Bottom bracket threads ruined -- a solution
 

Routinely we have posts on subject, often pondering if the frame is now dead and must be replaced or the dreaded "how does a n00by fix this".

Finally re-found the site which has the replacement BB which does not rely on the threading at all.

http://store.velo-orange.com/index.p...-brackets.html

At $66 ($55 on Amazon) they aren't super cheap, but probably better than buying a lot of specialty tools to attempt a restoral of the buggered up threads.

Note 7 or 8 different spindle lengths and that it fits any of the shells except Italian.

Hope this helps

/K

Those Velo Orange bottom brackets have been mentioned here in the past as a frame resuscitator. It has the advantage over the Mavic threadless bb that you don't have to chamfer the bb shell to install it. The limitation is that they are square taper and JIS only.

You're also limited somewhat in that this bottom bracket may not work for some spindle length/crankset combinations. I tried a 68x107mm JIS version in a Peugeot UO-9 with a Shimano 105 crankset, and the DS crank arm would bottom out against the BB cup.

The old school way to fix ruined BB threads is to rethread them with a BB thread tap. They are available in various sizes and are not cheap.

Chasing the threads won't always work, particularly on ally frames; the taps are cutting tools which remove metal, and if most of the threads are already sheared off... not much chance of joy. Worth a shot though, and teflon tape may help.

I've used one of these VO BBs; it's a pretty nice bit of kit, so it isn't a rip-off. Pretty sure there's a cheaper one from someone else all in steel if a heavy one will do, too.

One odd thing about the VO BB is it was half pink and half blue; a guy from VO told me it was a random thing the supplier did off his own bat, and future batches would be all silver. No idea if the multicoloured ones are all gone yet... I sanded the anodising off mine and painted it black.

Also back in the old days Campagnolo made oversized BB cups in case threads were damaged; in most cases they had 2 oversizes so you could repair the BB threads a second time if they were damaged after the first fix; they also supplied the very expensive tools needed to drill out and re-thread the BB shell.

Yep:

http://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cg...=YS-BB99368110

http://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cg...=YS-BB99368113

http://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cg...=YS-BB99368116

http://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cg...=YS-BB99368119

http://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cg...=YS-BB99368122

http://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cg...=YS-BB99368124

(Something tells me that I know Striknein from somewhere...)

That's the one. Yet more kudos for Jeff.

The most common way to salvage a damaged English, French or Swiss bottom bracket shell is to tap it ovesize to Italian threads.

I've heard mixed reports about those YSY bottom brackets' durability but they are cheap enough that keeping a spare or two on hand doesn't tie up a bunch of money.

how about these for a cheaper solution?

http://www.niagaracycle.com/index.ph..._id=37&sort=2a

Anything in Hollowtech?

Which of those will work for a Schwinn Dual Sport?

Any of the Velo Orange treadless bottom brackets should fit your frame (I'm assuming the shell is English threaded and 68 mm wide), but you'll need to pick the one whose spindle is the required length for your crankset. If you're keeping the original crankset, just measure the length of your original spindle to figure out the length

What about the cheaper steel ones?

Those cheap YST bottom brackets require a chamfered bottom bracket shell. Once you add the cost of chamfering the shell to the price of the bottom bracket itself, it will likely wind up costing you more than one of the Velo Orange bottom brackets. (And from what I gather, those YST bottom brackets don't have a good reputation, to put it kindly.)

I was too cheap to buy a VO for my Raleigh. It still had good threads and cups, but I wanted to go cotterless. Couldn't find a cotterless "Raleigh conversion" spindle to fit the 71mm shell except on Ebay in the UK, and they wouldn't ship to the U.S. There are plenty of spindles available for >$10 that fit a 68mm shell, so I ground a couple of millimeters off my shell with a hand-held electric sander. Success.

I wonder how many Raleighs are still out there with the original cottered steel cranks. Mine were not only heavy, the chrome was gone too.

I know one that doesn't. A friend has a '71 or '72 Super Course that came with a cottered Stronglight crank (I loved that name since the crank was neither) and Raleigh's proprietary threading. We reused the OEM cups and swapped in an SR square taper spindle and SR crank for the originals. The 71 mm bb width made us thread the adjustable cup in a bit deep but there were just enough exposed threads to add the lock ring.