...believe it or not, despite my cavalier attitudes about the plastic cups on sealed BB cartridges, I have a set of piloted taps for both Standard (AKA English) and for Italian BB threading. I don't know if it's still that way, but for a while there when the dollar was way up versus the Euro, you could buy the Cyclo (Cyclus ?) made ones for a little over a hunnert bucks with the handles, taps included.....with a pilot pin. Look for them from European marketers on the internet. Apparently Park has managed to keep them from showing up much over here.


An adjustable reamer to enlarge the BB costs another 50, maybe, and the handle for that costs something. I think I already had one that fit. Anyway, I've done it (it's a PIA, so I don't encourage anyone to do it except as a last resort).

You're really not taking off a whole lot of material with the reamer. Just look at the diameter difference between English and Italian. It's not huge by any stretch of the imagination. But it is a PIA, and this example definitely does not need that much work.



BTW, for you doubters on the plastic BB installation. If it's in there solid enough to trap the cartridge, it's in there.


The thing isn't going anywhere. But if you want the easiest and least iffy installation, by all means chase the sucker. Facing the shell is, IMO, a meaningless exercise on a sealed unit square taper installation. But by all means if it makes you feel better to have a nice, shiny, flat surface for that fixed side cup to seat against, go for it.


As always, these are only my opinions. But they do have some basis in real world experience.