Threaded bottom brackets are (as far as we are concerned) the best option available. They are less prone to creaking, ensure the best alignment, hold the bearings more securely and are better at keeping road grime out.
Through a complex laminating and molding procedure we have been able to produce molded threads into our bottom brackets. This means no more BB sleeve with threads, saving weight and avoiding any misalignment. This leads to perfect concentricity and axle alignment, in combination with lightening the area. Above all, gone are the days of a creaking BB!
We chose to use the standard T47-86 bottom bracket in our Surveyor frames, but this technology can be applied to any threads on the bike, including other standard bottom brackets.
Integrally threaded carbon bottom brackets are fundamentally part of the frame. Most of the time, you would have to bond a heavy aluminum shell into the carbon, using lots of adhesive and ensuring alignment. Combining the threads and the frame cuts out the majority of the materials, saving upwards of 100g.
With the threads being molded to shape, the BB is perfectly aligned out of the tool with no extra steps to ensure concentricity for the perfect threaded fit. No creaking, means a more enjoyable and confident ride, for the life of the bearings.
Carbon is conductive and can react with alloys or other materials to create corrosion. To help prevent this, we’ve eliminated the bonded metal component. We also tested in a simulated long term corrosive environment. With a light application of grease, the effects were negligible, and does not effect the strength or durability of the frame.
Traditionally, you would bond threads into the frame. We eliminated those parts and processes. This means there is less that can go wrong down the road and ensures your bike will ride better for longer. As an added bonus, the threads have dirt collecting properties that prevent any debris from making its way into your BB and saves the threads and bearings for a longer lifespan.
When the bike industry started shifting towards press-fit bottom brackets, we all noticed a new sound coming from our crank area. An annoying 'CREAK, CRACK, CREAK'. That was the bearing moving around in the frame. Yeah, you could grease it up, but that was often only a band-aid.
So yeah, threading in your bottom bracket is better. But... all too often, the bearing cups would be misaligned, either due to process in a post molding procedure, or the quality control of the bottom bracket area leading to non-concentricity. Again, a good greasing would potentially ease or rid the sound, but inevitably make it easier for the bearings to move around and increase the issue, while temporarily solving for the noise.
So we took the best of the options out there and created something new, an integrally molded carbon bottom bracket shell that is perfectly aligned in the molding process, won't seize, won't creak and is light!
You might think carbon is brittle, too thin, too light or too soft. And you would normally be right. That's why we developed the entire process of manufacturing the threads from raw strands of carbon, to the laminating process, to the curing cycles all the way to how they integrate with the rest of the frame. It's many steps that ensure the final part will hold up to whatever you take it through.
We also tested several coating methods, including ceramic, aerospace paint and even dielectric grease. None of these added wear resistance, strength, durability or better corrosion resistance, proving that the method we developed was the superior option.
Thanos has a Masters Degree in Applied Science with focus on Automated Manufacturing of Composite Material. He’s as smart as that title sounds and has been advancing the sporting goods industry since he graduated. He was the former Senior R&D Engineer at Cervélo, the Lead Engineer on VeloNews Award winning bike designs.
Brandan’s deep experience laminating world class super cars and now bike parts, took Thanos’ invention and made it possible. His skills are essential to making our parts, iterating laminate schedules, and instilling the next level of professionalism in our processes. Like many of us, he's a tinkerer.
After the launch at SeaOtter in the spring of 2023, the bike industry is starting to hear about us and our new threading technology. So far, it has been featured in many of the industries top publications, websites and blogs.
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