Jimbo1983

Well, once again I must ask the advice of the experts!

I'm fixing up a Haro Escape 8.1 for a friend. It's the 2001 model, and Bikepedia https://www.bikepedia.com/QuickBike/B...08.1&Type=bike says that it should have a 68mm x 110.5mm bottom bracket. I removed it (as it is knackered) and couldn't read any of the writing on it due to deterioration. I measured the overall spindle length and came up with 116mm. Which is correct, Bikepedia or measurement? Or is the Bikepedia number some other measurement? I'm a little confused.
Also it's the type of bottom bracket that has a slight gap in the drive-side thread to allow an E-type derailleur mount to fit in there. Does this affect the measurement of the spindle?
Thanks

jimc101

A 10 year old bike has probably had a BB change before, so the 110.5mm may well be correct for stock, and the wrong size later fitted, you need to find some history to the bike, BikePedia is great as a reference for stock, but as soon as the bike is changed, it has little use

For the E-type, this was designed several years after this frame, and requires special tabs to have been welded to the frame, this is done during manufacturing, the Haro will not have these, so this will not work. The slight gap you mention may well be from an incorrect size BB being fitted previously

Jimbo1983

Perhaps I should go back to stock then, as there is no derailleur fitted to the E-type mount, and like you say it doesn't have the tabs on the frame. The cranks appear to be original so should have good chainline with stock-sized bb. I have no idea where the derailleur went but it won't be hard to find a clamp-on type (as suggested by bikepedia.)

Thanks!

Jimbo1983

Ack, now I'm having Front Derailleur problems...
I bought this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001GSSMWS and can't get it shifting properly. One part of the swing-arm pivot hits the seat tube and it's still barely close enough to the inner chainring to change the gear. Then when I start going out to the outer chainring it just refuses to shift it. I looked at the specs again and saw that it's rated for a 50mm chainline...
Measuring the chainline I have, it looks like it is supposed to be 47.5mm but looks more like 45mm, so either I did need a wider bottom bracket after all, or I stuffed-up with the Derailleur I bought.
Then I look at https://www.sheldonbrown.com/bbsize.html#acera and it says the BB should be from 110mm to 113mm for a 47.5mm to 50mm chainline. I just don't really know what my next step should be?
If the derailleur needs a 50mm chainline and I end up having to replace the BB anyway, I could just get one that would take it to 50mm, which would be quite a large BB size to go from around 45mm up to 50mm. Or I have to get a different derailleur tha accepts 47.5mm chainline, and see if it works, and if not, then mess around with different BBs.