Salsa Chili Con Crosso BB30 Issues

If you have a Salsa Cycles Chili Con Crosso with a press-fit BB30 bottom bracket you may want to bring it in for a little service. These bottom brackets have an issue with the cup that holds the bearings coming loose and then making strange noises while being ridden. The solution for this is to Loctite the bearing cups into the frame.

In the building process the Bottom Bracket is being pressed in without a retaining compound. Then after force is applied, like riding, the cup that holds the bearing in place comes loose and spins in the frame.

This is what happened when we took the crankset off of a brand new Chili Con Crosso from the West Bank location. While pulling the crank out the cup came with, this is not good.

Drive side Bottom Bracket cup pulled right out of the frame.

This is what the frame will look like, see how half the bearings are now just sitting in the frame. These need to be taken out as well. If nothing is done it will eventually come loose and we have to do this process over again.

Non-Drive side cup still in frame waiting.

Using the fantastic Park Tool BBT-30.3, we can knock out the other cup and then Loctite that cup in as well.

BBT-30.3, the tool for the job.

Now that we have both cups out we can start the process to reinstall them.

Press-Fit BB30 cups with no frame.

Using Loctite 609 and Loctite 7649 Primer, we can make the bearings stay in place. Using the primer cleans the frame surface, and hardens the Loctite quicker. After the primer dries the Loctite is applied and the cups are pressed back in.

The needed Loctite for this operation.

This is what the frame looks like after the cups are back in the frame.

A Chili frame with cups in place.

All that is left is to wait for the Loctite to dry and then reinstall the crankset. This is a problem that is happening on Salsa Chili Con Crossos with a Press-fit BB30 Bottom Bracket. If you have one then it might be a good idea to bring it in so we can take a look and see if you need some Loctite.