Ignite Components Showcase Bottom Bracket with Easy Bearing Extraction

Whether press fit or threaded, bottom brackets have got better in recent years. Things have definitely improved in terms of reliability, duration, quietness, sealing, or ease of sourcing the right replacement and fitting. In fact, the BSA threaded standards seem to have undergone something of a resurgence, with brands and riders sometimes preferring the easy installation and removal process.

Although it's hard to imagine a completely fresh take on the bottom bracket, given the limitations of having an axle running through two bearings, Ignite Components have come to the task with an open mind and a design that tackles one of the main problems of the modern BB - the whole assembly being consumable and not just the bearings.

No matter what style of BB you use, you often have to chuck the whole assembly and sleeve when all you really want to do is replace the bearing itself. Ignite Components have provided at least part of a solution, with the option of driving out the old bearings with pre-installed threaded bolt-holes. The two bolt holes mean that you should also be able to push the bearing parallel to its sleeve, meaning that the new bearings should be housed more securely with less chance of play and greater shelf life.

The bottom bracket can use either NTN or SKF bearings. The outer interface is hex-shaped, hopefully meaning the end user needs one less special tool. With the bearing extractors built in, removal should be simple, and Ignite even provide a press to install the new bearings.

There is a US patent pending and Ignite says the bottom bracket will be available at the back end of 2022 and will retail for around $200, which, regardless of the ease of service or longevity is expensive for a BB. However, small-batch manufacturing of bespoke parts will always have an associated cost. There will also be a heavy-duty version called the "FFP" using larger thicker 6906 bearings.