Enduro Bearings

XD-15 Ceramic Bottom Bracket

Let's face it, since bottom bracket bearings were moved outside the shell, we haven't seen much advancement, contrary to what we've been told by anyone who makes a bottom bracket. Sure, ceramic bearings have given us a material option, and their use in most instances offers reduction in frictional losses. It wasn't until Enduro released this XD-15 Ceramic Bottom Bracket that we've had a real game changer. What's the difference you might ask? On the outside, it looks just like any other external bearing bottom bracket assembly save for the luscious anodized colors of the cups.

The truth is that the XD-15 is different than other bottom brackets at its very heart -- the bearings. Where every comparable bottom bracket assembly relies on radial contact cartridge bearings, the XD-15 uses an angular contact design. It's almost a throwback to the days of square taper spindles, before cartridge type bottom brackets. If ...the XD-15 is different at its very heart. The angular contact bearings allow for precision adjustment unseen in bottom brackets in years... you remember that far back, bottom bracket bearings were of an angular contact design. This allowed the most particular mechanics to fine tune the preload on the bearing set to that point of perfection between zero drag and the tiniest hint of play.

And here's a secret that shouldn't be one -- the loads on a bottom bracket were the same then as they are now, except for the fact that installation of the cranks didn't load the bearings back then. And sure, moving the bearings and increasing spindle diameters changes things a bit, but the basic radial and axial components are still there when we pedal or stand on the cranks. The current problem with standard sealed cartridge bottom bracket bearings is that they're not designed to bear much axial loading, if any at all. At the same time, most crank manufacturer's designs rely on axial loading as part of their recommended crank installation. Enduro has found this to be one of the culprits that leads to premature bearing wear. And the XD-15 eliminates this singular weakness of typical, modern external bearing bottom brackets.

The XD-15 is optimized from the outside in. Look at the cups. You'll see that they've machined away excess material on the outer diameter, actually removing every other tool notch. Careful installation will get it in place and torqued to spec, and the saving of a few more grams helps the XD-15 tickle the scales compared to the best from Shimano, FSA, and SRAM. Inside these featherweight cups is where the real action is. Enduro presses in ultra-hard and corrosion resistant nitrogen infused steel races for the Grade 3 Cerebec ceramic ball bearings to roll on. These high tech bearings are round to 3 millionths of an inch. The 3/16" balls are 3.5 times the diameter of what you'll find in Shimano and SRAM bottom brackets. With the superior materials and sizing in the races and bearings, Enduro isn't shy about offering a full one year warranty on the XD-15 Bottom Bracket.

The Enduro XD-15 Ceramic Bottom Bracket is available with either Black or Red anodized bearing cups. Its angular contact design allows an ultra-fine level of preload adjustment for super smooth crank operation and reduced friction as you pedal. It's compatible with 68mm English threaded bottom bracket shells and will work with Shimano Hollowtech 2, SRAM GXP (adapter sleeve included), Rotor, and FSA road cranks (NOT compatible with K-Force Light, SL-K Light, and SL-K Pro).