Unior’s new bottom bracket sockets were part of a large introduction of products at Eurobike last year, but there’s more to the story than just a few new tools. According to Unior, these new tools mark a fairly big shift in the company’s 100 year history – because they’re made from aluminum. Previously, all of Unior’s tools have been manufactured from forged steel. For a tool like a bottom bracket socket where steel could damage pricey aluminum cups, the company has opted for a more task-specific approach and has introduced what they’re calling their first CNC machined aluminum tools.
Offered in 16 notch (HollowTech II), Shimano BB9000, Shimano BBR60, BSA30, and FSA Mega-EVO standards, the aluminum sockets include a 1/2″ drive with a knurled lip for turning by hand. Made in Slovenia, the sockets sell for $34.99 each and are available now.
This is not directly related to Unior, but why are there so many “standards” for something that does the same thing? Your cups have 16 splines? Oh yeah? Well mine have 20.
I’m getting tired of all this BS where manufacturers try to lock you into their proprietary systems.
They’re not usually arbitrary arrangements. The number of notches and pattern typically correlates with the outer diameter of the cup, so a larger or smaller cup needs a different SIZE tool. The Shimano 16 notch pattern is by far the most common for external cups.
The bigger question is WHY ARE THEY 1/2″ DRIVE!!! Typical bottom bracket cup torque is around 40NM, which is easily handled by 3/8″. I don’t even have 1/2″ drive tools on my bench at work.
1/2 inch is a good idea in this situation. The bigger drive will distribute the torque over more area. The tool is aluminum and with a smaller drive it would wear out quicker.
> They’re not usually arbitrary arrangements.
> The number of notches and pattern typically
> correlates with the outer diameter of the cup,
> so a larger or smaller cup
They are very arbitrary. Abbey makes about 10 different tools to fit the different variations out there. There’s no good reason for so many diameters/spline patterns for a bottom bracket cup, except to make s(#* proprietary, more expensive, and more difficult to work on.
The only bb standard I care about is 1.37 in x 24 TPI. These proprietary notched cups are all for threaded bbs. I’d rather live in a threaded world even if it means building more cups for 15 bucks a pop.