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SM-BB52 vs BB-MT800

Bicycles Asked by Art Gertner on January 8, 2021

My SM-BB52 is reaching its end of life. It is third time I am replacing it over last decade. Generally cannot complain as new fitted part usually lasts me 2-3 years and replacement procedure is rather painless. For a part that costs ~£15 this is better than average.

I was thinking of replacing it with a higher spec part this time around. Because why not?

BB-MT800 from XT range appears to be the next thing from Shimano.

Does anyone have any first hand experience in upgrading from SM-BB51/52 to BB-MT800.

Some minimal searching on the interwebz only shows that there is a difference in BB tool interface: BB-MT800 needs a smaller tool and there is a plastic adapter usually included in the package. But what about performance? Are they better built? Do they last longer? Any advice appreciated.
Will also consider advice for other parts as long as the price does not break the bank.

Thanks

One Answer

I have a Shimano Deore FC-M591-S (silver) crankset on my touring bike. It came with SM-BB52. I also bought a BB-MT800 into my stock of spare parts. I have not installed the BB-MT800 because the SM-BB52 has not yet failed.

I can't say anything about the relative quality between SM-BB52 and BB-MT800, as I have not installed the BB-MT800 yet (and thus it hasn't failed and therefore I do not have its longevity figures), and because I have not caused a failure of the SM-BB52 yet so I don't have longevity figures for it either.

I picked the BB-MT800 into my stock of spare parts based on its price point. It in my opinion doesn't seem sensible to buy a cheaper part than BB-MT800 because to install the part it requires some amount of labor (I have to remove and install the crankset, and not only that -- my touring bike has a chainguard and that also needs to be removed and installed). Because labor has a high value, it makes sense to use that labor to install a high-grade part rather than a low-grade part.

The FC-M591-S came with a cheap bottom bracket, but if this wasn't the case, I probably would have bought a more expensive BB than the SM-BB52 in the first place.

The plastic adapter TL-FC25 seems to be included in the box. I have TL-FC32 but the plastic adapter can also be used with the TL-FC36.

Correct answer by juhist on January 8, 2021

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