HereNT

She's dead. I killed her. It's all my fault, my stupid drunken mechanic skills have destroyed my most cherished possesion. She's no longer rideable - the best she could be now is a piece of art on my wall.

It's the bottom bracket. I stripped the threads when I put a sealed unit in, and didn't know that I wasn't supposed to use a lockring with a sealed BB. It came loose on Thursday, and I was able to find someone to help get her rideable to get home. On the way home from OneOnOne's art opening last night, it started being really hard to pedal. I stopped and looked, saw that the BB was trying to come loose again, working out on both sides.

Drunken walk the next ten blocks home, spent most of today in a stupor trying not to face the fact. But I did go to a bike shop and get the part I needed. Took off the cranks, pulled the BB out for the second time this week. Little slivers of steel came with it, confirming my fears. The threads could be worse, but they aren't what they should be, and probably can never be again.

To think that riding home from a race that didn't happen could be the end of her life... It just has me twisted. I could see a wreck or running into a car or something, but not just threads. I'm pretty sure that it woud cost me more to get a new BB shell installed than it would to just have a new frame built. Not really sure. I know that I need to build up the Falcon that I was riding over the winter again, and probably get a new set of cranks. The ones I was using have had quite a bit of the metal worn off by the two times the BB came apart. I don't like the idea of riding on scratched carbon fiber and a dented head tube, but it's really my only option right now. There were only maybe 30 miles on the BB when it came apart again.

There is so much that this frame has done to change my life in the last year and a half that I can't even begin to describe it. I never expected that something as simple as lugged steel could have the impact that it has had, but somehow this bike turned my thinking around, changed the way I interact with people, just made a lot of things better. Made me better. I don't know how.

Yet a few turns of my wrench, which I'd done many times before, and she's gone. On the same day I buy her a pretty new front wheel, with bearings smoth enough that you can feel the extra weight of the seam in the rim when you spin it. On the first ride with that wheel.

I felt less when my grandpa died. I'm supposed to go out with some coworkers tonight and have a few drinks, but I don't even want to do that. I do feel like getting myself more ****faced than I've ever been, but I know that I'm just going to be crying over her and boring them if I do head out.

Anyways, thanks for reading - anyone know if you can actually re-tap Italian threads? I've heard it doesn't work all that well, and putting in a new shell would probably not only be out of my price range, but also cost more than the frame is really worth....

Shiznaz

More than your grandpa? Thats freaky man! Put it in perspective: Its just a bike frame. There will be others! After all, its about the rider, not the ride. All the great things you have experienced have been you.. it doesn't matter what you're riding.

Stripping threads does suck though! now you know!

baxtefer

Damn, that sucks, but it can be saved!
Take it to the LBS and get the threads chased. You might be able to save it.
if they're totally dead, try to track down a Mavic Bottom bracket. They're hard to find though.
They've got cups with flanges on both sides that thread onto the BB, not into the BB shell. So they're perfect for stripped shells.
https://www.bikepro.com/products/bott...ets/mavic.html

adamkell

oh damn. I read the thread topic and guessed that something got stolen. Anyway, really sorry to hear about it but I'm no help.

baxtefer

ebay to the rescue!
Its a 113mm spindle, but the chainline is adjustable.

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...sPageName=WDVW

r-dub

Oh, dear...before doing anything rash (throwing your dead baby into a river, off of an overpass, funeral pyre, etc.) find someone (or a friendly shop) with the campy tap and die set and give it a try. I've taken bottom brackets from british to italian, but I've never tried an italian to italian rethread.

Also, if you want to keep riding it for a little while (20k miles with the right equiptment) you can always get a quality sealed bb and red loctite/jb weld it into the shell. It'll be your last bb in there (and I wouldn't put anything like a phil in there) but most people never even overhaul their bb's.

r-dub

A final thought: in addition to the mavic, there are a few other bb's out there that press into chamfered shells. One of them (can't remember which) has internal gearing that gives you two forward speeds, one for pedaling forward, one for pedaling backward. alas, you can't really ride fixed with that one.

biff

You may be able to have the BB retapped to Italian threads. There is 1.075mm of difference between ISO and the Italian standard. I would think that this would only be possible on the left side BB threads.

If you can go that route - and if possible - take it to a local framebuilder. They have far more experience tapping BB shells than your LBS does.

HereNT

I'm planning on hitting OneOnOne on Monday to see if they can do anything. Part of the problem is that the non-drive cup is the most stripped, so it comes out first, letting the other side come out easier.

It's Italian threads to begin with, which is the main problem. You can't chase them out to ISO...

Alright, gotta go get *****ty drunk now...

tlupfer

if nothing else works, try red loctite. if there are enough threads left you won't have to worry about anything until your bottom bracket wears out. I have an almost brand new Italian thread campy bottom bracket that you can have if it'll help. Spindle is 111mm.

biff

Or a hefty amount of plumber's tape - I've used that on a loosey bottom bracket before.

HereNT

I hadn't thought of that, but will probably give it a try. You're talking about the teflon tape they use on joints, right?

I'd thought of locktite, and knew it would work, but the thought of never getting the BB back out scares me a little...

onelesscar

there were a couple of stripped frames like that in manchester recently, to mend them, the guys just installed a bottom bracket that doesnt need threads, it just pulls together. i think *** make them, not sure. anyway, its totally possible to mend! so dont worry, just get yourself a non thread BB and you will be laughing.

tbk

The Mavic bracket that somebody posted the ebay link to is probably your best bet, there is the alternative of getting a frame builder or welding shop to braze some rod onto the inside of the bracket where the threads have been damaged and get somebody, either frame builder or LBS to cut the threads again.

smurfy

Wow, this is a great idea for a new reality TV show: "I F**ked Up My Bike!" where the contestants try to give the best hard luck story about how they screwed something up on a bike build, repair, or accident . The winner would receive a new frame or whatever the thing was that they screwed up.

I have no doubt that every one of us here has a good "screw-up" tale to tell!

filtersweep

I'm sure OneOnOne will treat you REALLY nice... probably will post about you as a "stupid customer story" in their blog.

Is there a jumbo helicoil that will work?

potus

this is what I was thinking. seems like more of a long term solution than the mavic bb but it will toast the paint so that's another issue you'll have to deal with

HereNT

I think that I'll eventually have to get the treads filled and re cut. For the moment, the teflon plumbers tape seems to be doing the trick. Went out for a short 10 mile ride with a bar in the middle - the 5 shots I had meant that I was riding faster and crunching the BB more on the way home, but it doesn't look like anything has moved yet. I'm carrying a few more pounds of tools now, so that I can get rideable if it does come apart again.

I doubt I would warrant a post on OneOnOne's site. I have already been scolded a few times, though. 'Hmm, someone tried to true this wheel - these nipples are all way too tight...' 'Yeah, sorry about that, I was drunk and you're not open on Sundays. I was just trying to get something rideable, and didn't have a stand or know what I was doing. You can still fix it, right?'

15 min and about $12 later, I was back on the road. That shop rocks.