Bottom bracket spacer - is there such a thing?

So, got a new bottom bracket, a cartridge bearing centaur one. It's the perfect width, but when I have it so the cranks pass the chain stays equally on either side there is a gap between the cup (terminology?) and the frame of about 1mm on the drive side.

Can you get threaded spacers or something to fill this gap? old school BB lockring looked perfect but wouldn't thread on... I wasn't sure if it would be ok as it was but after about 150 miles it has developed a creak, I'm going to remove, clean, loctite and replace it and see if that works for now.

Any wisdom much appreciated thanks!

the cups need to be screwed in all the way. then pop the cranks on, tighten them to the reccomended torque (!) and voila, done. The cranks don't need to pass the chain stays equally on either side.

yes, can get spacers. same size as fixed sprocket spacers ;)

get old freewheel and unscrew off the hub - you'll have good odds of finding a spacer in there the right diameter .

BB lockring won't work unless it's an Italian BB as it's the wrong thread - but you could just file out the thread on the ring to make the internal diameter wider so it clears the BB thread and then use as the spacer.

if you're cranks are matched and it's not equal on both sides sounds also like you might be using a 73m bottom bracket size on a 68mm wide frame -maybe cranks or chain stays may be out of shape?

BB lockring won't work unless it's an Italian BB as it's the wrong thread - but you could just file out the thread on the ring to make the internal diameter wider so it clears the BB thread and then use as the spacer.

Great advice thanks, will give it a go.

From Sheldon brown:

Bottom-Bracket Spacer

If you need to increase the chainline (move the chainring to the right) you can usually add a spacer washer between the right-side bottom bracket mounting ring (or cup) and the bottom bracket shell of the frame. The usual spacer for this is a Sturmey-Archer sprocket spacer. These fit all threaded bottom brackets except Italian size

Ive only known one person to have done this, and they got the spacer from his LBS in cornwall. Worked fine. Unscrewing is unlikely but if you're worried friction grease is the way to go.

so will this effectivly move the whole sealed bb unit across in the frame?
i don't understand how this will work.

Yeah all the spacer does is move the Sealed unit over by how ever think the spacer is.
But i imagine it only really working on BB's with the drive side cup attached to the unit.

no - on any BB it'll work (within parameters) - the left cup can be pushed in more the take up slack

so will this effectivly move the whole sealed bb unit across in the frame?
i don't understand how this will work.

The BB is perfect width - however i need to space it out a slight bit other wise the chainring bolts catch the frame. It's only very slightly but by putting a spacer in there it means you're tightening upto something, rather than not screwing it all the way in.

From Sheldon brown:

Ive only known one person to have done this, and they got the spacer from his LBS in cornwall. Worked fine. Unscrewing is unlikely but if you're worried friction grease is the way to go.

no - on any BB it'll work (within parameters) - the left cup can be pushed in more the take up slack

Great advice again thanks will try pop in to the LBS see if he's got one if not will file out a lockring.

And yeah, the left hand cup just goes in further, no probs.

no - on any BB it'll work (within parameters) - the left cup can be pushed in more the take up slack

Oh sweet there ya go.

I have a couple of spacers used in conjunction with my Centaur Ultra-torque BB...?

if BB is perfectly centered as is and bolts are catching - if you spce it you'll be putting in some asymetry whcih probably wont matter -

have you correct single speed bolts?

is it that the bolts (male) are coming through the nuts(feamle)too far or is it the nuts themselves that's hitting the frame? if former - very easily fixed - later is more problematic

you file bolts

• is there counter sinking on the ring you've not used by mounting ring backwards ?
  
  
  

if bolts (the actual bolts, not the nut part) are comming out too far you can shim the outside the bolts to bring them outboard a little (i.e. put washers around bolts on the outboard side ) like this - note washers on the bolts to make double ring bolts fit single ring : http://static.lfgss.com/attachments/12505d1247947095-sl373577.jpg

can you mount the ring on the outside of the spider and space the cog at rear a little outwards?

• or even put the spider bolts in reversed (they maybe be slimmer on the bolt side than the nut side )- so that the hex sides are in board?
  
  

or if its a JIS BB you could use an ISO crank on there - it will sit 2 or 4mm out board more (older european cranksets are all ISO)

longer BB?

I don't get it, with BB centred in frame left crank is too far out and right crank is catching frame. Literally must be about 1 - 1.5mm across. Think it may require an offset BB.

Tried all of above. apart from shelling out another £40 for a wider BB.

i will stick with the spacing it out a lil bit as the cheapest and most straightforward way to solve, if it still develops a creak after putting in a spacer and using loctite on the threads then I may look at another bb, but I reckon this will fix it good! (:

this should fix it. spacers are fine to use imo. if you wanna take a couple of pics of the bolts/frame catch and the bb set up and that and post them maybe someone will see something you are missing.

did you but a 68mm bb for a frame with 73 by any chance?

Dredging up an old thread....

I've got Brucy's crazy frame

Problem is the drive side crank is hitting the bar that replaces the chainstays... Think it could be because there's more flex?

Thinking if I got some spacers I could push the crank clear of the bar, but would have to do that on both sides.

Would that work?

that wouldn't work, you need a longer axle.

Whatfriends if you're reading this, I never saw that reply. In the end i loctited the shit out of it and it's been fine since.

Not ideal, but did the job.

Speedy. Thanks, will try that.