EBBs

[simonali]

Good idea, or bad? Discuss. (please?)

Reason I ask is I've been looking at a singlespeed bike that has one and wondered if it was gonna be a PITA or not.

[Ian H]

Sorrypardon?

[border-rider]

Good solution when they work, can be a PITA if they get slippy and rotate when you don't want them to.  They have a decent history on tandems and some SS bikes.

(BBs, not brains)

[Chris N]

It also depends on the method of fixing the shell - Thorn's big screws are a bad thing, IMO, leaving dents in the aluminium and possibly 'indexing' the position of the BB.  Wedge types are better, but more complex and could be prone to seizing if not well greased.  Best would be a split clamp, like a seatpost, though this could leave more area for skog to get in and start a-creaking.

They wouldn't seem to be as quick to adjust as track ends if you change sprocket sizes, but give you more scope to run disc brakes on SS/fixed (or just remove the need to adjust rim brakes).

[Crumbling Nick]

I think the history on tandems is well-recorded rather than decent. The combination of an alu. alloy frame and ferrous BB shell invites corrosion seizures in that location. Even steel in steel needs maintenance.

So what's wrong with old-fashioned "horizontal" drop-outs, other than that they've been around for half a century or so?

p.s. (several decades ago) Ebbs were bad news when trying to sail up the Channel .

[simonali]

The bike I was looking at is sold as a singlespeed, not a fixed, and has a rear disc brake. I guess the manufacturer thought an EBB and vertical drop-outs was an easier alternative to a sliding caliper mount, as they make geared versions of the same bike.

[Rolf]Can you guess what it is yet?[/Rolf]

[Crumbling Nick]

Our first tandem had drum brakes, which worked fine with sliding dropouts. Nor did we suffer rear wheel spoke/hub breakages, despite 26 inch wheels and a decidedly large hub flange on the non-drive side. Admittedly it had 10 fewer gears than some of my non-derailing friends.

[Harris]Is the bike from the Antipodes  ? [/*]

[Rev Will]

I've got a Dialled Bikes Love/Hate with a Phil Woods EBB, and it is excellent.

The Bushnell EEB with the expanding wedge has a habit of creaking or slipping. The Phil uses bolts to pierce the EBB, which work very well, and don't make noise, so much better.

[gordon taylor]

I've always fancied a singlespeed tourer with disc brakes and an EBB. However, I have an EBB on my trike and it occasionally gives out a movement "click" when I'm really putting the pressure on. It has a split shell and big bolts - I really can't do it up any tighter.

I just treat it like the creep you get with a rear wheel and horizontal dropouts. The wheel moves a bit, the chain stretches a bit, so I tighten everything up again every couple of months.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

I always found faffing with the saddle position (after moving an eccentric BB) was particularly annoying.

[alexb]

I have a non-single speed bike* with an inserted BB in an aluminium shell. That's secured with a split shell and a couple of big bolts.
It goes nowhere.


*Mountain bike with an extra wide BB shell and very short chainstays.

[Zoidburg]

Best answer I could think of would be an EBB with splines on the BB and shell that mate with each other, fine toothed to offer enough fine adjustment of chain tension