Bottom Bracket Woes

Been having some bottom bracket (BB) woes. Noticed a click on the top of the left pedal stroke decided to re-grease the BB. Took it apart cleaned everything re-greased, put it back together.

Roll forward a week.

Notice my cranks sticking here and there, gets progressively worse on the ride. Get it home and off the bike notice my bike has turned into a rain-stick (this provided no calming effect)

Que another strip down of the BB.

Upon inspection, I found all the bearing on the non lockring side of the where out of the cage, which now would no longer hold them. I pinched the cages with pilers to secure the ball bearings back in place. Re-greased repacked with cages against the cones

Lifted my bike out today for my cycle to work jingle-jingle; LOOSE BEARING! Cycle to work was sub 3miles so risked it. Want to take care of this ASAP, so my questions are:

1. I figure I am over-tighting the bottom bracket, causing the damage to the cage, however what else could cause?

BB info:

• Campagnolo Italian threaded

• plastic sleeve is in two parts, the smaller part pushes into the other.

• 2 caged bearings from memory 8/9 bearings in each cage.

• Two screw in cones one locking.

here is a pics of my spindle
http://i.stack.imgur.com/qyFp8.jpg

Brev whatever that means
http://i.stack.imgur.com/D6rcB.jpg

2. What size bearing does an Italian threaded BB take?

Are you fitting the bearing cages the correct way around? The open side should be touching the cone of the axle.

the cages aren't totally necessary so when you find out what bearing size you need, chocks away, if you can put it together without their help tho i suspect that may be difficult. they might be 1/4" bearings like a lot of loose ball bearing bb's but i have no idea.

buy a sealed bb?

the bearings should definitely not be coming loose like that. The cage only really serves to keep them spaced out. You can use loose balls by putting a load of grease into the cup and using that grease to hold the balls in place while you assemble the whole BB. Once assembled there shouldn't be enough space between the edge of the cone and the cup for the bearings to go walkies. You will need more than are in the cage due to them no longer being spaced out.

now who's assuming, more correctly, innocence

The way to find out what bearings you have, use a bearing guage (a ruler with a succession if round holes in it of various sizes).

Alternative is to stack them side-to-side against a steel rule. (True Story).

I once used a set of caged wheel bearings in the bb by mistake with the same result, just saying. 'Rainstick' excellent.

Brev
me thinks its like patent

It's Italian for "bruv". They just like writing it on things.

^ that's bollocks. It stands for "bearing replacement extremely vexatious".