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About two months ago I bought a Boardman HT Comp. Today I took it into my local bike shop for a service. While I was in the shop one of the technicians had a quick look at it and told me that my bottom bracket needs replacing. All he did was push and pull the cranks from side to side. There was a clicking noise and some visible movement, nothing more than 1-2mm. I've not noticed any problems while on the bike, however I don't have enough riding experience to know what to look for. Is it really possible that after 2 months and this very quick assessment that my bottom bracket needs replacing?

UPDATE

Eight months down the line it's failed again.

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    I think you need to ask the shop for a refund, bottom-brackets should to fail that quickly. – Ian Oct 18 '10 at 17:04
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    It definitely should not be broken, but the side-to-side move is a pretty good sign of a broken BB. – dee-see Oct 18 '10 at 19:39
  • After speaking to the guys in the store where I bought the bike it turns out that this is a very common problem with Boardmans, they have replaced a lot of bottom brackets, possibly due to a bad batch of components – Phil Hale Oct 19 '10 at 19:40
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    For those not in the UK... 'Boardman' bikes are only likely to ever be sold by 'Halfords' - a High Street car accessories chain that also sell a few bikes, mostly kids bikes to non-cycling parents. A word of warning... Getting a LBS to work on a 'Boardman' (or 'Apollo') bike can at times be like getting a watch repair shop to work on a 'Rolex' bought in Thailand. The parts are just not the same as those on the LBS bike, even if there are known brand decals on them, instead you get ruthless 'value engineering' all the way, down to the smallest washer. – ʍǝɥʇɐɯ May 19 '11 at 23:29
  • @Mattew. Well said. I bought a Boardman because 99% of the information I found about them was positive, including reviews. Maybe I wasn't looking in the right places. Now I really wish I'd stuck to a more established brand that would have been more reliable. Oh well, hindsight is a wonderful thing – Phil Hale May 21 '11 at 22:47
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If it's only 2 months old, they have to replace the broken part in guarantee for free. Isn't it?

Anyways I checked the specs, this bike has Truvativ Firex GXP crankset. It has integrated bearing, so it should not move side to side. The clicking noise usually means loose or damaged bottom bracket. First I would try to reinstall the crankset with correct lubrication and optimal torque. And if it does not help, it has to be replaced.

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  • Yeah it is covered under warranty. I'm hoping this isn't a sign of things to come – Phil Hale Oct 18 '10 at 18:07
  • You should be fine - Truvativ makes quality components, and if your shop is worth patronizing, they will make it right. Problems like this is why most shops include free tuneups when you buy the bike. – Gary.Ray♦ Oct 19 '10 at 4:32
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The Boardman bb30 bottom bracketr has a bad reputation. My brother bought his bike back in Sept 2009, and the bottom bracket failed approx 12 months later after being used once a week on mostly tracks and roads. since then it has failed again, probably due to incorrect spacers being used. allegedly these bottom brackets have an external roller bearing which can suffer from ingress of water on the left side, causing premature failure. we have met 2 bike shop proprietors who have both changed a few of these shame really cos the bike is a great one with high spec parts

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