PpPete
Legendary Member
- Location
- Chandler's Ford
Recommend me a decent cheap Bottom bracket
- Thread starter Bigtallfatbloke
- Start date
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TimDanaher said:
When a bike frame is manufactured, the bottom bracket shell is often deformed. In addition paint residue is often left on the edge of the shell and on it’s threads. Therefore, in order to prevent the bottom bracket (bb) cups from being twisted off their ideal working axis, it is necessary to face and tap the bb shell (unless this operation has been preformed by the frame manufacturer)
Campag's words not mine.Source
As external bearings become more popular, manufacturers are becoming more likely to face the shell as part of manufacturing. My Racelight frame bought last year had been done. This certainly wouldn't of happened on a frame made a few years ago, it wouldn't be needed when using a BB with internal bearings.
I think either you need a "yet" in that statement, or the manufacturer did it before you got the frame, or you could just be lucky. Badly deformed and the crankset will never work properly, a little out and it'll work fine except the life of the bearings will be shortened.
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Bigtallfatbloke
New Member
..wow..lot's of info here..thanks!
Ok..now you have my mind going....
...my new Bianchi should arrive next week Yeeha! It is a campag veloce fitted bike. My galaxy has shimano deare tiagra.
The parts I am seeking are for my Brian Rourke frame (£30 off the ctc site). This frame is a 59cm and actually seems to fit me pretty well so I am happy to build it up but need to do it CHEAP given the cost of the bianchi.
The brain Rourke frame currently has a campag chorus 'threadless' (I think) headset (old alloy type) and a campag seat post also old alloy.
I am thinking therefore that i should try to find some campag cranks/chain wheels/rear/front mechs and BB(english )....in a similar vein to the shimano links sweapae99 kindly posted. Then as the Bianchi gets used/upgraded say in a year or twos time I will be able to take the veloce kit off the Bianchi and fit it onto the Rourke. I want to keep the Galaxy shimano because it is easily available everywhere on tour.
So I reckon I should try to hunt down some dirt cheap campag kit in the meantime....make sense? Old fashioned non sealed campag BB off ebay
like this??
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Campagnolo-Ve...39:1|66:2|65:12|240:1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
..only i reckon it will fetch more than I wan tto spend on it..
so that at least I can change the bearings if necessary....sounds like a sensible thing to me...which models are those then? What are they called?
Ok..now you have my mind going....
...my new Bianchi should arrive next week Yeeha! It is a campag veloce fitted bike. My galaxy has shimano deare tiagra.
The parts I am seeking are for my Brian Rourke frame (£30 off the ctc site). This frame is a 59cm and actually seems to fit me pretty well so I am happy to build it up but need to do it CHEAP given the cost of the bianchi.
The brain Rourke frame currently has a campag chorus 'threadless' (I think) headset (old alloy type) and a campag seat post also old alloy.
I am thinking therefore that i should try to find some campag cranks/chain wheels/rear/front mechs and BB(english )....in a similar vein to the shimano links sweapae99 kindly posted. Then as the Bianchi gets used/upgraded say in a year or twos time I will be able to take the veloce kit off the Bianchi and fit it onto the Rourke. I want to keep the Galaxy shimano because it is easily available everywhere on tour.
So I reckon I should try to hunt down some dirt cheap campag kit in the meantime....make sense? Old fashioned non sealed campag BB off ebay
like this??
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Campagnolo-Ve...39:1|66:2|65:12|240:1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
..only i reckon it will fetch more than I wan tto spend on it..
so that at least I can change the bearings if necessary....sounds like a sensible thing to me...which models are those then? What are they called?
swee'pea99
Legendary Member
One thing to watch out for - the Brian Rourke will have an English BB, the Bianchi an Italian. They are not interchangeable (English ones are reverse-threaded on the crank side.)
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Bigtallfatbloke
New Member
oh well...so much for that plan then
!...not much I can do about that though...
1) Just because the bike is Italian doesn't mean that it will have an Italian BB e.g. the Wiliers have British BBs
2) In addition to the British/Italian threads types, there are two types of square BB tapers - JIS (as used by Shimano) and ISO (as used by Campagnolo). Although the BBs and cranks can appear to be mixed, they won't fit properly so it's safest to fit BBs and cranks from the same manufacturer unless you know that they meet the same standard.
2) In addition to the British/Italian threads types, there are two types of square BB tapers - JIS (as used by Shimano) and ISO (as used by Campagnolo). Although the BBs and cranks can appear to be mixed, they won't fit properly so it's safest to fit BBs and cranks from the same manufacturer unless you know that they meet the same standard.
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Bigtallfatbloke
New Member
I will ask evans which type of thread my bianchi bike comes with.
Meanwhile ref the Rourke frame ...The previous owner tells me he used a shimano UN52 113mm on an unbranded double chainset with a 47T chainring on the inner. This gave a few mm clearance between the teeth and the chainring which apparently looks a little odd given a normal race bike set up. 109mm was likely to be to short.
The frame has a 130mm 'OLN' which has something to do with which wheelset & speed cassette I choose. Is this the axel size some wheel sets are quoted as having? So say i see '9x130' on a wheelset ad...does that mean 9 speed cassette will fit and the axle is 130OLN and as such would fit into my frame because my frame has 130OLN?
I have fitted it with wheels off the MBK french frame I have as well...they have a 6 speed cassette (free wheel? dunno the diff) which seem to fit ok for now anyway.
Meanwhile ref the Rourke frame ...The previous owner tells me he used a shimano UN52 113mm on an unbranded double chainset with a 47T chainring on the inner. This gave a few mm clearance between the teeth and the chainring which apparently looks a little odd given a normal race bike set up. 109mm was likely to be to short.
The frame has a 130mm 'OLN' which has something to do with which wheelset & speed cassette I choose. Is this the axel size some wheel sets are quoted as having? So say i see '9x130' on a wheelset ad...does that mean 9 speed cassette will fit and the axle is 130OLN and as such would fit into my frame because my frame has 130OLN?
I have fitted it with wheels off the MBK french frame I have as well...they have a 6 speed cassette (free wheel? dunno the diff) which seem to fit ok for now anyway.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
130mm is the frame spacing for the axel - that's standard for 7 - 11 speed now......
Shimano UN52 is fine - I use one on my commuter, all weathers - seen a year of use, no complaints. The sealed BB's from the likes of shimano, don't suffer any facing issues, as it's all contained in 1 unit, and the non-drive side lock 'ring' only serves to hold the lot in place.
The axel length depends upon chainset you decide to use - probably loads of info on Sheldon's site. It does vary by chainset, so be careful - too short and the chainrings will meet the frame......
Shimano UN52 is fine - I use one on my commuter, all weathers - seen a year of use, no complaints. The sealed BB's from the likes of shimano, don't suffer any facing issues, as it's all contained in 1 unit, and the non-drive side lock 'ring' only serves to hold the lot in place.
The axel length depends upon chainset you decide to use - probably loads of info on Sheldon's site. It does vary by chainset, so be careful - too short and the chainrings will meet the frame......
Jonathan M
New Member
- Location
- Merseyside
If you're building the bike yourself then also cost in the right tool (if you don't have it already) for whatever design you use. And its worth buying a decent quality tool to fit & remove BB's with, as some of the cheap ones are really nasty and unpleasant to use, and can increase the risk of incorrect fitting & frame damage.
One school of thought would be make a decision on what chainset you wish to use, and go from there, and maybe even just askyour LBS to supply & fit the BB for you. That could be cheaper than ebay + P&P + cost of fitting tool.
One school of thought would be make a decision on what chainset you wish to use, and go from there, and maybe even just askyour LBS to supply & fit the BB for you. That could be cheaper than ebay + P&P + cost of fitting tool.
TimDanaher
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Köln-Höme öf the Öther 'Dröme
BFTB --
I've had three Bianchi frames (all bought in the UK). ALL had English (BSA) bottom brackets.
P.H. -- thanks for that. All my frames are unpainted Titanium, so I'm hoping they've been pre-faced.
I've had three Bianchi frames (all bought in the UK). ALL had English (BSA) bottom brackets.
P.H. -- thanks for that. All my frames are unpainted Titanium, so I'm hoping they've been pre-faced.
swee'pea99
Legendary Member
Interesting what you learn hereabouts. I tried giving a Campagnolo chainset to a mate recently, but he returned it, saying it wouldn't fit on his old Motobecane. Now I start to understand some of the reasons why that might have been the case - at the time I was just baffled. And whoda thought Bianchis would have English BBs? Verily, I learn something new every day.
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Bigtallfatbloke
New Member
Pics of the 'bride of frankestein' bike so far here:
http://www.cyclechat.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=19930&page=3
http://www.cyclechat.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=19930&page=3
swee'pea99
Legendary Member
thirty squids eh? I think you got yourself a bargin there. (Can't answer any of your questions i'm afraid - too iggerant.)
Jonathan M
New Member
- Location
- Merseyside
swee said:
Landslide
Rare Migrant
- Location
- Called to the bar
Assuming you go down the square taper route (as this will be by far the cheapest option):
No matter what bits of kit you end up plumping for, pick your chainset first. This will determine the axle length required (check via Google etc.).
(As any quick Google will tell you, there are many different BB axle lengths available. This is to ensure that the chainset is placed in the correct position relative to the frame, thus ensuring the correct chainline.)
The 68mm/73mm dimension refers to the width of the BB shell. Simply measure the BB part of the frame. 99% of frames will be 68mm (give or take a couple of mm).
As regards English vs Italian BBs, both types have a right-hand thread (i.e. tightens clockwise) for the left-hand cup. Italian BBs also have a right-hand thread for the right-hand cup. English BBs have a left-hand thread (i.e. tightens anti-clockwise) for the right-hand cup.
It will most likely be cheaper to get your LBS to source and fit the BB (compared to cost of BB, P&P, fitting tool).
As regards the type of square taper BB, wot workers_united said:
"In addition to the British/Italian threads types, there are two types of square BB tapers - JIS (as used by Shimano) and ISO (as used by Campagnolo). Although the BBs and cranks can appear to be mixed, they won't fit properly so it's safest to fit BBs and cranks from the same manufacturer unless you know that they meet the same standard."
No matter what bits of kit you end up plumping for, pick your chainset first. This will determine the axle length required (check via Google etc.).
(As any quick Google will tell you, there are many different BB axle lengths available. This is to ensure that the chainset is placed in the correct position relative to the frame, thus ensuring the correct chainline.)
The 68mm/73mm dimension refers to the width of the BB shell. Simply measure the BB part of the frame. 99% of frames will be 68mm (give or take a couple of mm).
As regards English vs Italian BBs, both types have a right-hand thread (i.e. tightens clockwise) for the left-hand cup. Italian BBs also have a right-hand thread for the right-hand cup. English BBs have a left-hand thread (i.e. tightens anti-clockwise) for the right-hand cup.
It will most likely be cheaper to get your LBS to source and fit the BB (compared to cost of BB, P&P, fitting tool).
As regards the type of square taper BB, wot workers_united said:
"In addition to the British/Italian threads types, there are two types of square BB tapers - JIS (as used by Shimano) and ISO (as used by Campagnolo). Although the BBs and cranks can appear to be mixed, they won't fit properly so it's safest to fit BBs and cranks from the same manufacturer unless you know that they meet the same standard."
