Originally Posted by cyccommute (Post 20041689)

ery poor quality to start with. I'm somewhat surprised that DEW21's has a loose bearing bottom bracket at all. I bought a 1990 HardRock new and I'm reasonable certain that it had a cartridge bearing BB

Originally Posted by DEW21 (Post 20042736)

Now, on to my next issue, cables. Most of the Jagwire cables I'm seeing say Shimano/Sram compatible, what about Suntour XCM? :foo: Do there shift cables have 2 different ends where one of them I can use? This is the one I was thinking of getting if it will work. Doesn't look like it in the pic.

Originally Posted by cyccommute (Post 20045638)

Yes, the cable and housing are compatible with Suntour's old stuff as long as you are using shifter cable housing on the shifters and brake cables housing on the brakes. Don't use brake housing for the shifter housing or shifter housing on the brakes.

Few cables come with double ends anymore. The ones in the link certainly don't. For shifter cable, you don't need two different cable ends because the "lolly pop" end is obsolete and nearly nonexistent. For the brake cable, there is a road end and a mountain bike end (you want the mountain bike end) but good cables have welded ends that makes inserting it into the housing the first time much easier than a cut cable. You have less chance of fraying and ruining the cable that way.

The cables in your link will work just fine, although I would suggest just buying the stuff from your local bike shop if you can. You aren't saving money by going to Amazon. Cables typically cost $3 each and housing typically cost $2 per foot at an LBS and you don't have to wait.

Originally Posted by IrishBrewer (Post 20060144)

Where did you find the decals? Paint and decals look great!

Originally Posted by cyccommute (Post 20041689)

Based on my own cartridge bottom bracket replacement rate and on the replacement rate for my co-op where we see every kind of bike possible in every kind of condition possible, I'd say that you are way overestimating the replacement interval of cartridge bearing BBs. The cheapest Shimano or even the cheapest Shimano knockoff lasts much longer than 2 years in my experience, even under heavy useage.

Originally Posted by cyccommute (Post 20041689)

And, while high quality loose bearing bottom brackets can last quite a while, those are rarities. Most loose bearing bottom brackets are very poor quality to start with. I'm somewhat surprised that DEW21's has a loose bearing bottom bracket at all. I bought a 1990 HardRock new and I'm reasonable certain that it had a cartridge bearing BB

Originally Posted by hokiefyd (Post 20168401)

Top work on that old Hardrock so far! I was going to suggest the UN55 with the bright finish, as I think it'll complement your bright crank arms well. And it does. Looks great!

Originally Posted by frankenmike (Post 20181569)

Awesome looking Hardrock! Was that a 7 speed originally? Also what rear spacing? Asking because my 92 was a 7 speed with 130 rear spacing(which I cold set to 135 to upgrade wheels). Could be a clue as to the year. Again, very nice job.

Originally Posted by Ghrumpy (Post 20167833)

Cheap bikes don't tend to get ridden as much as more expensive ones. Two years of use on such a bike might be a couple hundred miles, where a higher-quality bike might rack that up in a couple weeks. I don't think a time interval is a very meaningful gauge of durability.


Two more things:
First, there is a big difference between a "cartridge bearing BB" and a "BB cartridge." BB cartridges are not serviceable, nor can their bearings be replaced. Cartridge bearing BBs allow both, and are much more like loose-ball BBs than they are like BB cartridges.

Second, when it comes to sheer numbers, "most" of every component will be poor quality. It's simply because there are more cheap bikes in the world than expensive ones. So that's as true of BB cartridges as loose-ball BBs.
The difference is that BB cartridges can be installed by any fool with a tool, or even a robot on the assembly line, while even the cheapest loose-ball BB needs to be carefully adjusted or it will fail in short order. This, IMO, is the only reason cheap BB cartridges last longer than cheap loose-ball BBs. Bearing cartridges use fewer balls than loose-ball BBs, but they are better sealed and kept in adjustment by the manufacturing process.

No surprise then why BB cartridges became the standard. Does that make them "superior"? Depends on your point of view. No bearing cartridge (or cartridge bearing BB, for that matter) I've ever worked on runs as smoothly as a perfectly adjusted Campagnolo Record (or other high-quality) loose-ball BB.

Originally Posted by DEW21 (Post 20180592)

Finished !!