I bought a used bike last week and pretty much ended up stripping it bare. it seemed like the previous owner didn't do any maintenance at all, everything was bone dry and the headset was gritty with dirt. i took apart the bottom bracket, cleaned out the races, bearings, cups, and took out any residue left on the spindle. problem is, when i installed it, it still felt gritty if you turn it by hand. the only way to make it smooth is to loosen the cups to the brink that you can pretty much loosen it by hand alone. am i installing it wrong or are the bearings just shot? it looked ok to me... there were no grooves on the spindle that i could see.

i have another bottom bracket on order but if i can still use this one i'd like to save some $60 if possible. i've heard that ultegra BBs are much more reliable than the dura ace BB-7700s... should I just go with that one?