Truvativ Team SL

Price Paid:  $38.00 at Greenfish Adv. Sport

Favorite Ride:
anything without traffic

Bike Setup:
'03 Raleigh Professional, FSA Team Pro Issue 175mm crankarms.

Summary:
I had the lower model TruVativ BB that came OEM on a CX bike, and it didn't last very long once the wet and grit got into it. But I did like the snappy responsiveness before it went bad, along with the Elita cranks I had at that time.

Bought the Raleigh road frame and needed a new BB, so I figured I'd get the Team SL and give TruVativ one more chance to redeem themselves. This has 3 bearings instead of 2 like the older unit, and reportedly better seals. Size is 108 x Eng. thread.

After about 2500 miles and some wet rides, no problems yet. Does what a BB is supposed to, which is just spin the cranks and you forget it's there. Not quite as smooth overall as a Record BB, but it's less than half the price.

So far, this is a good everyday workhorse BB at a decent price. More miles will tell the tale.

Strengths:
~ Doesn't let in water and grit like previous generation did.
~ Installed easy enough.

Weaknesses:
~ Not as light as a Ti spindled BB, but won't break as easy as Ti spindles can.

Similar Products Used:
Campy Record, TruVativ 2-bearing unit.

Price Paid:  $50.00 at Cambria (on-line)

Bike Setup:
LeMond Buenos Aires '03 frame, Ultegra, SRAM R9 cassette, Ritchey WCS OS bar and stem, Thomson set-back seatpost, Fizik Aliante saddle, Velomax Circuit Comp wheelset.

Summary:
In an attempt to find a stiffer alternative to the Ultegra triple/105 BB set-up I was running, I swapped it out for a Truvativ Elita triple crankset and the Gigapipe Team SL bottom bracket. I am very pleased after more than a year (3000+ miles). It has proven to be a very stiff combination and I haven't heard a peep out of the BB. At this point I would definitely recommend this product.

Strengths:
Stiff and quiet.

Weaknesses:
None yet.

Similar Products Used:
105