Epic Research designs and markets two bottom brackets. The first we will discuss is the B series. It uses a fixed spindle position with two adjustable bearing cups. The spindle is cleanly machined from Titanium 6al 4V rod. The outer diameter of the spindle at the ends is 15.72mm. At about 25mm from the end the diameter increases to 17mm making the seat for the sealed bearing cartridge to pressed onto.
Just past the bearing the diameter increases to 20mm O.D. making an oversized center capable with standing flexing and breakage than many other Ti spindles on the market. The spindle is drilled through and the ends are tapped with the 8mm x 1mm threads for crank arm bolts. The ends of the spindle have the necessary 2 degree taper for use with all aluminum arm sets. Epic uses a single Japanese IJK 6903RS bearing cartridge at both ends of the spindle.
The bearing cups are identical and machined from 7075 aluminum rod. The interior is bored to snugly fit the bearing. There are no added seals or gaskets at the spindle exit hole. The cup is has 20 small notches cut into its face for a Park BBT2 installation tool to be used. Once the cups are reasonably tightened, lockrings also machined from aluminum rod cich the cups in place. Each lockring has 6 square equi-distant notches for a lockring spanner to grip. The B Series cups have an 2.5 mm of width which leaves a bit more of the cups exposed past the lockring than riders are familiar with. This added cup allows the B Series B/B to be in variety of shell widths, and also permits the cups to staged differently relative to one another. In effect the 122.5mm B/B can easily be used in a 120mm or up to a 125mm application depending on how the B/B is "floated " left to right, B/B shell width and final lockring placement.
The B Series bracket comes with some smartly machined aluminum crank arm bolts that incorporate washer and bolt with a 14mm head. We recommend that you tighten the crank arms on with a steel crank bolt first, then remove it and use the aluminum one afterward to hold the arm in place. Using the aluminum bolt initially to tighten the arm can lead to breakage. The aluminum parts of the B Series are left in a an un-anodized Silver/Grey color.
The B Series is available in a 117.5mm, 120mm, 122.5mm, or 125mm spindle length. The crank arm bolts weigh 9.5 grams per pair. With the 117.5mm B/B weighing 176 grams, the crank bolts bring the total to 185.5 grams.
Spindle - 17-20-22-25 $Price in Catalog
