Miele Man

I know that the 3 Shimano AX groupsets were short live groupsets in that they were produced for only a few years in the early 1980s. Regarding the Dura Ace AX bottom bracket. Did Shimano ever make a sealed cartridge type bottom bracket for the Dura Ace AX cranks? All the ads in my 1981 and 1982 magazines and catalogues sho a standard cup and cone bottom bracket. someone had posted an image of a Dura ACE AX crankset on a sealed cartridge bottom bracket. they claim it's original to the bicycle but i never saw one like it in the 1980s. So, is this original or were all Deura Ace AX bottom brackets cup and cone ones?

Thanks and cheers

LesterOfPuppets

Probably just need a shorter BB. Velobase says AX needs 107 or 109 mm spindle

LesterOfPuppets

Hey, you changed the post a bit!

Seems like Sora Doubles took a 110 BB, pretty close to AX specs.

You got pics of situation?

Miele Man

I never changed to original post in this thread. it's a different topic to my other thread about the taper.

in this thread i'm asking if Shimano ever made a sealedd cartridge boottome bracket speciffically for the Dura Ace AX crankset of 1981 - 1984 vintage. The AX crankset is the one with the 1" diameter pedal spindle and crank eye.

Cheers

HillRider

I'm almost certain they did not. Shimano sealed cartridge bottom brackets were developed after AX was no longer in production and the chances they went back and made a retrofit are pretty much zero.

Miele Man

That's what Ihought. I never saw a sealed cartridge BB by Shimano until long after the Dura Ace Index stuff was out. i never saw or heard of a sealed cartridge Dura Ace AX bottom bracket.

Thanks and cheers

Jeff Wills

All Shimano bottom brackets from that era were cup and cone. I think cartridge BB's didn't start appearing until 1992 or so.

Goo reference material: Shimano 1982 Dealer Catalogue

Mr IGH

I have an original AX spindle, it is an asymmetric 112mm. It is asymmetric by 2mm, in today's BB world, it would be a 114mm symmetric spindle. If I was going to use a modern Shimano sealed BB I would account for the 0.5mm difference in insertion (from your other thread) and use a 113mm symmetric spindle for a 120mm hub and adjust accordingly for newer chainline if you're using a more modern hub.

pressed001

Haha! I was lost here.


I asked the magical google ferries and they said:



This looks like a sealed system, so perhaps the seller simply misunderstands what he has and the item is infact original. This is a cup-cone dura ace AX bottom bracket.

Mr IGH

That's not a sealed BB, it's standard old school cup/cone BB with a plastic accordion sleeve that protects the bearings from debris dropping down the seat tube. That's a later BB/sleeve, the ones that came with ~1982 were translucent white plastic without any label.

Miele Man

Originally Posted by pressed001...This looks like a sealed system, so perhaps the seller simply misunderstands what he has and the item is infact original. This is a cup-cone dura ace AX bottom bracket.

He did state that it was a cup and cone bottom bracket.

Cheers

pressed001

Right. And thanks. As Mr IGH said, the black BB sleeve is from a newer BB. So, it may be why it really looks like a sealed BB. I think the stock sleeve would make it pretty obvious that it is not a sealed system.

I'm just wondering, when this is all said and done, what type of BB the OP's seller actually has.