Specialized (OSBB) Ceramic Bottom Brackets
Looking to upgrade or replace your worn-out Specialized bottom bracket? Kogel Bearings offers podium-grade ceramic bottom brackets for your Specialized road, gravel, and mountain bikes.
And let's face it, older Specialized bottom bracket specs are confusing for many of us who love this brand. For years, many Specialized frames carried the "OSBB" label, but in reality, this OverSized Bottom Bracket covers a range of standards.
While the OSBB moniker lives on, today Specialized leans heavily on BB30 and threaded bottom brackets. Want to geek out more on Specialized bottom bracket standards? Check out our blog post on "Specialized OSBB Explained".
Otherwise, let's break it down and help you find the right BB for your beloved Specialized frame.
Specialized Road-Bike Bottom Brackets
If your Specialized road frame was built in 2015 or 2016, it follows the BB30 standard. Any model after that can also be BSA threaded. Either because the Tarmac, Roubaix or Venge frame is built to this, or because the OSBB carbon frame has permanently bonded cups that reduce the frame to 68mm wide by 42mm inner diameter.
Kogel recommends a BB30 bearing set for the Specialized crank or the BB30-24 conversion for Shimano or Sram GXP cranksets, For this application.
The years 2011 to 2014 can be confusing for road bikes. Most carbon frames followed the OSBB standard, a narrower variation to pressfit30, with plastic inserts to make the frame fit a BB30 bearing set.
These plastic cups can be easily removed and replaced with a Kogel PF30 bottom bracket and OSBB spacer set.
For steel and aluminum frames like the Allez and Sequoia, along with 2017 mid-segment carbon road frames, bottom brackets will be mostly BSA threaded. The Allez sprint is BB30.
Specialized Mountain-Bike Bottom Brackets
Current Specialized Mountain Bikes follow the BSA standard for carbon short travel bikes as well as the Enduro, downhill and all aluminum frames.
In previous years, all short travel carbon frames were setup with PF30. You will need to purchase a bottom bracket in our PressFit30 section to fit your specific crank set.
Good news is Kogel Bearings offers options to install a ceramic bottom bracket for Shimano, Sram DUB and GXP or any 30mm or 24mm diameter crank spindle on your Specialized frame.
WHY Upgrade/Replace Your Bottom Bracket
Even new bikes with new high-end drivetrains can, and usually do, ship with bottom brackets using steel bearings.
Even if perfectly maintained, those steel bearings just won't roll as smoothly or efficiently as our ceramic steel bearings.
Kogel Ceramic Bearings are:
- More symmetrical (i.e. round) and built to stricter tolerances than steel bearings
- More efficient for power transfer than standard bearings
- And, won't deform, flat-spot, crack or get pitted
Beyond the basics of keeping your bottom bracket clean and maintained, perhaps the most important step is ensure your bike's best performance is using a bottom bracket manufactured with high-quality ceramic bearings.
Shop Specialized Bottom Brackets
RIDING ON BORROWED TIME
No amount of bearing grease can fix a cheap bottom bracket. It will never ride as efficiently as a ceramic-based bottom bracket. Over time the performance only gets worse becoming, literally, a drag on each pedal stroke.
DRIVETRAIN BLISS
Now imagine riding your bike with ceramic bearing components, feeling the silky smooth 100% power transfer from each pedal stroke to your rear wheel. Your crankset spins almost completely silent with hardly any effort. A feeling lasting for years, not months.
EXPERIENCE GUARANTEED PERFORMANCE
Kogel’s ceramic bottom brackets are one of the best options for maximizing the performance of your bike. Our entire line of silky-smooth bearing products offer exceptional value and guaranteed performance. Ready to experience your bike’s true potential? Use the bottom bracket finder to find the right bottom bracket for all your bikes.