Bicycle Mechanics - BB facers -- Learned something new!

Maybe this is common knowledge, but it was new to me. I just picked up some French thread VAR BB taps so I can work on French stuff without so much cussing. I already have a full Campy tool kit in English thread, and thought my next step would be to pick up a French thread Campy BB facer pilot sleeve (#724/1 and #742/2) so I could use my Campy facer on a French BB, but to my surprise the Campy facer tool fits perfectly through the VAR tap:

http://os2.dhs.org/~john/campy-var.jpg

This means I can use the taps themselves to pilot the facer (as is done with the Park BB tap/facer set) instead of spending $100 on the Campy pilot sleeve. :thumb:

Alternatively, you could have a machine shop make you a spacer for half to a quarter of that, if in fact you did not have the taps. It's just a metal cylinder with a hole in the center. Also, just how many French threaded bottom brackets do you see in a year?

Alternatively, you could have a machine shop make you a spacer for half to a quarter of that, if in fact you did not have the taps. It's just a metal cylinder with a hole in the center. Also, just how many French threaded bottom brackets do you see in a year?
No, it's not just a metal spacer with a hole in the center. It's precisely machined and securely held by the shell threads.

And no, I don't see many French thread bottom brackets in a year, but I intend to remedy that. I suspect mine might be the only French thread taps north of Milwaukee... :)

I thought I saw something about the company that made tools for Campy also making tools for Var. That's really nice, I wish I could stumble upon some of these tools, they are pretty expensive new. Now that Velo Oranage has French BBs, you might get some business for those taps.

No, it's not just a metal spacer with a hole in the center. It's precisely machined and securely held by the shell threads.

And no, I don't see many French thread bottom brackets in a year, but I intend to remedy that. I suspect mine might be the only French thread taps north of Milwaukee... :)

I stand corrected. I've got a very old VAR tap/face/fixed cup handle assembly like your Park one, and it simply has a thick doughnut with a very precise OD. It's chromed like the rest of the tool, so I assume it came that way to the original owner. I wonder when they changed that, or if in fact it's been cannibalized from something else? As for taps, you might just be the only one. Is there a good solution to replacing French thread BB's? I suspect my tandem (1976 LeJeune) has French threaded bottom brackets (haven't gotten to pulling one to check yet) and am trying to figure out what to do when they inevitably go. I don't really want to put the $$ of Phil Wood BBs into it, and the only thing that has come to mind otherwise is to tap it to Italian threads.

I don't see many French thread bottom brackets in a year, but I intend to remedy that. I suspect mine might be the only French thread taps north of Milwaukee... :)

Uhh.. Isn't Quebec north of Milwaukee? I bet some'a them Quebecois keep French threads just to be different. :p