The clockwise thread on the drive side is a modest manufacturing cost-saver and a significant engineering blunder. The French belatedly figured this out in the late 1970s, when Motobecane, and then Peugeot, switched over to Swiss threading.
I ALWAYS use BLUE (soft-setting) LocTite on my two self-loosening BBs: the UO-8 and the Bianchi. Neither has given me any trouble, but the BBs on my previous Bianchi and Peugeot DID come loose a couple of times while I rode. Fortunately, the Capo and the Schwinn are English/ISO-threaded, and the PKN-10 is Swiss-threaded.
Having said all that, cartridge bearings should ameliorate the situation by eliminating the direct epicyclic action of the ball bearings against the cup. Also, the one good thing I can say for French or Italian BB threading is that one can microadjust the chainline by using an adjustable cup and lockring on the drive side, as well as on the left.
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"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069
Last edited by John E; 07-02-04 at 09:59 AM.