Wheels Manufacturing BB86 PressFit DUB Bottom Bracket: Rider Review

Our "Rider Review" article series features the honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for. 

Intro:

I originally installed the SRAM DUB Press Fit 92 BB so I could use my new crankset. This BB was good, however not the quality BB I am used to. The Press Fit BB body had minimized the ball bearing size. I decided to shop around for bottom brackets and read several reviews. Many aftermarket DUB bottom brackets are ceramic and I am still not convinced that ceramic is going to hold up on a mountain bike. We have a dry climate here in Nevada so it is conducive to ceramic bottom brackets but the bearing size and abuse from a mountain bike still have me nervous about taking the chance. I use the Wheels Manufacturing bottom brackets on my road bikes. They are great and spin free. The SRAM DUB BB was very tight when first installed but did free up after several rides. The Wheels Manufacturing DUB BB is a bit tighter than the road versions, but it is to be expected since it is meant for dirt and abuse from mountain bike riding.

Details:

This particular bottom bracket is 2 independent bearings without any casing or sleeve That means the ball bearings are larger and should hold up longer. I called Wheels Manufacturing prior to purchasing and discussed this bottom bracket. I asked about rebuilding it and what I should expect. The person I spoke with said because I live in a dry climate with almost no moisture I could clean the bearings and run a thin grease to reduce the friction if desired. I will likely use Dura-Ace grease when I decide to do this. This bearing is serviceable and should be cleaned regularly.

Final Thoughts:

After using this bottom bracket for the past month it has freed up and spins much more freely since first installed. I have noticed my output effort level has improved as I had originally hoped. If you look at wattage, this is the baseline for why some people always look to reduce weight to upgrade parts. I was looking to save watts and have achieved it with this bottom bracket.

I am pleased with and would recommend this product.