The Suntour Superbe Pro bottom bracket is made to the same high standards as the crankset. Beautifully finished chrome cups, with precision ground bearings surfaces and glass smooth ball bearings. The cup races have a spindle seal deeply inset rubber to protect the bearing assembly. There are eleven 1/4" balls in the retainer on each side, so the all pressure is spread over a broader area. The precision ground spindle has a machined satin finish to resist corrosion, and has a grease sleeve to protect the B/B from debris or moisture that may slide down the seat tube. The crank bolts are cro-moly steel with a thick chrome plating. This 306 gram (with the crank bolts, which weigh 31 grams) Road bottom bracket is the choice of many road enthusiasts. Comes in either English (68mm B/B shell) or Italian (70mm B/B shell) threading with a 112mm spindle.
h (68mm B/B shell) or Italian (70mm B/B shell) threading with a 112mm spindle. No longer made, we sold this for $42.99
This 364 gram (with crank bolts and dust caps, which weigh 50 grams) bottom bracket uses the WTB/Suntour Grease Guard system. In a matter of seconds, you can inject fresh grease into the convenient injection ports which provides superior lubrication for bottom bracket bearings and cups. Dirt and impurities are purged at the same time, to increase the life-span of your new bottom bracket. This bottom bracket uses a cone and cup construction, that includes eleven precision ground 1/4" balls in a retainer, all sealed in a protective cavity. There are holes drilled through the bolts, that hold the crank arms on, and the bottom bracket spindle is hollow. There is a hole, in the position of the bearings, at each end of the spindle. As grease is injected into the spindle bolt using the Wilderness Trails Grease Gun (Gooser), it squirts through the spindle into the bearing compartment. This is a well conceived idea. Rubber seals rest under the crank arm dust cap, so debris won't clog up the spindle hole. The B/B width is 68mm, and the spindle length is 125.5mm. Grease gun, and grease not included (please see Lubricants). English only.
No longer made, we sold this for $34.99
The Suntour Micro Drive groups require a shorter length bottom bracket spindle to pull the cranks in toward the frame appreciably, to try to reduce the Q-factor. The standard XC Pro spindle is 125.5mm long, but to make the 115mm length they required immediately for the MD group, Suntour chose to use a modified Road Racing bottom bracket. They settled on the SL series bottom brackets, which do come with a 115mm long spindle. For the XC Pro version the SL Microlite model is used, a standard type, fixed cup bottom bracket with aluminum alloy cups. The cups and spindle are modified to accept Suntour's implementation of the WTB Grease Guard principle. The cups are machined from aluminum rod with the inside bored for an opened sealed bearing cartridge to be pressed in. The opened cartridge is seated against the back of the inner face. A thick rubber gasket surrounds the spindle leaving open a tiny hole in the spindle to fill just the bearing cavity with grease. A small recess cut inside the hole where the spindle exits the cup allows a rubber gasket to snap in. The gasket permits grease to leave the bearing, but does not allow outside contaminants to enter. The bearing uses 12 steel ball bearings. The spindle is machined from steel rod. Because the original SL Microlite B/B had a sealed bearing cartridge, the spindle has no bearing races ground into it's surface. Suntour instead manufactures a separate steel race that presses onto the spindle where the cartridge bearing would rest. This race is machined, with a smoothly ground surface where the ball bearings revolve on it. The adjusting cup has six equally spaced holes for pin spanner final adjustments. The lockring for the adjusting cup is made of steel and chrome plated. This B/B comes with chrome plated steel crank bolts that are drilled through with a tiny hole for the injected grease to pass into the spindle and thereby the bearings. Also included are chrome plated crank arm caps that have a 5mm hex head for removal and a tight fitting round rubber gasket pressed into the inside. The gasket has a small hole in it so grease injection to the bearings can be performed with no part removal. In case of interior frame condensation, Suntour provides a tight fitting, plastic sleeve that fits internally between the two bearing cups. The weight of the SL10-E XC Pro MD B/B, including caps, bolts, sleeve is 291 grams. Silver, English thread only for 68mm (with 115mm spindle), or 73mm (with 119mm spindle) wide B/B shells.
No longer made, we sold this for $69.99
The XC Comp Micro Drive group also has a short spindled, fixed cup bottom bracket, but this is the standard Suntour SL B/B, not the Microlite version, and it uses standard cup and cone race principles. The spindle is made of cast steel and is solid not hollow, with threads tapped in the ends for the crank bolts. The cone races on the spindle are not ground after casting. The cups are made of steel and appear to be cast. The fixed cup after casting has the edges sheared to get a grip on it, then threaded after which it's chrome plated. The adjustable cup has six equidistant holes drilled in the face for a pin spanner, is threaded and then chrome plated. Both of the cups have thick rubber gaskets where the spindle exits the cup. The lockring is made of thickly chrome plated steel. The bearings are in retainers and have nine 6.2mm diameter steel balls. The XC Comp MD comes with steel crank bolts, weighing 32 grams a pair, that have the washer and bolt made as a single piece. The spindle length is 116mm, and has 2¡ tapered sides that will fit all aluminum crank arms. The weight of the SL00 bottom bracket, for use in Road applications or as a Micro Drive B/B, with crank bolts is 328 grams. English thread only for a 68mm B/B shell.
No longer made, we sold this for $19.99
Suntour also has elected to make what has become known as "sealed cartridge unit" type bottom brackets. The CB10 is made with two steel threaded cups, a center steel core, and a steel spindle. The steel parts are all in the "black" (really dark brown) color. The internals of this unit are neither obvious or directly observable. The Suntour product manual describes the bearings in the CB10 as "cartridge". The revolving spindle doesn't "feel" as though there are sealed cartridge bearings. The shape of the center core with its rounded left side, leads us to believe that there are really just ball bearings rolling internally against the cup-shaped left side center core. This cup shaped left side is entirely sealed, and permits just the spindle to exit, so viewing the bearing is impossible. The right hand fixed cup is machined of steel and actually welded to the center core. The external side of both cups has a rubberized steel plate that resembles the appearance of a sealed bearing cartridge. The spindle is solid, with the ends drilled and tapped for the crank bolts. The CB10 comes with a pair of one-piece crank bolt/washers, with a pair weight of 31.5 grams. Installation should be performed using the Park BBT-1 tool. The CB10 is available to fit a 68mm wide B/B shell with aspindle length of 126mm, or a 73mm wide B/B shell with a length of 131mm. Both models are English threaded only. The weight of the CB10, with the 126mm long spindle and the included crank bolts, is 392.5 grams.
No longer made, we sold this for $24.99
The CB00 is the finer version of the CB models. The center core is made of aluminum tubing turned on a lathe to reduce the center diameter. At both ends of the the core tube, an open sided bearing cartridge is pressed. This open bearing has 11 steel balls in a metal retainer. The left side bearing is accessible by removing a rubberized metal seal. The right side has a machined steel cup pressed onto the center core. This right cup surrounds and holds this outer seal firmly in place on the right side to prevent the regreasing of the right side bearing. The left side, however, can be regreased. The left-side, adjustable cup is machined from steel then chromed. Once it has been threaded to proper depth in the shell, a chrome plated steel lockring is used to tighten, hold and fix the adjustable cup in position. The lockring has six square shaped notches for a lockring spanner to grip and turn. The spindle is solid, with the ends drilled and tapped for the crank bolts. The CB00, like the CB10, comes with a pair of one-piece crank bolt/washers, with a pair weight of 31.5 grams. Installation of the CB00 should be made using the Park BBT-1 tool. The CB00 is made for MicroDrive systems and available to fit a 68mm wide B/B shell having spindle length of 115.2mm, or to fit a 73mm wide B/B shell with a length of 118.2mm. Both models are English threaded only. The weight of the CB00 with the 115.2mm long spindle and the included crank bolts is 315.5 grams.
No longer made, we sold this for $34.99
