Modern plus Vintage Campag. B/B

sorry if this is off topic from single speed/fixed but can anyone help, I am restoring an old Rory O'Brien that has a Nuovo Record double chainset and am needing to replace the bottom bracket....question is I've been offered a modern Veloce triple B/Brkt. but before I buy would this give me the same frame/inner ring clearance as the original 68-SS-120 that needs replacing? also there seem a lot of vintage Campag B/Brkt. axles on eBay (mainly pitted) but they all seem confusing with their different markings

thanks for any info.
Hugh

whether modern or vintage, the axle taper/type will be the same on either bottom brackets. To my knowledge veloce bottom brackets come in a 111mm or 115.5mm axle lengths. From the number '68-SS-120' i am assuming that your current bottom bracket is a 120mm which i've never come across before.
Your best bet is to measure the bottom bracket axle length and get one that is the same length. If the current bottom bracket you have is now the original length that the bike came with, then that bottom bracket might not necessarily be the best bottom bracket for your chainset/chainline. Bottom bracket lengths can be a bit of a trial and error game i find. good luck!

The 120 relates to the width of the rear hub, so not really relevant here.

Yes, measure current axle width and go from there. It does work as long as you have the correct length, I have done the opposite to you and used an older BB with a modern crankset.

[FONT=Arial]sorry to sound anal Hugh Janus with reference to your enquiry about Campag. bottom bracket spindles but the transition period of 1978 to '79 (Nuovo to Super Record) brought about some crank arm changes, the result is that the crank arms were redesigned - older right arms can be identified by a bulge of larger diameter on the backside where the spindle enters. Later arms have a smaller bulge of smaller diameter. Early Campag. cranks use spindles with markings such as 68ss x 120 or 70ss x 120, while the later cranks use slightly longer spindles that are marked simply 68ss or 70ss. Some transition era spindles carry the designations such as 68ss x 120 AND have +1 /+1.5 markings to the side of the 68ss x 120 or 70ss x 120 stampings. That means that the spindle is the same as the later ones without the 120 designation. [/FONT]
**[FONT=Arial]Use of a later crank on early spindles usually caused the crank to hit the frame. Use of the later spindle on an early crank pushes the arms out farther than optimal - but if using on a 6 or 7sp, or if the arms are worn, then the chainline error may be minimal - this combo may in some cases even be better.

overall my reckoning is that the 120 designation does not, for practical purposes, refer to rear frame spacing - the issue to worry about is era of cranks, [/FONT]**[FONT=Arial]a modern Campag. cartridge of the same length should be fine,[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]ps: sorry for plagiarising the CR forum a bit for this info.[/FONT]

i had a similar problem and found this website http://www.bicycleclassics.com/bottom.html really useful. If you scroll down to the bottom it has a table identifying correct spindle length etc.

hope this helps

The length of BB spindle needed changes at some point in the production of NR cranks, late 70's I think - the earlier one is allegedly 114.5mm (though i've had problems making it work tbh). I've been meaning to fit an ofmega 118mm to replace the one I have, the inner ring seems dangerously close to the chainstay so I've never put the fixed cup all the way in, which is far from correct. actuallly I seem to have got this all the wrong way round anyway... seems like I'm using the older spindle on post 77 cranks or something.

I've had lots of people tell me to get a Veloce triple BB for my mid 70's NR, but I shelled out (albeit not a lot) and it was total bollocks, nowhere near long enough. Which makes me think it was actually the Veloce double, missold, I never measured it some to think of it.

thank you all for your elucidation I was unaware of the differences in pre and post '78 cranks
Hugh