The Howitzer got an upgrade, but since it didn’t get a facelift, you can’t notice the difference by looking. However, taking the Howitzer apart, you’ll see the difference right away. The seals are better, which means water and grit will have a harder time getting in. The bearings are bigger, which means they’ll roll easier, last longer, and take more abuse.

The Howitzer Team Bottom Bracket is based around the Howitzer chromoly spindle. The spindle rolls on double-sealed, oversized cartridge bearings that are housed outside the bottom bracket shell. The bearings sit in CNC’ed alloy cups. The cups are English-threaded and silver, which makes the inevitable scratches harder to see. There are three versions of the bottom bracket. The first, for 68 or 73mm width bottom bracket shells and a 51mm chainline is for people running triple cranks. The second, for a 68 or 73mm shell and a 56mm chainline, is for people running a bashguard in place of the outer chainring and have either a single or double ring inside the bashguard. The third is designed for an 83mm bottom bracket shell—something we’re seeing more and more on bigger-hit bikes—and a 56mm chainline. 365g.