with the crank off, cartridge still installed I could visibly move it with my hand. didnt measure the actual displacement but it didnt seem right to me. maybe I f'ed up installing it.
Originally Posted by
Airburst
Strange... I did encounter a Shimano cartridge BB that was actually a cup-and-cone unit, with the cones threaded onto the spindle and held in adjustment with a locknut (I suppose it was still a cartridge in that it was removeable as a unit). One of those could potentially work loose in a fairly short time if the locknut wasn't tight enough, but the fact that you don't have play with the cartridge out would tend to rule out the bearing.
How much play are we dealing with here? The length of the cranks does amplify the play - a millimetre of play at the spindle will be a lot more than that at the pedal, so the play may only be obvious with the cranks on. It could still be the cartridge, if that's the case.