ADVICE WITH BB REPLACEMENT ON OLD RALEIGH ROAD BIKE

[Slowgrind]

CAN ANYONE OFFER ADVICE ON WHAT COMPONENTS I MIGHT NEED TO ASK FOR WHEN I COME TO REPLACE A WORN BB? THE BIKE IS AN OLD RALEIGH ROAD BIKE THAT I WOULD LIKE TO KEEP GOING IF I CAN. WHEN I LAST VISITED MY LBS. WITH IT THE CHAP THERE SAID THAT I SHOULD FIT LONGER PEDAL CRANKS TO IMPROVE THE BIKES FIT FOR MY SIZE? ANY ADVICE WILL BE GLADLY RECEIVED. I READ A SIMILAR LINK TO THIS ON SATURDAY BUT THE ADVICE WAS NOT SPECIFIC ENOUGH FOR ME TO CARY OUT THIS ALTERATION. CHEERS B.C.

 

[gbb]

I dd my Raleigh Clubman last year Slowgrind. Replaced the old axle / bearing / cups with a cartridge...easy.
Which one ? depends on your setup i suppose.
Otherwise, you need to know the BB shell width (68mm seems to ring a bell...dont quote me, check) and the axle length...oh, and i assume you'll want an english thread.
You'll want a splined socket to do the cartridge (Mine is the same as my cassette tool ).and a crank removal tool.

Assuming your old cups arent siezed, its a piece of cake to do.

 

[Tail End Charlie]

Replacing the bottom bracket should be easy. Measure width of bracket shell and overall axle width and get a BB in the same sizes. The Raleigh will be English threaded.
You can re-use the cranks, but if you decide to change, you will need a new chainset whcih adds to the price. Personally I cannot tell the difference between a 170 and 175 crank. I know there must be some, but I cannot notice it.
If I were you, I'd change the BB and then just ride.

 

[Slowgrind]

Thanks for your quick replies. Armed with that information I will check out some of the lbs`s in my area to see what sort of cost these alterations amount to. I saw your reply on a previous thread gbb and that prompted my enquiry, thanks. The technical info Tail End Charlie should help too, cheers. The pedal crank length that the lbs guy recommended was 180mm. I developed a problem with a pedal crank when it came loose about 15miles from home and I had to travel the distance with the pedal flopping about. fortunately my lbs. had a spare.

 

[tyred]

If it is an old Nottingham built machine, it will possibly have non standard 26 TPI threading on the bb cups and a wider than normal bb spindle.

 

[Saddle bum]

If it is an old Nottingham built machine, it will possibly have non standard 26 TPI threading on the bb cups and a wider than normal bb spindle.

S'right. IIRC, some Raleighs can be tricky in the BB area and threaded headset.

See

http://sheldonbrown.com/raleigh26.html

 

[gbb]

If it is an old Nottingham built machine, it will possibly have non standard 26 TPI threading on the bb cups and a wider than normal bb spindle.

Wow..i did'nt know that when i did mine. I must have been lucky (although the BB i was fitting came with crankset, which is what i was particually interested in. The BB being the correct fitting was just a bonus).

IIRC, my Clubmans an 80s frame, and the BB i fitted was quoted as English thread.

 

[tyred]

I think later high end bikes from Raleigh (late 70s onwards) had cotterless cranks and standard bb. If you're looking at an old Raleigh with cotters and intend to upgrade to modern running gear, do your homeowrk as it probably will be the 26TPI thread.

 

[Slowgrind]

Thanks all , any advice is very helpful. My bike has cotterless cranks. The cranks are held on with a nut that attaches to the bb spindle. I think that I will present the old gubbins to my lbs. for a modern alternative. When I spoke to them before about replacing the drive train I was told that it would not be financially worth the effort of doing an upgrade. And that they could sell me another bike for a few hundred quid. That would work out better in the long run. But a new bike would not have the charisma that my old steed has.