Jang Posted April 27, 2004 Report Share Posted April 27, 2004 did a search, couldn't find nothing, tried putting in things like isis vs square, isis, square and couldn't find it.. I remember a thread YONKS ago that pointed out the obvious.. so I thought if I posted here the thread, people put the pro's and con's then it could be moved to the FAQ once the relevant info has been put in here. so, range of bb/price, strength etc .. common ffulll on isis vs sq war please :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Burrows Posted April 28, 2004 Report Share Posted April 28, 2004 If you want strong BB axles then get ISIS. If square taper is strong enough for you then stick with it! ISIS isn't worth the money and hassle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papa Manual Posted April 28, 2004 Report Share Posted April 28, 2004 ISIS isn't worth the money and hassle. Definitely agreed! Mine were dodgy but my square tapered ones are great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biketrialler Posted April 28, 2004 Report Share Posted April 28, 2004 Yea ive never had problems with square ever since I started riding 6 or more years ago! I snapped a 2 year old LX BB a few weeks ago... thats the only problem ive had ever! Whereas all the new riders in the area keep having their ISIS cranks f**k up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henri estonia Posted June 1, 2004 Report Share Posted June 1, 2004 go for ISIS no problems with rounded cranks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted June 2, 2004 Report Share Posted June 2, 2004 Square tapers imo are superior to isis in many ways. for a start if your cranks do happen to come loose and you don't notice instead of being f*cked for ever all you have to doo is tighten them more so the crank is pushed further up the taper and they will be tight as if they were new again. With isis because the splines are nto tapered this cannoty be done and you will have a £140 set of paper weights (inthe case of middleburns. Also ISIS bottomo brackets all seem to have the shittest bearings ever, all my mates with ISIS cranks are constantly moaning about their bb's being shit and borken in some way or another. I have never had an idduse with any of my square taper bb's. Square tapers don't round off unless your are a complete Moron and don't tighten them up, this doesn't have to be done often either, maybe once every 3 months at the most and they will be fine. get square taper, unless you enjoy paying more for aninferior product, that is likely to break sooner and irrepairably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Arnold Posted June 2, 2004 Report Share Posted June 2, 2004 I have seen far more stripped square fitting cranks than I have seen stripped isis cranks. the first isis bb's were crap. the newer isis bb's arent worse than square bb's!!!! what the hell are you talking about! there is no reason for them to be worse! (cool off Will :(" ) isis crank/bb interface is stiffer (apparently) the isis crank/bb interface doesn't creak it isnt too hard to keep isis crank bolts tight is it? I had to tighten my crank bolts only a few times when I got them and I havent touched them since! the isis bb's and cranks arent hard to seperate, the square ones tend to be harder to part. I think thats it :angry: Will :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ducko Posted June 4, 2004 Report Share Posted June 4, 2004 jus make sure u buy a gd set of cranks and a gd bb:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbo666 Posted June 5, 2004 Report Share Posted June 5, 2004 buy isis there the best (Y) . don't mess up your cranks as much and are alot stronger. there extra money save you money in the long run becuase you wont need to replace cranks as much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTM Posted June 9, 2004 Report Share Posted June 9, 2004 buy isis there the best (Y) . don't mess up your cranks as much and are alot stronger. there extra money save you money in the long run becuase you wont need to replace cranks as much. these are all totally nieve points (not just pickin on you mate) ISIS is a seriously flawed system. Once the cranks have been on and off a few times they are knackered, you cant tighten them on any further due to the stopper, rendereing them useless. Imo square taper was, and still is far superior if albeit slightly weaker. But they are quite hard to kill! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nb88 Posted June 9, 2004 Report Share Posted June 9, 2004 these are all totally nieve points (not just pickin on you mate) ISIS is a seriously flawed system. Once the cranks have been on and off a few times they are knackered, you cant tighten them on any further due to the stopper, rendereing them useless. Imo square taper was, and still is far superior if albeit slightly weaker. But they are quite hard to kill! I agree with you mate... I've never used ISIS cranks but considering the cost, and from what I've heard from numberous people....why bother? There is nothing wrong with tapered cranks at all. The cranks are cheaper, good BBs come as low as £15 (shimano UN52) and all you need to do is keep them tight! Noz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTM Posted June 9, 2004 Report Share Posted June 9, 2004 it isnt even the extra money though, if they were better id happily pay for them, but in reality your paying more money for a worse setup! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Burrows Posted June 9, 2004 Report Share Posted June 9, 2004 I have seen far more stripped square fitting cranks than I have seen stripped isis cranks. the first isis bb's were crap. the newer isis bb's arent worse than square bb's!!!! what the hell are you talking about! there is no reason for them to be worse! Yes there is Will (Y). The bearings have to be smaller due to the larger axle, and so they can die quite quickly. The cranks are also way easier to round as a number of people have explained in this thread :D. As I have said before the only reason to go to ISIS is if you want strong axles. Snapping axles is not a nice experience and can easily lead to a lot of pain. Though you may find it is cheaper to replace a normal bb every 6 months or so for £12, than to replace an ISIS BB for £30+ when the bearings die (which could be well under 6 months if you are a hard rider). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Garland Posted June 9, 2004 Report Share Posted June 9, 2004 Whereas all the new riders in the area keep having their ISIS cranks f**k up! Barney can screw any piar of cranks up, if they were the new un-roundable cranks he would manage to. IMO if your bike originally came with sq.taper stay with it, ifit came with ISIS stay with it, the pro's and cons weigh out in the end. Bearings in ISIS are smaller but I've got a year old truvativ bb which is still going strong, the tapers do seem to round abit easier if taken off alot but how many people take their cranks off more than once a month. The axles are stronger in ISIS bb's and can be hollowed out without loosing too much strenth. Ive never run Sq.taper so I can't comment much on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomm Posted June 15, 2004 Report Share Posted June 15, 2004 Although I do love my ISIS 'burns, and they haven't caused me any trouble, if I was buying them, I'd probably go for sqaure. It just seems like fewer people have had trouble with sqaure - it's a safer bet (Y) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sstein Posted April 1, 2008 Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 Everyone has their own choice when it comes to BB style choice. Square taper is in no way stronger and it is much easier to ruin the fitting however it is cheaper and the bearings last longer. Isis is much stronger but the bearings are to small and are easily ruined. I personally use the Truvativ Howitzer Isis system, it weighs a ton but it is super strong, ultra reliable and relatively cheap, but each person has to make the choice for themselves, never ride with anything just because someone else says that it is right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oli Smith Posted July 19, 2008 Report Share Posted July 19, 2008 I wouldnt dare use sqaue taper. Just by the looks of them! Isis look strong and have a bulk look towards them. Which gives me a sense that they'll hold as I drop off a wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefletch Posted July 23, 2008 Report Share Posted July 23, 2008 If you want strong BB axles then get ISIS. If square taper is strong enough for you then stick with it! ISIS isn't worth the money and hassle.Correct, but what you fail to mention is that the bigger ISIS axle means that ISIS BBs use smaller bearings, and this is my main issue with ISIS. The echo external combats this (or atleast should); by having the bearings externally they can incorporate bigger bearings, the best of both worlds. My echo external BB is however shafted, but lasted a year so not too bad. I would personally NEVER go back to square taper, round far too easily I don't care what cranks people say don't round, they will certainly round more than ISIS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hI-OOPS-CAPS Posted August 19, 2008 Report Share Posted August 19, 2008 only drawback to isis is the price apparently.isis are more stiff (and im equating equivalent ranged bb's - not a top end square taper vs supercheap isis)i rounded a fair few square tapers, thats was just learning. before pedal kicks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy_k Posted August 31, 2008 Report Share Posted August 31, 2008 I was just looking back at some old photos and my bike had middleburns. I've only ever bought one pair and they are square taper. The photos are from 2002 so that makes them at least six years old, likely to be older than that though. If I had to buy some more I'd go for the square tapers again without a doubt. The pair I have aren't showing any signs of rounding so it could be another 6 years before I have to worry about that. I have snapped a bb axle though. But for the last 12 months I've been running a viz hollow axle bb and it seems fine.Just make sure you use bearing fit on the tapers when you put your cranks on. And I always put a little on the crank bolt threads too as it will stop them working loose. Mine have never creaked! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muel Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 I've always preferred ISIS, it's stronger, stiffer and lighter, and you can get a really good ISIS BB for around £35 these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Motivator Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 Mostly depends on what cranks you have and how much cash you are willing to part with.With good quality cranks...Sq. Taper: Strong, plenty of space for decent bearings, cost effective to replace the BB.ISIS: Stronger, stiffer, these days you can get a very good BB with good bearings for around £35-40.With cheap cranks...Sq. Taper: SHOCKING.ISIS: Better option, they wont "round off". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forteh Posted September 8, 2008 Report Share Posted September 8, 2008 Ive always had square taper and never rounded a crank or BB, neither have I snapped an axle.Currently using a hope ti square taper BB with my middleburns and Im not in the least bit concerned about it, 6al4v has a yeild strength of over double that of chromoly - the whole BB weighs 194g Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alle.C Posted June 16, 2010 Report Share Posted June 16, 2010 it's simple... isis owns square Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.