Bottom Brackets

Making Sure it Fits

Click image to enlarge

The majority of bottom brackets come in the form of a cartridge. Because press fit brackets are rare and are simple to assure the fit, we won’t go into any detail on those.

Cartridge bottom brackets require a little thought. First, the spindle type, second, the thread type, and third, the shell width.

Spindle type will be determined by your crankset. Popular are: square taper (Campy), Shimano’s Hollowtech and Octalink, FSA’s EXO’s and splined Power Drive. On certain cranksets the width is important (double vs triple)

Once you know the spindle type, you need to know the thread. The thread of the bottom bracket screws directly into your frame. There are two thread types, English (1.37×24) and Italian (36×24). For help in determining your thread, please visit our bottom bracket portfolio.

The shell width only differs with mountain bikes. Road bikes are standard at 68mm.