The bottom bracket is the most neglected part of a bike, and one of the most important. While it is not as exciting as a fancy high end rear derailleur, or deep dish wheels, it is definitely of equal importance! A cheap bottom bracket can be inefficient and cause a lot of creaking while riding.

There are many different bottom bracket standards, but our 3D configurator has been coded to only let you buy compatible bottom brackets depending on the crankset you choose.

There are 2 main types of bottom bracket, ceramic and steel. This material name represents the material used in the rotating balls within a steel shell of the bearing. The benefits of a ceramic bearing include: better efficiency, lighter, and longer lifetime. The downsides are: high cost, high maintenance, and high cost ( I know I said it twice). Ceramic bearings are great for people chasing every finite amount of performance, but studies have shown that high end steel bearings are almost as efficient as the best ceramic bearings, but at a lesser cost. Learn more here!

The last differentiating charictaristic is if a bottom bracket is press fit or threaded. If a bottom bracket is threaded that means it screws directly into the frame, our gravel and mountain bikes feature this technology. A threaded bottom bracket is great in off road cycling because they do not loosen over time, less dirt gets into the bearing and they are easier to change. A press fit bottom bracket has two varieties, press together, and thread together. A press together is 2 cups that get pushed together, a thread together is 2 cups with threads that thread together. A thread together bottom bracket stays in line better than a press together, and is easier to change. However thread togethers tend to be more expensive. More information can be found here.