Transmission database - for all your crank / bb / bottom bracket questions

Looking for options to transform an Italian threaded bb on my Daccordi (Columbus SLX frame) project to British bb. It isn't damaged, so no repair needed.

I've had a quick browse of old threads and I see (Oak?) provide special cups once you've bored out the inner bb shell. I've also seen people mention Velo Orange threadless bb that expands, but I've no experience of either.

Would love to hear anyone's experiences with this because I'm at a loss and the lbs I took it to said it couldn't be done after much head scratching.

It's not just the threading of the DS that is different, the shell is wider (70mm vs 68mm) and of a greater diameter (36mm vs 34.8/9mm).

Facing the shell down is straight forward enough, but reducing the diameter less so.

A threadless BB is just as likely to be troublesome as an Italian one.

What are you trying to achieve with a conversion? All that an Italian BB needs is some Loctite 22 on the DS threads to stop it coming unscrewed.

Wasn't aware of the difference in diameter - thanks for that.

Thanks. RE: Loctite - that's exactly what I've just done but wasn't sure how long term a solution it would be. Seems to be working thus far though - and is a lot cheaper than anything more drastic.

I never had a problem, running a year at a time between servicing.

Good to know - thanks.

How the hell am I supposed to get this out?

I have a decent BB tool but there's nothing for it to get purchase on.

Hammer (big) & screwdriver (old).

Or just grip that lockring in a vice with the frame on its side, then rotate the whole frame. Perhaps you've removed it by now though?

I didn't have time to get into it yet. I'm going to try @Scilly.Suffolk's method first. A vice was the next plan. I just need to locate one.

I had to remove a total swine of a BB this week. It was a nice square taper Campagnolo sealed BB with the six semi-circular cut-outs. It says "Lock 70Nm" and our matching Park Tool spanner is only about 8" long, and my biceps failed me when I tried to undo it. I locked the tool in the vice but the frame kept jumping out when pushed, so I clamped the tool onto the BB using a QR skewer through the BB spindle. It still took such force that a mate had to hold the bench still while I torqued the frame round, but we got it out.

Hello. I want to get the SRAM Omniums on my Cinelli Mystic Rats which has a square taper spindle 103mm long. What bb would I need to fit the cranks? What would you recommend?

After 4 years of completely silent bb30 use on various carbon bikes my synapse hi mod has started clicking when the right crank arm is at about 1-2 o clock.

1. Only happens under load, nothing at all when soft pedaling
   
2. Happens in both the big and little rings
   
3. The closest I can describe the noise is when your right crank arm catches the front mech cable ferule if the cable is too long, but that definitely isn't happening
   
   

I've got all the tools to take the cranks off (except a 40nm torque wrench for reinstallation), and a bb30 press. Shall I strip it down and check everything is kosher or are there ways and means of diagnosing the problem before that process?

If your BB30 is doing that, then there is nothing to diagnose as such: it needs to be stripped down, cleaned and reassembled.

If it's four years old and you're taking it apart anyway, you might as well sling some new bearings in.

Sorry for the confusion, the bike and bb are only 6 months old and it's only really been ridden consistently since september so not very old. I was saying that I've had various bikes with bb30 over the past 4 years and have gotten away with no clicks or creaks, which is fairly lucky I think.

Probably worth greasing pedal threads again before I go to town on it. Also going to invest in a bigger range torque wrench, the 42nm figure seems to be pretty crucial according to some.

Anyone ever tried loctite 641 or 609 on a carbon bb30 shell?

After a bit of reading it seems like an option if the click persists after a strip down / re-grease / re-torque.

If it's still under warranty, I would let the shop/dealer sort it out.

If the shell is off (which it may be, bearing in mind how new it is) then there's little that can be done to fix it.

You won't get a new frame if you've pulled it apart.

It'll be in warranty so that's not a bad idea. I'll give Paul's cycles a bell and see what they say.

When you say the shell is off, do you mean the frame is broken or the bb is broken?

Guy from Paul's was pretty helpful. Has asked me to take the cranks off and clean/re-grease and if it persists they'll send a new BB. My preferred route I guess rather than sending the bike back for inspection and leaving me with no winter steed for god knows how long

Assuming you haven't blasted it with the pressure washer/been using it for cyclo-cross, it's possible that the shell wasn't manufactured to tolerance.

The manufacturing tolerances for BB30 are pretty tight, hence the introduction of PF30. If the shell is out, you'll get the characteristic click which Loctite etc will only mask temporarily.

Cannondale were one of the companies to develop BB30 so their frames are normally spot-on, but as the bike is only six months old it isn't "normal wear & tear".

I would insist they do all the work: it's a practically new bike and should still be working perfectly. If it comes to it, you won't get a new frame without a struggle and if you've had it apart, that will make it even more difficult.

I see what you're saying, but since they've instructed me to get it apart surely I'll be covered?!? A mate returned a frame with an issue to them after he'd had it apart and cut the steerer and they still took it as the issue was unrelated.

Getting it back to Paul's in Norfolk is going to be a ballache that'll leave me bike-less for weeks I imagine so reluctant to go down that route straight away.

Ask them to put their instructions in writing and confirm that the warranty won't be voided.

Good shout!

Campagnolo experts....

I've got a 1977 Gran Sport chainset as below, which I'd like to use with a single chainring for Fixed Gear use:

Does anyone know what bottom bracket I can use to get a 40.5mm chainline (slightly narrower than normal, as the frame has a vintage wheelset on it which needs this). It seems to be a complete minefield out there!

Thanks

"you do the math" seems appropriate at this point :)

http://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage/974793-question-about-campy-bb-spindle-lengths.html

http://www.minortriad.com/campagbb.html

Thank you for those links. Very informative! Not sure I've got the answer though!

I have a mid 90's cartridge bottom bracket that's 111mm that looks like this in my bike cave:

I'll give that a go, and see how that goes. I've got a feeling the chainline will still be too far out though. If that doesn't work, a 109mm Pista BB might have to be purchased (if I can even find one at a reasonable price!), but I've got a feeling that even if that works, I may have to clearance the RHS chainstay slightly (using the hammer/broom handle technique) to prevent the chainring fixing nuts from fouling.