So i am unsure as to how/where to address this. An 80's Viner frame has an bb with a rectangular cutout. With bearing assembly installed can i routinely flush bearings w/degreaser and grease gun new? I don't want to destroy square taper arms by cycles of removal and replacement. Is this partly the reason for the bb relief?

It became fasionable to cutout shapes inbthe BB. Has no purpose really. You should have some sort of plastic sleeve that shields the bearings from debris. Removing and reinstalling crankarms doesnt create much wear on the tapers. No worries there.

Moving to Mechanics Forum.

There Was a Zerk kit 3 decades ago, the plastic sleeve was thick & solid to support threading the zerk fitting into it..

Nowadays , probably simpler to fit a cartridge BB , the bearings internally shielded within the cartridge ...


the BB holes let condensation inside the seat & down tube drain out...





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Cycles of removing crank arms will not hurt anything. Yes, doing it frequently creates opportunity for error. Done correctly the procedure can be repeated as often as required, even if imagination decides it must be done constantly.

fietsbob has correct point about letting condensation vent. Plenty of other ways water gets inside frames. If no hole in BB the only alternate vent is an open top seatpost, which doesn't work as well and which almost no one has any longer. No vent at all and steel frames will rust.

No effective cleaning could possibly be done by flushing bearings in position. It is just not hard to do the service the usual way.

Thank you for all the feedback. In case i wanted to go full ****** with vintage caged bearings and Stronglight 49d's i thought i should ask. I will use a square taper cartridge bb. Thank you to all.