Touring - Stripped bottom bracket threads - what to do?

I recently bought a used touring frame on ebay. The frame has a Mavic bottom bracket installed, but unfortunately I didn't realize that should be a clue that the bb threads were damaged. A little research would have alerted me, but it didn't even occur to me at the time.

The intended use was for daily commuting, long day rides and multi-day (and hopefully at some point multi-week) self-supported touring. It's a high quality used touring frame, and before I noticed the bb shell problem I was expecting that my girlfriend would get years of daily use from this frame.

Now I need to decide what to do. Here are my options as I see it. What do you think?

1. Have the bb shell repaired by brazing in some brass and re-cutting the (english) threads. I spoke with a reputable local framebuilder and he estimated $100 to repair it this way. Some of the paint would be ruined, but I don't mind that. Will brass threads hold up to heavy use?

2. Ream the bb shell and cut Italian threads. But my reason for having the bb shell repaired is so I can use a standard cartridge bottom bracket. How easy is it to find Italian bb's?

3. Use the Mavic bottom bracket. Look for another one to have for backup. If we have a failure while on a trip, have a friend ship the backup bb to us wherever we are. Or cancel the trip and head home. From what I've read, the Mavic bb's are hard to find (expensive?) and use proprietary bearings which are no longer manufactured. A similar bottom bracket made by YST is available, but I've read negative reviews about its reliability, so that is not an option. Heading out on a trip with a bottom bracket that would be very difficult to replace, should it fail, does not sound like a good idea to me.

4. ?

Also, considering that the damage (non-drive side threads stripped) was not explicitly mentioned in the auction, and I did not ask "is there any damage to the frame that was not explicitly mentioned", do you think it's reasonable that I expect the seller to pay for all or at least part of the repair?

This was my first unpleasant ebay surprise, I'll be more wary in the future!

Thanks!

1. The brass will hold up. Don't go Italian and forget about finding another Mavic.

4. Caveat Emptor.

5. This really belongs in the Mechanics forum.

Here's a thread with some feedback that may be helpful:

http://www.bicycle-forum.net/tech/Bottom_Bracket_Threads_427736.html

Here's a stronglight threadless BB:

http://www.withoutdoors.co.uk/product.php?id=591&node_id=609&PHPSESSID=b11699e583d759acb8e6120fa67c4358

Also, considering that the damage (non-drive side threads stripped) was not explicitly mentioned in the auction, and I did not ask "is there any damage to the frame that was not explicitly mentioned", do you think it's reasonable that I expect the seller to pay for all or at least part of the repair?


On an eBay auction it is generally assumed that major flaws/defects will be mentioned by the seller. So, the seller should have told you about the bottom bracket. If they have a high feedback rating and are regular sellers they may respond to an email from you regarding the issue. Have you already given feedback?

Did you pay with PayPal? If so, (and if the seller is not willing to offer a satisfactory solution) you may be able to file a claim through PayPals buyers protection program (http://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_pbp-info-outside).

On an eBay auction it is generally assumed that major flaws/defects will be mentioned by the seller. So, the seller should have told you about the bottom bracket. If they have a high feedback rating and are regular sellers they may respond to an email from you regarding the issue. Have you already given feedback?

Did you pay with PayPal? If so, (and if the seller is not willing to offer a satisfactory solution) you may be able to file a claim through PayPals buyers protection program (http://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_pbp-info-outside).
Thanks for the feedback everyone. It sounds like the thread repair is the best way to go. Sorry if I posted in the wrong forum.

Yes, I paid with Paypal. The seller has lots of good feedback, and responded to my initial query about the bb (after the frame arrived). I asked if she knew about the issue or if the bike came to her this way, maybe she didn't know about the damage. She said she'd had a mechanic install the Mavic bb and it's worked well for her, she never considered changing it. I said I'd get back to her after I talk to my mechanic about a proper repair. It sounds like I'm on the right track, and I'll ask for some of the purchase price back to cover the repair. I just wanted a reality check before insisting. I was going to wait until her response to that before posting feedback.

No matter what the seller told you--- I'm guessing they knowingly screwed you. I mean, the seller was smart enough to strip all the parts off the frame except the trahed Mavic BB-- most likely they put them on a dfferent, undamaged frame. And sold the unwanted frame to you. This is the classic EBAY pump and dump. But doing anything about it will not by the easiest to get done.

Here's what I would do.

1. Clean the frame and look for more damage. Take your time and make sure the frame isn't total a total loss.

2. If the frame is undamaged, order the Stronglight theadless BB linked to above. I've never seen one, but Stronglight is a darn good company. The engineering behind it should work. Heck, order a new Stronglight headset while your at it...very nice stuff. After you do all this-- you're on your way to building a nice touring bike.