You can thank Fly for this bastard child of a Spanish bottom bracket and an integrated headset. From what I can tell, the bearings drop in (like an integrated headset), and then you tighten the spacer setup up to hold everything in place. Why the cranks can't hold everything together like they do virtually every other modern bottom bracket, I have no idea. (Although maybe it has something to do with not needing a middle tube spacer.) Also, it appears that they will require some sort of proprietary bottom bracket shell. Of course! They're like external bearing cups only without the cups.
I also like that Fly trumpets "no more hammers!" First off, most civilized people use a bearing press, whether it be store-bought or homemade, when popping in a bottom bracket. Secondly, how many times do you find yourself installing and removing bottom bracket bearings? Seems like yet another solution in search of a problem. Or a way to make sure people have to buy YOUR bottom bracket when they buy YOUR frame. Jerks.
Maybe every company should use a slightly different proprietary bottom bracket bearing. Fit and S&M could have the "California Bottom Bracket," Standard could have the "Iowa Bottom Bracket," Macneil could have the "Canadian Bottom Bracket," etc., etc.
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Hey Bicycling, we know that BMX is in the Olympics this year and you want to seem all in the know. That's terrific. But next time try a little harder, huh? Because this is seriously embarassing. And this isn't all that much better (the brief history of BMX in there is amazing).
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Today's video:
