic parts. Overall, this is an excellent product, and exactly what I was looking for to complete the rebuild of my Nishiki. I am very happy with this item. Oh ... and I now have a very roadworthy vintage bike to ride around town!

UPDATE 9/10/2013 This bottom bracket is still holding up, I have had no issues to speak of with this part. I like to think I have put it through its paces. I have purchased other Sunlite products and have been quite satisfied. UPDATE I have put roughly 300 miles on this bottom bracket and everything is smooth since it arrived in the mail. It works just fine for my single speed commuter bike. After 300 miles there is no wiggle in the bearings and everything seems good! I am happy with my purchase!

Excellent quality. Zero play, zero drag. Smooth as butter, and feels very solid in my hands. Attention to detail of design is great too. The threaded portion has a small machined blank taper where you begin the alignment to the shell during instalation. That facilitaes proper alignment with the shell threads and helps prevent crossthreading. Nice touch. Once installed, even better. Spins forever, silently, and feels strong. I don't have many miles on it yet, but so far it exceeds the far more expensive brands.

I had to guess the length of the spindle I needed to get a proper chainline for my SICK fixed gear. As opposed to doing any actual measuring, I just bought something off of here randomly and it ALMOST worked with no problems. I am using a 160mm Origin 8 road crank (not very sick I know, but I am on a budget and it was the only 160mm crank I could find in my price range) and the crank required me to take a little material off the back with a file. 15 minutes later and the cranks clear the bottom bracket when tightened down, everything spins great. Unless you're on an all-retro kick, it's totally worth it to go sealed over loose bearings. Loose bearing BBs cost about the same and require more servicing. Go sealed and when it stops working, throw it away (or in the recycling bin or whatever).

I purchased this bottom bracket last March (2013). It was for my fixed gear bike that I use for courier work. The stock bottom bracket before this one only lasted about 2000 miles before I started to feel that dreaded crunch in my peddle stroke. I was vey pleased that for $15 dollars this one lasted nearly a year with just over 5000 miles logged on it. It may have been able to handle more if this wasn't one of the worst winters in Chicago. I would recommend this bottom bracket to anyone who is looking for a high quality, low price item. It is also very easy to install (with the proper know how of course) and comes with two crank bolts.

I just installed it and it works. I have yet to see how it holds up. I noticed the bearings are the sealed type but unlike the shimanos, I believe they added an additional seal to the outside of the bb and not just rely on the standard seal bearing you can buy at the bearing shops...then again, maybe I can replace the sealed bearings with better ones on this unit. I bought this unit because they had it in 68x103. Shimano doesn't carry one for the mtn bikes. Shimano does sell a 68x102, but that one is for a road bike and runs 4x the price....for now, .I can live with replacing this unit as needed......

A decent, short-spindle bottom bracket at a great price. I'll see if I can put 15000 miles on it in the next couple of years. Update: it's been holding up great, and no problems (on a frame that probably has a bad misalignment issue, as it tends to ruin traditional cup&cone bottom brackets after just a couple of thousand miles). Definitely worth the money.

I like this bottom bracket. Turns out a little short by a couple MM for me, but that's my fault. Price is not enough to sweat it. Its working for me now but ordered a 108mm to fix the chainline. Its super smooth. My original loose bearing bottom bracket was always rough, could not get it smooth with adjustment. Not a problem anymore. Came with bolts and no plastic. Specs and torque requirements on label. Excellent.

J'ai reçu mon article dans un très bon délai. Le "bottom bracket" semble avoir un bon roulement doux, mais étant donné que c'est l'hiver ici, je verrai les résultats sur route dans quelques mois.