Well Screwed BB Head T-shirt: Ink Shack

 

It was that bike I got six years ago that did it.

I jumped straight up from a 26” wheel bike to a 29er.

I loved it.

 

At least I thought I did until it started to let me down: The new standards that were hailed as the future back then soon began to unravel before my increasingly battered body. To start with, the 29” wheels that gave me the confidence to hold a line and hit technical terrain faster than ever quickly turned to the dark side. At first, I put my misfortunes down to the extra speed I was riding. But no, it wasn’t long before I realised the bike was bucking me and pitching me forward. I began to wince every time I encountered steep terrain and needed to hang off the back of the bike. I lost the confidence to move my body around as freely as I had done before. I’ve never crashed as much in my life as I did on that 29er. The wheel size literally beat me up and I still live with the longterm lingering aches and pains.

 

Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but since downsizing to 27.5 I have faired a whole lot better in the crash stakes. At 5’11”, I should, in theory, have been OK on the biggies. But there’s no question a larger wheel means less bum clearance, less of a squat position safety net.

 

Then there was the press-fit BB. When I first clapped eyes on the frame I marvelled at how neat and tidy the whole BB area looked. Four weeks in and the first BB shat itself. I spent a week grinding it out before giving in and returning to the bike shop. The replacement lasted marginally longer before I was convinced to upgrade to a ‘posh one’ the third time around. After that popped its guts and they refused to warranty it, I was done. The additional cost and regular trips to the bike shop began to grind away at the joy of the ride.

 

It might sound like I’m having a whinge — and I guess I am — but I like to have confidence in my kit and also the confidence to maintain it myself. I do understand that for some lucky folk these issues have never been a problem. Good for them. I understand that 29ers are great bikes for some, but when it comes to BBs the memory of ruined rides and wasted time won’t fade quickly.

 

From now on I’ve got my head screwed firmly on, it’s threaded BBs and a 27.5 on the rear. Bliss.