Ran across the following and thought I’d share it with other forum members.
Recently, I ordered some 11-ball retainers for use with bottom brackets. Source was
Bike Tools Etc. (Let’s not start a “retainers vs. loose balls” discussion, please. Properly installed and maintained, an 11-ball retainer causes negligible if any additional friction and holds the same number of balls as would be used if using loose balls in a bottom bracket. IMO that means there’s no downside to using them, and it does simplify assembly.)
They arrived yesterday, to my surprise. USPS is now delivering mail here again.
These new retainers appear to fit and work. But they are of a different design than the classic Campy/Shimano 11-ball retainers. They appear to be virtually identical to 9-ball retainers, except they hold 11 vice 9 balls. And they appear designed to be installed
in the same orientation as 9-ball retainers.
Here’s a quick pair of photos showing (left to right) the front and back of a “classic” 11-ball Shimano retainer, one of the new 11-ball retainers, and a Shimano 9-ball retainer.
Photo 1 – back view
Photo 2 – front view
Sorry for the pic quality; did this in a hurry.
I’ve done a dry assembly of a Shimano BB-A450 with all three. When I orient the new 11-ball retainer the same direction as the “classic” 11-ball retainer – e.g., with the open face inwards – the cup sits substantially farther outboard and does not spin freely. When I orient it the same way as a 9-ball retainer (open face outwards) the cup sits in the same location as a correctly oriented 9-ball and “classic” 11-ball retainer. It also spins freely.