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How are BB1’s so smooth w/o bearing supported pinion gear?

Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2019 7:51 pm
by NCbigbass
I don’t personally own one but have cleaned numerous of these now. Serious question,they are always soooo smooth and I just can’t figure it out given that they do not have a bearing on EITHER end of the pinion, compounded by the fact that they are almost exclusively used for baits with tons of resistance like deep cranks. Can’t say I have come across a rough one yet, kind of remind me of the old mean green Curado B’s. Any reel experts have any ideas?

Re: How are BB1’s so smooth w/o bearing supported pinion gear?

Posted: Sat Sep 07, 2019 8:48 pm
by Slazmo
We don't get Lews here so can't evaluate the spool shaft, but if it's anything like the full pinion and spool shaft contact like earlier Curado B's (unlike the BSF), can't have any pinion wobble if there's no room to move. The spool of the old Curado being supported by 3 bearings however, the pinion internal bushing against the spool shaft.

The new Tranx 200 is a similar animal however can be further modified, it'll be interesting to see how the gears last in comparison to the Curado K also...

Re: How are BB1’s so smooth w/o bearing supported pinion gear?

Posted: Sun Sep 08, 2019 12:51 am
by LgMouthGambler
You don't need dual supported pinion gear to be smooth. However, under a load, it helps to keep everything aligned tighter, which helps in heavier duty applications. The Bs and Es were some of the smoothest reels, especially the models based off the 50e, for me anyways. Having brass gears also helps to aid in the smooth feeling.

Re: How are BB1’s so smooth w/o bearing supported pinion gear?

Posted: Tue Sep 10, 2019 3:42 am
by DirtyD64
My BB1 Pro wasn't too bad, but I didn't think it compared to my original Tatula Type R, older Zillion TWS, Chronarch MGL, etc. I know some of those are more expensive and newer reels, but it didn't really stand out to me. Mine was the 7.1 BB1 though and I used it for some pretty deep cranks and heavier work.

Re: How are BB1’s so smooth w/o bearing supported pinion gear?

Posted: Tue Sep 10, 2019 7:25 am
by johnD
BB1 is a workhorse for sure, they remind me a lot of the old curados , E series and the ones before.
I have a 5:1 for 6xd's and those size baits , love it. I think most of the new reels you see from lew's , from here on out will have the P2 bearing supported pinion. They already have it in the MP that's coming out , it's $149 retail.

Re: How are BB1’s so smooth w/o bearing supported pinion gear?

Posted: Tue Sep 10, 2019 9:14 pm
by DirtyD64
johnD wrote:
Tue Sep 10, 2019 7:25 am
BB1 is a workhorse for sure, they remind me a lot of the old curados , E series and the ones before.
I have a 5:1 for 6xd's and those size baits , love it. I think most of the new reels you see from lew's , from here on out will have the P2 bearing supported pinion. They already have it in the MP that's coming out , it's $149 retail.
Only problem is... I am not sure it is a true dual support. I haven't checked all of the schematics in a while, but when they first announced this I looked at a schematic that made it look like there was one pinion bearing and 2 spool bearings that were "shared" by both. Again, I haven't taken a look at all of them, but I don't think it is exactly what Daiwa's free floating design offers or Shimano's X-ship.

https://www.lews.com/themes/lews_theme/ ... Manual.pdf

Take a look at that, part 155 is a bushing and should be a bearing in a true dual support design. I am not trying to be a hater either, just want people to know that sometimes clever naming makes things seem what they aren't. I have no issue with Lew's either, I love their rods and liked me BB1 PRO fine, just didn't quite maintain durability for me personally.

Re: How are BB1’s so smooth w/o bearing supported pinion gear?

Posted: Wed Sep 11, 2019 7:56 am
by johnD
DirtyD64 wrote:
Tue Sep 10, 2019 9:14 pm
johnD wrote:
Tue Sep 10, 2019 7:25 am
BB1 is a workhorse for sure, they remind me a lot of the old curados , E series and the ones before.
I have a 5:1 for 6xd's and those size baits , love it. I think most of the new reels you see from lew's , from here on out will have the P2 bearing supported pinion. They already have it in the MP that's coming out , it's $149 retail.
Only problem is... I am not sure it is a true dual support. I haven't checked all of the schematics in a while, but when they first announced this I looked at a schematic that made it look like there was one pinion bearing and 2 spool bearings that were "shared" by both. Again, I haven't taken a look at all of them, but I don't think it is exactly what Daiwa's free floating design offers or Shimano's X-ship.

https://www.lews.com/themes/lews_theme/ ... Manual.pdf

Take a look at that, part 155 is a bushing and should be a bearing in a true dual support design. I am not trying to be a hater either, just want people to know that sometimes clever naming makes things seem what they aren't. I have no issue with Lew's either, I love their rods and liked me BB1 PRO fine, just didn't quite maintain durability for me personally.
Correct , it's a marketing gimmick and it's not anything like x-ship. But , it is supported nonetheless. And a du bushing does require less maintenance.

Re: How are BB1’s so smooth w/o bearing supported pinion gear?

Posted: Wed Sep 11, 2019 4:51 pm
by mark poulson
It looks to me like there are three bearings on the spool shaft. 107, 89, and 55.
89 is right next to the 155 bushing, so there doesn't seem like there's room for the shaft to flex enough to wear on that bushing.
Of course, that's what it looks like to me, and what do I know? :lol: :lol: :lol:

Re: How are BB1’s so smooth w/o bearing supported pinion gear?

Posted: Wed Sep 11, 2019 7:52 pm
by johnD
mark poulson wrote:
Wed Sep 11, 2019 4:51 pm
It looks to me like there are three bearings on the spool shaft. 107, 89, and 55.
89 is right next to the 155 bushing, so there doesn't seem like there's room for the shaft to flex enough to wear on that bushing.
Of course, that's what it looks like to me, and what do I know? :lol: :lol: :lol:
Correct. :lol:

Re: How are BB1’s so smooth w/o bearing supported pinion gear?

Posted: Sun Sep 15, 2019 11:27 pm
by DirtyD64
Yeah, my point was just that it doesn't truly match what X-ship is, whether or not it makes a huge difference or makes a reel amazing I don't know. Didn't mean to down Lew's.