Update 12/2025: In recent years, it's become clear that making aluminum cranks for modern oversized bottom bracket spindles is not always a good idea. The only way around that is to make the cranks hollow, as Shimano has done with their Dura-Ace cranks that are made in two halves and...
Bottom brackets are almost invisible, and you only notice them when something goes wrong. When the bottom bracket in my Firefly started to bind after just a few hundred miles, I put in an SKF, and that was the last I thought about it. When the bike was overhauled, the...
When we took over the distribution of SKF bottom brackets, we didn't have high expectations for the ISIS bottom brackets. We were surprised when they became one of our more popular products. We sell them to customers who haven't heard of Bicycle Quarterly, supple tires or any of the...
It's been five years since Compass Bicycles started selling SKF bottom brackets, and three years since we became the world's exclusive distributor. At that point, we extended the warranty to 10 years, since we had great confidence in the quality of these bottom brackets. They have patented labyrinth seals,...
Many wonderful bikes have been made in France in past decades. Not just the great machines from small constructeurs like René Herse and Alex Singer (above), but also more common bikes like the Peugeot PX-10, the nicer Gitanes and many others. High-end French bikes often used relatively lightweight tubing...
Replacing a square taper bottom brackets can seem a bit daunting. What threading do I need? How long should the spindle be? Which taper? It's really quite simple, and here is how to figure it out. Threading The bottom bracket screws into your frame. If your frame was made...
Should one grease the tapers of bottom bracket spindles before installing the cranks? Few topics spur as much controversy among bike mechanics as this question. In the old days, Campagnolo not only recommended mounting the cranks dry, they even suggested degreasing the tapers. The concern was that grease might facilitate...
Compass Bicycles is proud to be the sole distributor of SKF bottom brackets world-wide. Svenska Kullagerfabriken (SKF) has been the leader in bearing technology since 1907. Today, SKF is the largest bearing manufacturer in the world, and their bearings are used in Formula 1 racecars...
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