Specifically ones meant for smaller bb’s such as the Velo orange eccentric bottom bracket? (https://velo-orange.com/products/eccentric-bottom-bracket-bsa). Or do you think a reliable chain tensioner would be the best way to go?
This is for a bridge club (vertical drop outs) Alfine build.
should add that this would be used for trips no longer than two weeks
Thank you!
by larzlayik
5 Comments
What is the concern?
What are you going to do with a traditional bb, service it in the field with the wrench you aren’t carrying?
I’d find a frame with adjustable dropouts… Eccentrics and tensioners are both annoying.
That said, I’ve been running an ancient Forward Components external eccentric for 14 years on a Salsa La Cruz. It works, though they are fiddly to adjust, can eat up bearings due to misalignment, and have limited adjustment range (you might need half links, which in turn means no narrow-wide chainrings).
Basically, if the frame was free then they can work as a problem solver, but I’d hesitate to design a new build around it if I could have Paragon sliders instead.
While the chain tensioners I’ve had have been quite heavy-duty, I stayed away from them for my bikepacking bike because I take that bike on planes & packing a bike without a derailleur or tensioner is less work & that dangly bit is one more potential point of failure I can avoid with an ebb set-up.
Re: ebb vs adjustable dropouts, my experience has been that ebbs require attention more frequently, often to adjust chain tension, while the adjustment of sliding dropouts is a rare occurrence but a more complex process.
Eccentric bbs for bikepacking are fine. Look at the tumbleweed Prospector for an example. Whether this specific one is durable, I’m not sure.
Email VO and ask them.
Did light offroad bikepacking dragging a Bob trailer on my Ocho for years, plus the same bike is my year round daily driver since 2008. Still don’t have any issues with the ebb.
https://www.reddit.com/r/xbiking/comments/pdyiqq/300km_4000m_ele_bikepacking_no_suspension_al_8/