Hybrid Bicycles - 1972 puch updates

to date i have installed wide flat bars, new rear 700c wheel with 11-32 8speed cassette, acera wide rd and acera rapid fire shifters, with new cables and housing. i had to turn the brake levers upside down to get the shifters to nestle properly. it has the original 2 cogs up front and after cleaning the fd in kerosene followed by teflon dry lube, the shift change from big to small cog is instant with the suntour reverse derailleur. i put on michelin 28mm city tires as the rim internal width is just over 13mm.
now i am looking at repacking the cup and cone bb. i have a dumpster inc supplied fuji with a cartridge type bb that is the same width as the puch. when i repacked the fuji wheels the grease looked new. i am thinking to use the fuji bb on the puch. i would just need to get 2 sets of bb tools. is it worth the effort or should i just stick with the original cup and cone bb.

I would get the tools - and learn how to use them. Then I'd open the bottom-bracket and clean it thoroughly with charcoal lighter-fluid, Gumout, mineral-spirits, etc. Place the parts you can in a jar to clean then. Use a cloth soaked in solvent to clean the insides.

Toss the old ball-bearings after measuring and counting them. They are most likely 1/4". So get some Grade 25 bb's from your local shop - and some grease. Repack the BB with grease and implant the fresh bb's. Reassemble to proper torque-settings. Or take it to a bike-shop you trust and have them do the job. I've always found loose-bearing bottom-brackets to be much smoother and just plain nicer than the modern cartridge units. A bit more work - but well worth it.

I'd love to see some pictures of your PUCH. - never Mind - I found 'em on the other thread. Thanks!!

thanks, i did the bb repack several years back and adjusted pretty much as you suggested. actually it still feels smooth with no play and i have still have the same bucket of grease i used back then, so i know it has not broken down. i should stick with oem bb and avoid the cartridge shimano, which is the direction i am leaning. rebuildable rather than disposable.

And so much smoother, too. Just replace the ball-bearings. Specify Grade 25, which indicates uniform spherical shape down to 25/1,000,000. I have my 1982 Campagnolo Record BB on my PUCH racer. I overhaul it yearly - and it's as smooth today as it was in 1982 out-of-the-box.

I had a stock Shimano cartridge BB on my Trek hybrid. I called it an ice-cream churn. It ground around like ice and water in a blender. I installed an Ultegra external Hollowtech II BB. Very nice indeed! But the Campy Record blows the Ultegra out of the water.

excellent point on the precision ground balls, i will do that for sure.