text: BB386EVO - FSA EXPLAINS THE NEW SYSTEM
  CATEGORIES - HEADSETS - TRADITIONAL THREADLESS - INTERNAL / ZS STYLE - INTEGRATED HEADSETS - ONEPOINTFIVE HEADSETS - TAPERED HEADSETS - THREADED HEADSETS - ANGLE HEADSETS - HEADSETS TOOLS - CRANKSETS - ROAD CRANKSETS - SPECIALTY CRANKSETS - MTB CRANKSETS - OLD GRAPHIC - CHAINRINGS - ROAD CHAINRINGS - MTB CHAINRINGS - CHAINRING BOLTS - BOTTOM BRACKETS - BB30 FRAMES - PRESS-FIT FRAMES - PRESS-FIT 30 FRAMES - BBRIGHT FRAMES - BB386EVO FRAMES - BSA FRAMES - CHAINS - HANDLEBARS - ROAD HANDLEBARS - MTB HANDLEBARS - OLD GRAPHIC - STEMS - OLD GRAPHIC - BRAKESETS - OLD GRAPHIC - SEATPOSTS - OLD GRAPHIC - BOTTLE CAGE - WHEELSETS - WHEELSET ROAD - WHEELS ACCESSORIES - OLD GRAPHIC - ACCESSORIES - PRODUCTS - TOOLS - SPARE PARTS - CLOTHES SERIES - K-FORCE - SL-K - TEAM ISSUE - ENERGY - GOSSAMER - OMEGA - VERO - TEMPO - AFTERBURNER - V-DRIVE SERIES - COMET SERIES - NO SERIES - NEWS - TEAM NEWS - TECH NEWS - ABOUT US - PARTNERS - FSA BIKE DEALER LOCATOR 11/29/2011 - TECH NEWS!BB386EVO FSA EXPLAINS THE NEW SYSTEM BB386EVO is based on the existing BB30 system. The revolution of the 30mm spindle opened the door for the most significant improvement in crank design in many years. BB30 raised the bar for crank set weight, stiffness, and design. The key is the 30mm diameter alloy spindle, formed in a high-pressure, low-speed extrusion process. The 30mm spindle improved torsional stiffness, while reducing the spindle, and increasing the contact area between the crank arm and the spindle. The BB386EVO design simply modifies the BB30 design to a wider width, and incorporates a press fit bearing cup, rather than the direct fit bearing of the BB30 system. This slight modification allows the adaptability of the design to other BB shells, and gives the frame builder more landscape to craft their frames.
  The wider BB386EVO shell allows greatly increased surface area, up to a diameter of around 83mm, so the shape of the tubes can be further modified to achieve the ride performance frame designers want. A standard 68mm BB shell width allows a down tube or seat tube diameter of around 63mm maximum. The BB386EVO system allows a much more generous area, up to around 80-81mm. This solution can really increase frame stiffness and using the press fit cups allows the frame maker to eliminate any alloy insert into the BB shell, for a big weight reduction.
  From the component makers perspective, the BB386EVO system allows the flexibility to fit many more frames. The BB386EVO uses the proven 30mm alloy spindle, which already is known to reduce weight and improve stiffness. Mating this to the wider BB shell, and press fit cups, allows this crankset to fit not only the 386EVO BB shell, but also to be adaptable to threaded frames, and to BB30 frames. The wider BB shell allows chain stays to be optimized, with either a greater thickness, or a wider spacing, to allow greater stiffness, plus better tire clearance, and a narrower BB shell.
  The crankset is able to keep a normal Q-factor, while being adaptable to three different bottom bracket systems. FSA will offer BB adapters that will allow this crankset to have the widest range of adaptability of any crankset we produce. Thus, the BB386EVO crankset can eliminate the need to offer different crankset models for the different BB standards. FSA will be able to offer one crankset that will fit all three, and still be lighter and stiff than our current MegaExo option.
  'One for all, all for one'. The BB386EVO is all about adaptability. The BB386EVO Crank will fit multiple frame BB standards and the BB386EVO BB design allows the use of crank sets with the ؘ24mm integrated spindle by simple bearing adapters which reduce the ؘ30mm bearings to fit the ؘ24mm spindle, in addition to our BB386EVO crank.
  FSA will also offer simple bottom brackets and adapters to allow one crank set to fit all three types of frames, thus simplifying both the sales and assembly process, and eliminating the need for retailers to stock three different types of crank sets to service their customers. The BB386EVO crankset will not only fit all of these bottom bracket types, but will also offer greatly improved performance compared to ؘ24mm integrated systems, and reduced weight. One crank can do it all.
  BB386EVO is already in by several brands, and we expect more adopters to take advantage of this design.
  There have always been many standards of BB in the market. Those of us old enough will remember French threading, Swiss threading, as well as English and Italian. The Bike market follows trends that continue innovation. As opportunities arise to really improve performance, or adaptability, we believe the industry will adopt them, provided they make sense. Thanks to this new standard, cross platform adaptability, lighter weight, and increased BB surface area can now be had with one system.
  BB386EVO is more adaptable to a wider range of bike frames, while lowering the weight and improving the stiffness over 24mm diameter integrated crank sets, and allows bike frame designers more room to optimize their performance.
  In time it is possible that we will see the BB386EVO system also on CycloCross and MTB frames, since the benefits: weight reduction, stiffness increase and better clearance between the chain stays, make sense here also. However, wider width designs that use large shell OD, like BB386EVO will have to be concerned with chain ring interference issues with triple MTB cranks.