9/13/14 3:58 PM

Adapters are an issue to be aware of if your purchase is steering you into use of them.

The Roubaix came with a compact Sora HT-II crank with adapters from OSBB 30mm to HT-II 24mm crank axle. The adapters are expensive looking well finished machined, and tight fitting.

I pulled the Sora cranks after one short ride and put on 10 speed DuraAce cranks. Both are HT-II Shimano.

Was getting some snap crackle and pops after 40-50 miles. Tightened the side to side a little more and it was quiet for most of the next ride.

I popped on a Compact Ultegra HT-II crankset, same 50 miles then noise, argh. Pulled cleaned greased, noise now there from the start... eesshhh...

The Praxis BB insert to the OSBB shell is a fix apparently, but so would be a BB30 crankset I imagine. So why spend $85.00 on the BB when you could put it toward a BB30 crankset one might ask?

Last night I pulled cleaned and greased, and added an o-ring against the spider on the drive side. I used a high quality automotive hi-temp of maybe 1.5mm diameter rubber. So this 0-ring compresses when you tighten the side load cap before the crank are cinch bolts are tightened.

On the test ride, silent, and not a peep out of the system on this mornings ride. Using the Compact 6750 Ultegra crankset still.

It was a short ride, but more miles will tell.. I am hoping it is a permanent solution. I can not imagine the grief the use of these adapters may be causing for new bikes getting brought back for emitting this noise!! lot of forum rant about it too!

9/13/14 5:05 PM

The joys of adapters!
Think Wheels Manufacturing do an adapter as well as a replacement bottom bracket similar to the Praxis one.

Curious, do you have an alloy or carbon BB shell on your Roubaix?
Even with my Praxis BB, I have still had one or two clicks from time to time that I "think" are BB related, hard to tell where noises come from at times, but I have a carbon BB shell.

9/13/14 5:21 PM

"alloy or carbon BB shell on your Roubaix"

AL shell, and the sides are maybe 7-8 mm tall. but I saw no tap marks on the sides of the sleeve. I did notice the Wheels Manufacturing solution shows spacers for chainline dialing and making up minute width as well I am guessing...

I am not positive if only the S-Works have the carbon shell. But my guess is that the 8-10R are AL and the 11R and S-works are carbon shell. So that would be the Pro and S-Works I believe, at least I read that was the case with the SL4 Tarmacs.

I think I will tough it out for now and put a BB30 crankset in there at some point. Later if the o-ring keeps it quiet. I could live with the occasional pop, but more than that... Fuggeddabouddit

9/13/14 5:32 PM

Just saw a compatibility PDF from Specialized that specs the 'Wheels Manufacturing BB30-SHIM' for HT-II crank use in OSBB.

Also, the spec indicates 4mm wider for the carbon shell. There may well be the data point... I am going to check this next time I have it out, see if it is 4mm less.

There were no spacers in mine with the original cranks. Maybe my o-ring is the spacer I needed. ;)

9/14/14 5:13 AM

" the spec indicates 4mm wider for the carbon shell" - I know with the Praxis and the OSBB Carbon shell on the S-Works it need 2 additional sleeves (one on each side) inserted before the Praxis BB goes in compared to the alloy BB shell fitting.

with regard to chainline spacing, I think the Praxis is quite good there as when you tighten the drive side part of the BB you crank it down until it bottoms out to a machined stop within the non-drive side which is supposed to set the bearing width dead on Shimano's specs, rather than needing spacers etc.