Question regarding old Campag NR BB

kiamkan-<< is it ok to swap BB spindles between BSC and Italian threaded campagnolo NR bottom
brackets? >><BR><BR>

The center section, where the bearing races are, are wider on a Italian BB spindle...so it may not
sit into the cups properly.

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St. Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 vecchios.comvecchios.comOpen ↗ "Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

"sparetire" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

hi there,

is it ok to swap BB spindles between BSC and Italian threaded campagnolo NR bottom brackets?

I've a Italian set i'm using and thinking of buying a set of BSC cups to transfer the spindle to
another bike. Save some money.

thanks for your time, sc

Italian BB shells are 2mm wider than English BB shells. The Italian spindles are wider between the
bearing surfaces.

If you put an Italian spindle in an English set, the adjusting cup will project 2 mm beyond the
lockring. If you put an English spindle in an Italian set, the adjusting cup will be inset by 2mm
and probably won't show enough threads to hold the lockring.

What you suggest will work (Italian spindle + English cups) but it looks ugly and will subject you
to ridicule. Save face! Get the right parts!

Jeff

Quoted message said:

is it ok to swap BB spindles between BSC and Italian threaded campagnolo NR bottom brackets?

I've a Italian set i'm using and thinking of buying a set of BSC cups to transfer the spindle to
another bike.

Italian bottom brackets are typically 70 mm wide, while British are typically 68 mm wide (Nottingham
Raleighs such as the Sports are an exception to this general rule), so it is likely that your
spindle is nominally 2 mm too wide and if you install it in a British BB the adjustable cup will
have about that much thread exposed. This may or may not be a functional problem depending how many
threads are still engaged.

You might consider selling your Italian bottom bracket on e bay and purchasing a British one. Be
careful that the area where the ball bearings ride on the spindle and cups are not visibly pitted as
this is a sign that the part is worn out. It is good practice to use new grade 25 ball bearings and
a BB sleeve.

Sheldon Brown has a nice article on adjusting bottom brackets
sheldonbrown.combbadj.htmlOpen ↗

A very slight preload on the bearings will help extend the life of the bottom bracket. So a very
slight amount of drag as you turn the spindle with your fingers is the goal.

Bill Putnam