Left or Right hand thread Fixed Cup? (1987 Raleigh Technium)
 

Hey there!

I have a 1987 Raleigh Technium 440 and I'm trying to replace the old bottom bracket with a modern cartridge style one. The adjustable side came off easily but the fixed side won't budge. I've read that if it's right hand thread they really tighten them down hard and it will require a lot of force. I don't want to try wrenching too hard though because I'm not positive it isn't left hand thread. I've applied WD-40 and used moderate force in both directions but I don't want to get excessive before I know which way it's threaded. Any ideas? Thanks!

EDIT: Question was answered thanks to posters below! :thumb:

Here's the info if you're digging up this thread years from now...

It came off with a good amount of leverage clockwise. If some other person is doing this job and pulls up this thread later, I'll leave what I found:

For 1987 Raleigh Technium 440:

Fixed cup: Left hand thread and 24 TPI
Adjustable cup: Right hand thread and 24 TPI

Should be able to use a normal modern bottom bracket with no problem then :D It sounds like Raleigh made a few with 26 TPI bottom brackets but this wasn't one of them.

A Raleigh of any vintage will have the fixed (drive side) cup left-hand threaded and so it unscrews clockwise. Older Raleigs had a proprietary thread pitch (26tpi) instead of the far more common English threading (24tpi) but both have left-hand threaded fixed cups. Even English/Raleigh fixed cups can be threaded in VERY tight so it may take some real effort to remove.

+1
It'll come off clockwise, but you may be surprised by how much torque it'll take. First it was put in very tight, then over the years, water that settled in the BB shell may have wicked into the threads causing some rust, and if that weren't an issue, you've been tightening it for the last hour.

Older shops, have a T-handled tool which locks to the cup and cheater bars that can extend them out almost 2' per side, so they can get the required torque. Be careful when torquing because you'll be using some high force and if your tool slips you can injure your hand.

Also if the tool slips you can easily round off the edges of the wrench flats on the cup or your tool. Consider making some sort of tool-holding device before proceeding if it doesn't come off with moderate-to-heavy force.

Here is an article by Sheldon Brown detailing, among other things, how to bake a tool to remove stubborn fixed cups.

Thanks all for your input! It came off with a good amount of leverage clockwise. If some other person is doing this job and pulls up this thread later, I'll leave what I found:

For 1987 Raleigh Technium 440:

Fixed cup: Left hand thread and 24 TPI
Adjustable cup: Right hand thread and 24 TPI

Should be able to use a normal modern bottom bracket with no problem then :D It sounds like Raleigh made a few with 26 TPI bottom brackets but this wasn't one of them.

Mistyped?

Good catch. I'll make the edits.

I really
.....
...
screwed
... that up :lol:

Raleigh in England made frames with 1-3/8" x 26tpi bottom brackets, but all of the Technium series were made by Raleigh USA in Kent, WA and will have standard 1.375" x 24tpi English thread bottom brackets.