Is The Wolf Tooth Bottom Bracket Worth It? Part 2

Missed Part 1? Read the article here.

Last year Wolf Tooth released their BSA bottom bracket, and I picked up a DUB version to test out on my go-to ride, the Transition Sentinel. It’s endured months of dusty bike park laps and plenty of mud — enough to overwhelm even the best bearing seals. While I didn’t clean the bike with a pressure washer, I’ve been known to be a bit overzealous with the jet on the garden hose.

As you can see from the pics, before cleaning the bottom bracket, it was caked with mud and old grease. Upon first inspection, one bearing felt brand new, and the other had just a slight bit of grittiness — pretty consistent with other high-end bottom brackets I’ve used. Wolf Tooth has designed the BB to be easily serviced with simple tools. While you could do this service with the BB still installed in the frame, I wanted to see if grime had made its way past the seals and into the frame.

A pick or small flat head can be used to remove the bushing and expose the bearing. As expected, there was a good bit of muck that made it past the outer seal, most of which was trapped between the inner seals. Very little made it beyond those those myriad of seals. The inside of the frame was bone dry and looked almost unused — good to know, especially if installed in a steel frame. Cleaning off the seals and regreasing everything was quick and easy. Once cleaned out and reassembled, the bit of grittiness went away, and both bearings spin effortlessly.

Wolf Tooth obviously did their homework when designing this bottom bracket. It comes in all the spindle styles and includes a center sleeve and necessary spacers. The additional seals provide solid protection for the bearings. I’ve had no issues or noises associated with the bottom bracket. If you’re looking for a high-quality, Made in the USA bottom bracket, the offerings from Wolf Tooth are definitely contenders.