I just finished my 100th bottom bracket job this year and it feels weird

I was cleaning up my bench tonight and looked at my log book... I hit 100 bottom bracket replacements since January. It's only May. That number kind of surprised me, you know? I guess it makes sense with all the old bikes people are bringing in now, but it's still a lot of cartridge BBs and creaky press-fits. Most of them are just routine, but a few have been real fights with seized cups. Has anyone else seen a big jump in this specific job lately, or is it just my shop?

3 comments

3 Comments

bennett.noah20d ago

Those 100 bottom brackets might actually tell a bigger story about how many people stopped riding during the pandemic and are just now dusting off their old bikes. The ones that sat in a garage for two winters with moisture in the frame are the real nightmares I've been seeing. Your log book probably shows a lot of 2019 and 2020 models in that pile.

butler.abby1mo ago

That's a wild number for just a few months. It feels like everything built to be replaced is finally giving out all at once, from bikes to appliances. We're hitting the planned obsolescence wall hard.

simon7171mo ago

How do you even start fixing this mess? I had my washing machine die last month and the repair guy basically said it's cheaper to buy new because the parts are made to fail. My advice is to look up repair guides for your specific model online, there's a ton of free help out there. Sometimes it's a simple ten dollar part you can swap yourself, which feels like a small win against the whole system. It's worth a try before you give in and buy another thing that'll just break again.