I am in the process of rebuilding a 1989 Centurion for a friend who lives near the coast. As I was stripping the bike, I noticed an inordinate amount of grit everywhere on the bike. I assume this is a combination of salt and sand.
I got to thinking that this has probably found its way into the bottom bracket that I just rebuilt in June, so I probably should repack those bearings. However, as I thought more, I began to think that converting to a sealed cartridge might be a better idea. I would like to hear your thoughts on whether replacing the old cup and cone bottom bracket with a sealed cartridge would provide substantially more protection from the elements. How hard is this conversion? I have never done this, but I am under the impression it just involves removing the spindle, bearings and sleeve and replacing them with a cartridge. Do I need to replace the cups?