C-Bear’s latest BSA30 Integrated Sleeve threaded BB might make upgrading to ceramic bearings on your new bike easier, especially if it happens to be a new Specialized Tarmac SL7. The number of possible bottom bracket standards is mind-numbing – between all the different BB shells and possible crank axle diameters. Throw in the explosion of fully internal cable routing, and it can be a minefield trying to upgrade or replace your OEM BB with anything other than the stock setup.
C-Bear BSA30 Integrated Sleeve ceramic bottom bracket
Since the new Tarmac SL7 debuted, C-Bear says they started getting a steady stream of customers asking about an internal routing-friendly version of their regular BSA threaded bottom brackets to work with 30mm spindle cranks. That meant they needed one with an integrated sleeve between the two cups to protect brake hoses and shift lines from the spinning crank spindle.
With only 33.6mm inside of a standard threaded BB, it’s a tight fit (and was why C-Bear hadn’t already offered it.) But it had already been in the works and now the Integrated Sleeve (IS) option has been added for 30mm spindles and 28.99mm SRAM DUB spindles, as well. Add that to BSA24, GXP & Campagnolo (and pretty much all T47), and virtually all threaded bottom brackets can be upgraded with C-Bear ceramic bearings to work with internal cable routing.
Ceramic bearing Tech, Pricing & Options
Like all of their bottom brackets, the new C-Bear BSA30 is available with condition specific Race (R) sealed ceramic bearings optimized for road use with the lowest friction, or All Conditions (AC) ceramic bearings for cyclocross, gravel & mountain biking with more hardy grease & seals – both for the same price. The standard BSA30 bottom brackets sell for 139€ without the new sleeve.
The new C-Bear BSA30 Integrated Sleeve (IS) bottom brackets sell for 159€, with 68mm wide road R & cross AC versions, plus a 73mm wide mountain bike AC version. The same variants and pricing is also available for C-Bear SRAM DUB IS bottom brackets for BSA threaded shells with internal routing.
