Can I replace cup & ball BB with cartridge

teacake said:

My road bike is fitted with a Capag Athena cup and ball bottom bracket which is in need of replacement. Can I replace it with a sealed cartridge BB and if so do I need to stick with Campag equipment. I've heard that there is a slight difference in the diameter of the tapered fittings between for example, campag and shimano BB's and hence they are not compatible. Can anyone confirm if this is correct.

You heard correctly. You can replace the old Campag BB with a new Campag (or Campag compatible taper) cartridge BB. Some third party manufacturers (such as Phil Wood) do make Campagnolo compatible taper BBs. Just be sure to get the correct threading (Italian or English) and the correct spindle length. You probably would do fine with the Centaur or Veloce level BBs since they are reasonably priced and the Chorus and Record ones (at 102mm for double) are probably shorter than what you need. If you are going to do the repair yourself, also take note of the specific BB tools required to install the new BB, which are different from the old BB tools.