Classic & Vintage - Late 60s Mercier bb question

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bluenote157

05-09-06, 09:00 PM

So i have this really old mercier with a cottered crank. The bb is shot and i came across a french campy bb that i'm probably going to put on. I want to put on a square tapered spindle which shouldn't be a problem but i was wondering how long a spindle i need? I'm also going to make this a fixed gear bike if that makes any difference.

Any suggestions?

thanks,
kevin

Poguemahone

05-11-06, 11:58 AM

Your spindle length and type is entirely dependent on the crank you use.

You may run into trouble with the thickness of the Bottom Bracket cups, as many older euro cups are thin walled, and many spindles require a thicker walled cup. Campy made both thick and thin walled cups. There is also some variation between different companies spindle tapers, more so the more vintage you get on the spindle and crank. Some combos of crank and spindle simply don't work.

A good source on this is older editions of Sutherland's Handbook fo Bicycle Mechanics.