Originally Posted by MikeHunt79
Haha, I have been spotted here and there...
Here's a pic of it from 1977, incase you're wondering on what it looks like... It still has the original tyres on it!
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/nkilgar...7/Majestic.jpg
As far as the bottom bracket is concerned, I think the threads in the frame have seen better days. I say this as it took lots of elbow grease to get the BB cups out. I managed to do the non-drive side with a plumbers wrench, but the drive side needed a 35mm spanner. I had to stand on the spanner because it was so tight.. but it also needed lots of effort to turn the spanner once it had been loosened, so the threads must be tight.
The BB definately British thread, as I had to turn the drive side cup clockwise to undo it. Now on the exellent sheldon brown site you linked, there seems to be two sizes of thredind for the threading for the British standard...
1.370" X 24 tpi
1.375" X 24 tpi
Very confusing... Only the British could come up with one standard with 2 different thread sizes.
Perhaps that's why my shimano BB that I tried didn't fit? Perhaps the shimano had a 1.375" thread while my frame has 1.370" threading... So where on earth could I get a correctly sized BB? If not, maybe a new spindle and balls and ball cups would be ok, as the existing cups fit ok, if a little tight.
Ah, 35mm
I know it well. It used to be (or, so I am told) that you could easily get a Park HCW-2 BB fixed cup wrench which has an openning with 35mm flats. They seem to be impossible to find today. So, the very manly and very expensive tool for 35mm flat fixed cups is this guy from VAR:
http://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cg...&item_id=VR-30
It's $155 and then you have to buy a 35.1mm jaw for it (another $65 !!!):
http://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cg...tem_id=VR-30/1
Fortunately, you can't even find fixed cups with 35mm flats anymore. At some point, it seems that everyone went to a 36mm standard and those fit right into the same BB tubes as the ones with 35mm flats. You can get brand new cup and cone sets that use a 36mm fixed cup from either of these two places:
http://harriscyclery.net/itemdetails.cfm?id=2169 (scroll down to "Axles" and then "Cups)
http://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cg..._id=YS-BB611NW
You'll notice that both of those are listed as "1.37 x 24tpi" and not "1.375".
Since you said your axle is knackered, you could measure it and match up with one on the Harris page.
Replacement axles use bolts to hold in the crank arms and alot of the old ones had threaded studs on the
ends of the axle shafts. Make sure you get either the correct nuts or bolts for your new axle.
And, last but not least, here's an inexpensive tool for 36mm fixed cups:
http://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cg...tem_id=PA-HCW4
A lot of manufacturers, including Campy, make something similar, if you don't like that one.
P.S. If I were a betting man, I'd say those tires are 27" and have dry rot. If the rubber is still good it would be amazing.
P.S.S. Park Tool has a nice article on servicing that type of BB:
http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=93