Things

Yesterday I received my new hand pump and bottom bracket from the boys at Crank Brothers. When looking for a new bottom bracket I was looking for three important things, Light, 108mm spindle length and a good quality bearing that will last more than the normal 5 months.

I found my bottom bracket with Crank Brothers. They make four different models, two "mountain" bottom brackets called the Cobalt that fit a 73 or 68 shell with either a chromo or titanium 113mm spindle and two "road" bottom brackets called Cyan that will also fit a 73 or 68 shell with either a chromo or titanium 108mm spindle. The only difference between the Bottom brackets is a bit of weight, spindle length and the seals the bottom bracket has. All bottom brackets come with a FIVE year warranty. The Ti bottom brackets retail for $180 while the Chromo ones go for $80.

Cyan Ti Bottom bracket

As far as the pump goes I saw a few in action at a race and I really like the design. They offer 4 different pump designs all with a lifetime warranty. I opted for the simplest/strongest design called the Power Pump Ultra or PPU which was a aluminum barrel with out a pressure gauge. It comes in a 175mm length and has a weight of 127.8g, 9.8 grams above the claimed of 118g. They have a switch that allows you to choose to pump for volume or pressure. So when you first stick the new tube in turn the dial to volume to get the east work done fast and when the pumping gets tough turn the dial to pressure for easier pumping. Pretty crafty eh? I let you know how both really work in the real world a few months from now.

Power Pump Ultra Pump