This Sunday I swapped out Big Beef’s stock bottom bracket for the venerable and highly affordable Shimano UN54 square-taper bottom bracket. The UN54 is far superior to any OEM (original equipment manufacturer) bottom bracket. Fortunately, the Carrier Pigeon uses a very standard 68mm x 118mm, 24tpi bottom bracket, so replacing said OEM component is a snap, and the part is very affordable ($12 wholesale, $20 retail).

I decided to replace the bottom bracket because I started to feel and hear some very minor grumblings from Big Beef’s cranks. This is to be expected. The bottom bracket is one of the most important components on a bicycle, yet manufacturers often supply sub-par OEM components. For bikes that see a lot of high-torque, a poorly built bottom bracket will shred its bearings in no time. I expected that the Carrier Pigeon would likely need a new bottom bracket.

My wife’s $600+ Bianchi Milano shred its OEM bottom bracket in less than three months of less-than rigorous use. I’m assuming that manufacturers find that most people buy a bike and then simply don’t ride it very much, so a sub-par component will meet the needs of a typical buyer. Whatever the case, quality bottom brackets are not terribly expensive and well worth the upgrade.

One last note on the subject: the Carrier Pigeon’s stock bottom bracket cartridge threads were not greased by the manufacturer, nor were they coated with some sort of tightening sealer. Typically, you will see one or the other. I highly recommend that you ensure that your bottom bracket’s threads are well-greased, or coated with a locking sealer. Additionally, it doesn’t hurt to grease the square spindles prior to installing the crank arms. The Carrier Pigeon’s stock bottom bracket spindles are not greased by the manufacturer.