Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Phil Wood BB + Bob Jackson Vigorelli-- flush, or exposed threads?

I just installed a Phil Wood Ti BB into a Bob Jackson Vigorelli frame; there are ~2 threads exposed on each side when i tighten to what feels like thirty pounds or so. Is this normal? The threads are alloy, so the last thing i want to do is overtighten the cups.

Check it:

http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/7347/bbthreadset6.jpg

Anyone else put this bb on a bj vigorelli?

Was the frame properly prepped before you tried to do install it?

yeah. this is the third bb installed on this frame.

I would have your shop chase the threads and try again, just in case. Don't force it.

that is fairly typical of phil wood bottom brackets.. you'll know that everything is properly engaged if you can see the notches of the spines pressing flush against the cartridge bearing like in the picture that you've provided. be sure that the other side is the same. if there is a significant gap, then you'll know that you need to tighten it down more. in that case, i'd probably get the threads chased to avoid anything nasty. it's pretty easy to tell if things are too tight, because when you twist the spindle it will resist more than normal or even bind. my suspicion, though, is that you're totally fine.

one thing, though -- since the phil wood bottom brackets are fully adjustable, you'll need to take measurements to ensure that you have the chainline properly dialed in. i'm too lazy right now to write up the meat of the calculations, but if you tell me what bb length you need for your particular crankset and what phil spindle length you have, i can give you some numbers to check.

Mine is mounted on a 71 Schwinn Sport Tourer and has three threads exposed on both sides, so even though I really know nothing about the Phill Wood bb I would guess by what I have just read that we are both fine? :D (the one on my bike appears to have been there forever)

that is fairly typical of phil wood bottom brackets.. you'll know that everything is properly engaged if you can see the notches of the spines pressing flush against the cartridge bearing like in the picture that you've provided. be sure that the other side is the same. if there is a significant gap, then you'll know that you need to tighten it down more. in that case, i'd probably get the threads chased to avoid anything nasty. it's pretty easy to tell if things are too tight, because when you twist the spindle it will resist more than normal or even bind. my suspicion, though, is that you're totally fine.

one thing, though -- since the phil wood bottom brackets are fully adjustable, you'll need to take measurements to ensure that you have the chainline properly dialed in. i'm too lazy right now to write up the meat of the calculations, but if you tell me what bb length you need for your particular crankset and what phil spindle length you have, i can give you some numbers to check.

1) Yes, the splines are flush against the bb-- i suppose that makes sense now that i think about it.

2) The chainline is actually dead on as is. I'll be sure to double check with a ruler after the chain is mounted, but it seems to be working nicely. I have mavic ellipse + eai superstar -> phil wood bb (108) + superbe pro track (165) + sugino zen. As it stands, everything seems ok, but if you know of math that i can use to double check i'd appreciate it.

3) thanks for the response!

with a 68mm bottom bracket shell there will always be threads showing

these bb's work in 73mm shells too

hey spooki, measure from the drive side face of the bottom bracket shell (not the bottom bracket, but the actual frame itself) to the end of the spindle. for your setup, there should be 20.5mm extended.***

the math -- 109/2 = 54.5. 54.5 - 34 = 20.5. the bottom bracket shell is 68mm wide, so half of the shell is 34mm. i find that it's easier to measure from the bb shell face than to try to eyeball the middle. the 109 comes from the 109mm ideal spindle length for use with the superbe pro track cranks for a standard track chainline.

*** i have read that the mavic eclipse hubs actually set you up for a 45mm chainline. 20.5mm gives you a 42mm chainline, then you need a bottom bracket that is effectively 3mm longer on the drive side, which would make your measurement 23.5 instead of 20.5. i'd say just check and see if you see any deviation at 20.5. if so, jump out to 23.5, because it's likely that the eclipses are pushing your chainline out.