Hi all,

This is out of my (small) areas of expertise, and I'm not sure it matters too much, but for curiosity sake I'm wondering what this BB is? And how you can really tell these apart. I've done some searching and read a bunch of threads but haven't found a definitive answer.

The BB comes out of an 1989 Italian Bianchi but it did not come stock with a Campy BB.

Alloy (silver) spindle measures 115.5 (best I can measure it, could be 155 or 116) and is marked 70-ss.

Bearings measure 3/16, and cups say Campagnolo, BREV INTER 36 X 24F on both.

Late-80s mid level BB? Whatever it is, it's a nice BB.

[IMG]BB1 by Brynnar Swenson, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]BB3 by Brynnar Swenson, on Flickr[/IMG]

Looks like a post-1978 NR/SR double BB. Here's my cheat sheet I use for quick reference:

NR/SR-
Italian:
Double -Pre CPSC ('78): 113mm. Post: 115.5
Triple - Pre: 118. Post: 124

English:
Double - Pre: 112. Post: 114.5
Triple - Pre:117. Post: 123

Late-80s-90s markings:
Spc -- ≻ c - record
Ssa -- ≻ croce d'aune
Ssb -- ≻ chorus
Ssg -- ≻ athena

Thanks!

I thought the 3/16" bearings only came with the Ti Super Record. (or was it for C-Record)?
But in any case I also thought that the spindle for the 3/16" bearings had a "step" at the race due to the smaller bearing size, which this doesn't appear to have. Are you sure these are the right bearings for this BB?
(Although when I blow the pic up I would have guessed they are really 1/4" bearings)

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3/16" balls were employed for one or two years in the early '60's for the Record bottom bracket assembly. there were track, road, triple, 68mm, 70mm and...74mm (for use in Cinelli shells). have here a 3/16" ball spindle for 3X and a 74mm shell.

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Yes, both those used 3/16" balls, but they had 14 balls in each retainer, while the pictured unit has 11 balls in each retainer. I suspect the pictured retainers actually have 1/4" balls.



The "step" is actually a separate, pressed-on race, which is the reason smaller balls were used.



I'm thinking the OP did not measure the balls properly, that the retainers have 1/4" balls, and the bottom bracket is, as Jeirvine suggests, a post-CPSC Nuovo Record bottom bracket.

One key point is that the cups are Italian threaded, and that the spindle needs to match in terms of the spacing between the bearing races.

Another is that if all your bearing surfaces are smooth and you assemble the BB into the frame with cleanliness, good grease, this can be one of the smoothest and longest lasting BB sets you will find. Adjustment of the bearings is also critical. Done right you should never need to replace it.

Yes, I did measure the bearings wrong, or I thought I was giving the measurement that was not the fancy SR bearings and I got it backward. This was installed in a frame I bought and with a little tweaking it was super smooth.

Thanks for the education. Why I love C&V!