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review
Aerozine Road Bottom Bracket£19.99
VERDICT:
Expensive looking, value for money bottom bracket that keeps the rain out; smooth running too
Weight:
81g
Contact:
At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.
What the road.cc scores meanGood scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.
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Aerozine have produced one of the lightest bottom brackets we've ever had in on test and thanks to smooth-running bearings there is no bedding in period. It's available in lots of pretty colours too.
The Aerozine BB-05-RD-68, to give it its full name, uses external bearing cups which are forged from aluminium before being finished on a CNC machine to give tight tolerances for a snug fit in your frame. Using alloy also means the weight is kept down to just 81g. The overall finish is very good indeed with no burrs on the thread or machined faces. Installation is therefore easy; you only need to screw it in with your fingers before a little nip up with a spanner. The notches in the cups are the same as Shimano's and almost everyone else's so if you've already got a bottom bracket spanner it'll work fine.
The bearings are the important part though and the sealed steel units used here are beautifully smooth straight from the first pedal stroke, smoother than the Shimano 105 (200 miles) unit it replaced. The caps are plastic and upon removal of the cups they do seem to be keeping the moisture at bay working in partnership with the plastic shell and o-rings.
We've had plenty of wet weather over the test period and the unit is still creak free even though it is coated in grit and mud thanks to my lackadaisical stance on bike maintenance.
Aerozine offer it in both BSA or Italian threading with the option to go ceramic on the bearing front. The anodising looks smart and comes in a range of six colours which make the Aerozine bottom bracket look much more expensive than its actual twenty quid price tag.
Overall the Aerozine Road BB is a cracking value for money unit that looks smart and so far is offering impressive durability. The bearings may not be replaceable but for £19.99 you're not going to mind replacing the whole thing when they wear out.
Verdict
Expensive looking, cheap bottom bracket that keeps the rain out; smooth running too
road.cc test report
Make and model: Aerozine Road Bottom Bracket
Size tested: 68mm - Steel Bearings - Blue
Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
A road use external cup BB unit thats priced around Shimano's mid-range offerings though the performance feels better.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Forged & CNC'd alloy cups
Sealed steel cartridge bearings
Plastic sleeve
68mm shell width
anodised finish (silver, black, blue, red, gold, pink)
Rate the product for quality of construction:
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
8/10
Seems impressive so far, we'll keep you posted should things change.
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
8/10
Rate the product for value:
8/10
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Easily installed and smooth from the off.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
The expensive looks and smooth bearings.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
The alloy can mark quite easily if you need to be a little forceful with the spanner.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.
Would you consider buying the product? Yes.
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.
About the tester
Age: 35 Height: 180cm Weight: 76kg
I usually ride: Whatever needs testing or Genesis Flyer, fixed of course! My best bike is: Kinesis T2 with full Centaur Red
I've been riding for: 10-20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,
Since writing his first bike review for road.cc back in early 2009 senior product reviewer Stu has tested more than a thousand pieces of kit, and hundreds of bikes.
With an HND in mechanical engineering and previous roles as a CNC programmer/machinist, draughtsman and development engineer (working in new product design) Stu understands what it takes to bring a product to market. A mix of that knowledge combined with his love of road and gravel cycling puts him in the ideal position to put the latest kit through its paces.
He first made the switch to road cycling in 1999, primarily for fitness, but it didn’t take long for his competitive side to take over which led to around ten years as a time triallist and some pretty decent results. These days though riding is more about escapism, keeping the weight off and just enjoying the fact that he gets to ride the latest technology as part of his day job.
Latest Comments
- chrisonabike 3 sec ago
Well my guilty secret (not really) is that my most used and favourite routes in Edinburgh are ... shared use paths! Stuff I often suggest is doing...
- JLasTSR 6 min 36 sec ago
I really wouldn't wear jeans especially on a bike, bad news in the wet uncomfortable on a saddle and cold. Chords are OK completed quite a few 50...
- Pub bike 51 min 37 sec ago
Here's a welded frame using Columbus XCr https://www.quiringcycles.net/wp-content/uploads/slider5/IMG_0389.jpeg It doesn't seem to be a problem.
- Geordiepeddeler 2 hours 30 min ago
The highway code states that reversing onto a main road shouldn't happen. So why do these residents think that that is an excuse?
- Barraob1 9 hours 50 min ago
Yeah, used to love it. Had a premium subscription. Koms used to be good, but are pointless. Why cycle when you can use your car. This is another...
- ravenbait 10 hours 23 min ago
The common law caution is a reminder of your right not to self-implicate, and yes they can if they are authorised officers of a competent authority...
- momove 10 hours 23 min ago
Not take it seriously? What do you mean?...
- S.E. 14 hours 23 min ago
The real issue is that other people in the sport business get much more than the athletes... I also tend to agree that 8 million a year is already...
- S.E. 14 hours 44 min ago
Inner width is only 13.4 mm... Will you get Shinano or Campognolo?
Add new comment
7 comments
Durability pretty poor IME.
Bearings rough after 9 months ~ 5000 km
Shoulda gone with first instinct which was Hope.
Hmmm yes sounds like a faff...think I'll just buy, fit, forget - until the next time.
Cheers all
Trying to shim a tapered GXP spindle to fit in a straight 24mm Shimano BB is a horrible idea that will fail.
There are countless GXP BB options from both SRAM and aftermarket producers.
GXP is stepped which is why reducer shims like hope will always work. I have used hope bb for several years with both SRAM force and apex cranks with no creak issues except when bearings died, then changed bearings. I went to hope when got fed up changing truvativ bb every few months. I have also used reducers on Shimano bb with success as well. I can see no reason why they would not work with this bb as well, but why spend extra £8 for something that probably only lasts as long as SRAM version?
Just been asking in "the other place" about a more durable GXP replacement for my SRAM Force groupset.
The option suggested there was a Hope BB with SRAM/Truvativ adapter. Pricey compared to this, but apparently durable and has replaceable sealed cartridge bearings.
See http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/replacing-sram-gxp-team-bb86-roa...
So is that something I can replace my ageing GXP unit with? Or is the chainset (Sram Rival) constrained to a GXP replacement?
you might be able to use it with a shim, if such a thing is available but GXP has 2 different internal size bearings where as shimano uses the same size both side.
Probably best to get another GXP to be on the safe side. I found the first units (all black) pretty crap but the newer grey ones seem pretty reliable. the non-drive bearing always goes first though.