Bicycle Mechanics - YST corp

Anybody know anything about these dudes? In my Biketoolsetc catalog they advertise a BB that doesn't need threads..That would be perfect for me. My BB has many parts and is held in place by snap rings.

What I know about them wouldn't cover the head of a pin. They are a Chinese/Taiwan company. Most of the Headsets and BB's are low priced bottom of the line stuff. However, they may make some quality goods as well. I'm just not that familiar with them.

I found their website...not very informing..darn. I really want to know more about that BB.

I think Sheldon has self-threaded BB cartridges, as well.

Originally posted by John E
I think Sheldon has self-threaded BB cartridges, as well.

Self threaded eh?? I wonder how those work..

Knowing a bit about manufacturing techniques, I would assume that a 'threadless' BB would be an advantage only for dirt-cheap bikes. It takes less time to press a unit in than it does to thread one in. Unfortunately, you will need an arbor press to get the d@mn thing out!
This was likely the logic behind those older Gary Fisher BB's. People hated them. Mechanics hated them. Resale values on these bikes are awful. Gary Fisher lost a lot of business because of them, and gave up on it very quickly. To the best of my knowlege, nobody else has done this since.
I seriously doubt that such a unit would be much better than dog excerment. These type of BB's are meant for throw-away bikes.

Originally posted by D*Alex
Knowing a bit about manufacturing techniques, I would assume that a 'threadless' BB would be an advantage only for dirt-cheap bikes. It takes less time to press a unit in than it does to thread one in. Unfortunately, you will need an arbor press to get the d@mn thing out!
This was likely the logic behind those older Gary Fisher BB's. People hated them. Mechanics hated them. Resale values on these bikes are awful. Gary Fisher lost a lot of business because of them, and gave up on it very quickly. To the best of my knowlege, nobody else has done this since.
I seriously doubt that such a unit would be much better than dog excerment. These type of BB's are meant for throw-away bikes.

Thanks D*Alex..Do you know what year Gary Fisher did this??

I think someone makes a BB cartridge whose halves slide into the BB shell, then thread into each other to secure it. One market is frames with stripped BB shells.

Viscount (English lightweight from the 70s that started life as Lambert) used a threadless BB. Not too long ago I stripped a Viscount frame, one of the lower line ones with Shimano Crane derailleurs. The BB was toast and non-salvagable b/c of that design. Kept the parts, tossed what otherwise would have been an OK frame for a few projects I had in mind.

I do not recall if the higher line Lamberts/Viscounts used that style of BB. Hopefully not as they're still decent bikes but a BB that can't be R&R'd is a pain.

:beer:

The YST unit will not work. It is designed for a 68mm wide shell. More than likely, your's is 88mm wide. I had one of those BBs in an old Fisher of mine. Fisher used bearings that were pressed in because no one was making a threaded BB to fit his "evolution" 88mmm wide BB shell. The wider shell placed the bearings closer to the crankarm for better support of the spindle.

The old bearings can be driven out using the spindle itself and a plastic hammer. To install new ones, you can reverse the process or use a large socket to drive on the outer part of the bearing. There is a positive stop inside the frame which will tell you when it is seated all the way. Then the snap-rings go back in place to hold the works together. Just be sure the spacers on the spindle stay on the spindle and that the drive side stays oriented correctly.

D*Alex, I have to take exception to your comment about press in BBs only going in trashy bikes. If you will recall both Klein and Merlin have used press-in systems in the not-so-distant past. Neither of these companies have ever fallen into the "low-end" category in my opinion.

.........but neither of those companies are still making press-in bearings, either. There are a few really cheap bikes out there that also use a press-in BB, and I'm sure that more will do so in the near future. Most el-cheapo bikes never see more than a total of 100 miles in their lifetime, so this is probably a good thing for the sub-$100 market bracket.

Originally posted by Geronimo
Just be sure the spacers on the spindle stay on the spindle and that the drive side stays oriented correctly.


Is there a specific side on the spindle that is supposed to be on the drive side?

If you haven't kept track of which side was which when you took it out, you may be in for some trial and error. Measure from the end of the spindle to the hard stop. I think the spindle may be symmetric, but if it isn't you'll have to experiment with the chain line.

yes, there is.
Better BB's are marked R and L .

Oh darn..This is interesting. I was looking at my crank the other day and thought the little chain ring was close to the frame. But, when I had the BB apart, the spacers were equidistant from the ends of the spindle. So it seemed to me that it wouldn't matter which side went where. I may be mistaken, so I will definetly be in for trial and error. I didn't notice any R and L when I was cleaing the rust of the spindle.