Chris King

Mountain Bottom Bracket - SRAM

Everyone knows that Chris King is the most respected manufacturer of finicky components like headsets and bottom brackets. CK has been killing Shimano-compatible components for years, so it's great to see the SRAM Mountain Bottom Bracket, which packs the same quality into a BB that's compatible with SRAM, Truvativ, and Bontrager GXP cranksets with stepped 24mm axles.

The cups hold 24 stainless-steel balls in each cartridge bearing, and have King's awesome easy-to-clean design—to clean them, just squirt in clean oil and it'll do the rest all by itself. You can change out thicker and thinner oils in the same way, so you can usa a lower-friction oil on race day and a heavier-duty liquid for everyday riding.