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Cane Creek Hellbender 70 BSA 24mm Bottom Bracket

8
£129.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Simple to fit and long-lasting bottom bracket that looks to shun the elements
Highly resistant to crap weather
Runs very smoothly
Plenty of fitment options
Not cheap
Weight: 
125g

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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.

> Buy this online here

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.

2021 Cane Creek HELLBENDER 70 BSA 24mm Bottom Bracket 4.JPG

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

2021 Cane Creek HELLBENDER 70 BSA 24mm Bottom Bracket 5.JPG

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.

2021 Cane Creek HELLBENDER 70 BSA 24mm Bottom Bracket 3.jpg

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

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Cane Creek Hellbender 70 BSA 24mm Bottom Bracket

Size tested: 24mm

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Cane Creek says, "Providing excellent durability and corrosion resistance, the Hellbender 70 Bottom Bracket will be an impactful and lasting upgrade to any bike."

It looks to be doing a great job of resisting the worst weather conditions.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Cane Creek lists:

Materials

Machined Aluminum Cups

Finish

Anodize Black

Bearings

440C Stainless Steel

Spindle Diameter

30mm – PF41/92 is 30mm spindle diameter only

29mm (DUB)

24mm (Shimano)

External Cup Installation Tool

12 notch 46mm tool

Bottom Bracket Variations and Weights

BSA Threaded (30mm bearing) – 92g

PF30 (30mm bearing) – 123g

BB30 (30mm bearing) – 100g

T47 (30mm bearing) – 141g

PF41/92 (30mm bearing only) – 78g

Warranty

1 year

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

It runs smoothly and is keeping the weather out.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Easy to fit.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Some tough competition on price out there.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

The Hope option is a good comparison and comes in at £105, so a fair bit cheaper. The Hellbender does look good value against the Chris King, though, especially if it continues to last and last.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

A well-made bottom bracket that's done an excellent job of fighting off the weather. A bit pricier than some very good competition, though.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 42  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: B'Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,

As part of the Tech Hub here at F-At Digital, our senior product reviewer Stu uses the knowledge gained from putting well over a 1,000 products through their paces (including hundreds of bikes) to write in-depth reviews of a huge range of kit. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 160,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. Although, as he spends a fair bit of his time reviewing ebikes these days he's becoming an expert in letting the motor take the strain. He's also waiting for 23mm race tyres to make a comeback!

Add new comment

4 comments

Avatar
Nixster | 1 year ago
1 like

Shimano's own Ultegra BB is fine and I have no reason to imagine that the cane creek one will outlast 4 of them...

Avatar
Stebbo replied to Nixster | 1 year ago
1 like

Completely agree. 

Avatar
srchar | 1 year ago
1 like

Are short-lived BBs a Shimano or SRAM thing? Campag UT bearings were still smooth after 15,000km on my last foul-weather commuter and replacements, when needed, cost £25 in a fancy box or £12 in a ziplock bag.

Avatar
IanMSpencer replied to srchar | 1 year ago
0 likes

In my days of fitting British threaded BBs, the extra £5 for Ultegra was worth it, and they were sound bearings - mind you I think the last time I fitted an Ultegra screw fit it was £25 on 10 speed. Stuck with press fit now  2

I have a mate with a super expensive £14k titanium bike with a super expensive BB and it was a nightmare, ceramic bearings that failed after about 2k miles. For British use, rain, salt etc. no point saving 2 or 3 BB's by paying 5 times the price, just get a normal BB and accept that 5k miles is good enough, though I think that I get about 10k miles out of my bearings.

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