Cane Creek Hellbender 70 BSA 24mm Bottom Bracket

The Cane Creek Hellbender 70 bottom bracket might look like a big outlay, but with a complete lack of noises or any notchy feelings being evident, it could pay for itself over the course of a winter or two. It's simple to fit, and basically you can forget about it.

Cane Creek describes the Hellbender 70 as a premium bottom bracket designed for riders who value reliability and longevity but don't require the extreme dirt and mud resistance of the Hellbender Neo.

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The Hellbender Neo uses an oil-filled solid polymer matrix that fills any free space inside the bearing, which means the elements can't penetrate as there is nowhere for it to go.

That's probably a bit extreme for general road use, so Cane Creek has created the 70, with bearings made from 440C stainless steel, a dual lip seal, and marine grease for lubrication. Over the last three winter months it's proved to be untouched by wet weather, road spray, grit, salt and mud.

Here on test we've got the threaded BSA option for a 24mm axle. Fitting the Hellbender 70 is easy, as long as you have the required tool. You'll need a 46mm/12 notch tool used for the likes of SRAM's DUB system and a few others. You can pick them up on the likes of wiggle for about £15, so it's not too much of an investment.

In the box you get the two bearing cups, a central sleeve and dust caps for the bearings. You'll also find a 2.5mm spacer, but you only need to use that if your bike is fitted with Cane Creek's eeWings cranks.

All you need to do is grease up the threads, screw them into the frame, and keep tightening until you hit 40Nm.

I started testing the 70 back in December and since then I've been using it on my gravel bike to try to speed up the wear and tear and give it an all-round harder time than it would on my road bike.

Conditions have changed a lot, from dry and dusty trails at the beginning, through to early morning frosts that saw the roads coated in liquid salt, and then into storm season with all of the rain they brought.

My local gravel tracks have been pretty wet, with loads of wet mud, chalk and very fine grit being fired up from the front wheel. I haven't been taking it easy through the puddles either.

Getting back from each ride, I've been giving the bike a quick wash and a hose down. I normally avoid any areas with bearings, but the 70 was fair game for a bit of jet washing.

After all of this abuse, the Hellbender is still running very smoothly, as sweetly as it did when I fitted it, and is completely noise free.

Removing the dust covers, there are no signs of corrosion anywhere on the bearings, and I really don't see longevity being an issue. Three months is quite a short test for a bottom bracket, so I'll be keeping the Hellbender on the bike to see how it copes as we transfer into spring and summer.

> Bottom brackets – get the insider info on your bike’s beefiest bearing

With the Hellbender 70 costing £129.99 you are going to want it to last a long time, and I think it will. The anodised black finish that is coating the machined 6061-T6 aluminium alloy bearing cups is hardwearing and hasn't marked.

It's £25 more than Hope's equivalent bottom bracket – £105 and available in six colours – but while Chris King's offering comes with a five-year warranty compared with the Hellbender's one, it will set you back £200.

To put things into perspective, a Shimano Ultegra BBR60 unit has a retail price of around £35.

Conclusion

Overall, I've been very impressed with this unit. It's only been a short test so far, but it is standing up to the elements. It's a bit of an outlay, but if it outlasts cheaper units by a considerable margin then it will pay for itself over time.

Verdict

Simple to fit and long-lasting bottom bracket that looks to shun the elements