Have UN55 bottom brackets been discontinued?

[mzjo]

Forgive the question if someone has already posted the answer.

I went looking for a couple of these today on the web with varying success. Discounting the offer from ebay (which I do automatically 'cos I don't trust it - with some experiences that have taught me the hard way!) the rest was a bit pessimistic. Two things struck me. Amazon had an offer but on inspection the response was "not available" with no date when/if they would become available. XXCycle (who are usually pretty good at this sort of thing) said "no longer commercialised". Other shops had a varied selection of odd sizes or UN300 bottom brackets in place of UN55 (UN300 look in the photos and appear by the price to be an inferior  product). XXCycle have Stronglight which are a bit more expensive than Shimano but will do quite nicely.

So the question; have Shimano stopped selling UN55 bbs and is this all part of a move to make us convert to external bearings and fugly modern chainsets?

[LittleWheelsandBig]

UN55 BBs are still around but production has ceased. The nominal replacement is the UN300 but it has a less than stellar longevity reputation.

[Paul H]

The Stronglight I use (JP400) seem fine, when I can find them in the sizes I need, I don't think they've ever covered the range Shimano have. I also pay less for them than UN55's.

So the question; have Shimano stopped selling UN55 bbs and is this all part of a move to make us convert to external bearings and fugly modern chainsets?

It's been a long time since anything other than Shimano's budget chainsets used ST, it was inevitable that the BB's would drop to the same quality. I doubt they feel any obligation to support discontinued components.  Production stopped years ago, it's an indication of the scale of the business that some are still available.

[rogerzilla]

Tange are a good alternative, although they are the usual aftermarket type with two cartridge bearings.  The Shimano BBs were a lot more bespoke in design.

[drossall]

I've got a lot of UN55 BBs. This could be a problem. Have used Stronglight quite a bit. Will have to look into Tange.

[mzjo]

The Stronglight I use (JP400) seem fine, when I can find them in the sizes I need, I don't think they've ever covered the range Shimano have. I also pay less for them than UN55's.

So the question; have Shimano stopped selling UN55 bbs and is this all part of a move to make us convert to external bearings and fugly modern chainsets?

It's been a long time since anything other than Shimano's budget chainsets used ST, it was inevitable that the BB's would drop to the same quality. I doubt they feel any obligation to support discontinued components.  Production stopped years ago, it's an indication of the scale of the business that some are still available.

Such satisfying news for all of us using Spa's excellent st touring triple chainsets (and the Stronglight ones as well) but then it's not Shimano's job to supply bottom brackets for the competition.

JP400s are more expensive for me than UN55 25€ v 19€. But at least I can get them in a decent range of sizes. Italian standard st bbs might be a bit more of a problem, when the Moser's bb dies that'll be it for the frame (same thing when the Mavic headset on the 992 dies) but then I'm old enough to start thinking that I could be gone before either of them!

[Paul H]

I can get them in a decent range of sizes. Italian standard st bbs might be a bit more of a problem, when the Moser's bb dies that'll be it for the frame (same thing when the Mavic headset on the 992 dies) but then I'm old enough to start thinking that I could be gone before either of them!

For me it was finding the right size in a 73mm width.  I ended up with an expensive IRD, which I've since heard is a re-branded Tange though I've been unable to verify that.  Expensive, though it comes with a ten year warranty and even without that you can apparently replace the sealed bearings yourself.  I only mention this because they also have a range on interchangeable cups, including Italian.
https://southerndistributors.co.uk/product/bottom-bracket-cup-set/

[drossall]

Replaceable sealed bearings does sound promising. Interested to hear experiences.