FSA Informs Bike & Frame Makers on BB30

TAICHUNG, Taiwan – Last Friday most of Taiwan’s bike and frame makers gathered in the Landis hotel in Taichung where FSA presented its BB30 bottom bracket systems. Douglas Chiang (photo) FSA’s managing director, explained all the details on the new BB30 performance standard to about 230 technicians.

BB30 is seen as the next step in upgrading bikes on the same lines as what happened in frames with the evolution from chromo to alloy and carbon. As the new standard for performance bikes it is gaining ground among component makers and bicycle assemblers.

BB30 is all about an oversized BB shell that requires a purpose-built frame. That’s why FSA after first informing product managers at last years Ride-On event and launching it at the 2008 Taipei Int’l Cycle Show, now focuses on informing bike assemblers and frame makers about the system that was first introduced by Cannondale.

Focused on mid to high end 

BB30 is currently also used by companies like Specialized, Jamis, SRAM, Truvativ, Storck, Raleigh as well as various BMX and CycloCross brands. As the new performance standard it is focused on mid to high end road racers, MTB’s, FreeRide, BMX, CycloCross and Triathlon bikes.

BB30 is an open, free, international standard for frame and component companies that provide the specifications for an oversized bottom bracket shell for a bike frame. External crankset bearings offer stiffer pedaling performance, because they allow the use of larger diameter hollow spindles. The BB30 standard brings these oversized bearings back into an oversized shell within the frame, while allowing spindles of up to 30mm to be used.

First used by Cannondale in 2000 and made available to the industry as an open standard which allows for direct-fit, pressed-in bearings and a 30 mm spindle. The system saves weight by accepting a 30mm aluminum spindle and eliminating cups that would normally hold the bearings. The oversized bottom bracket of the frame also provides more area to attach larger diameter tubing to better resist deflection from pedaling forces.

As FSA is pushing the industry to further acceptance of BB30 as a standard; currently all FSA’s cranksets are also available in BB30 versions. And at prices that are exactly at the same level as FSA’s regular cranksets.