Quick Campagnolo BB question
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Quick Campagnolo BB question
Hi, I had this early 70s frame with French campy parts but with a stuck adjustable cup on the NDS. Brought it to my local bike shop a long time ago and the spindle + bearing + right cup got "lost" in this many-month operation (basically left the bike there throughout winter). I'm not able to tell if these were Nuovo Record of Gran Sport.
Today I went bck to the shop to make sure the parts weren't hidden there somewhere in a box. I found a matching cup (35 x 1) and an axle (68-SS-120). I'm not sure if these are mine but they might as well be. Anyway, I tried to install them back on the bike today - despite the fact that the adjustable cup is still stuck in there. When I brought the bike to the shop, there was a slight play in the axle. Now I am unable to get rid of a 2mm play, so surely I'm missing something here. Did these French BB require specific bearings? I tried without success new caged bearings and spare bearings from another campy BB from the same era. I also made sure the longer side of the spindle was in the direction of the chainrings. Or could it be my axle? Any insight is appreciated! Thanks.
Today I went bck to the shop to make sure the parts weren't hidden there somewhere in a box. I found a matching cup (35 x 1) and an axle (68-SS-120). I'm not sure if these are mine but they might as well be. Anyway, I tried to install them back on the bike today - despite the fact that the adjustable cup is still stuck in there. When I brought the bike to the shop, there was a slight play in the axle. Now I am unable to get rid of a 2mm play, so surely I'm missing something here. Did these French BB require specific bearings? I tried without success new caged bearings and spare bearings from another campy BB from the same era. I also made sure the longer side of the spindle was in the direction of the chainrings. Or could it be my axle? Any insight is appreciated! Thanks.
#2
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Back then, Campy made Record and Nuovo Record BB sets. The difference was NR had thicker cups with a spiral groove cut in the cup, in the hole where the spindle passes through the cup. Supposed to expel water/dirt, dunno if it worked... But the main upshot is, spindles made for thick NR cups have their two cones closer together.
Sounds like maybe your spindle is too narrow, in the spacing between the cones, i.e. you might be using an NR spindle with a Record (thin wall) cup.
Does your cup have a spiral groove in the spindle hole?
Sounds like maybe your spindle is too narrow, in the spacing between the cones, i.e. you might be using an NR spindle with a Record (thin wall) cup.
Does your cup have a spiral groove in the spindle hole?
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Very interesting. I'll check this out tomorrow. My guess would be that the cups are more likely to be "plain" Record.
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Another good example of why I have no sense of humor about completely servicing bottom brackets properly, every time, all the time.
Some of this would have been avoided.
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I wish I could but I’ve literally tried everything and so did the shop . Our next solution was heat but we were afraid to damage the paint. It’s not a super high end frame, at least. But I do agree with you. Had the previous owner taken care of the BB, I wouldn’t be typing this.
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Hi, I had this early 70s frame with French campy parts but with a stuck adjustable cup on the NDS. Brought it to my local bike shop a long time ago and the spindle + bearing + right cup got "lost" in this many-month operation (basically left the bike there throughout winter). I'm not able to tell if these were Nuovo Record of Gran Sport.
Today I went bck to the shop to make sure the parts weren't hidden there somewhere in a box. I found a matching cup (35 x 1) and an axle (68-SS-120). I'm not sure if these are mine but they might as well be. Anyway, I tried to install them back on the bike today - despite the fact that the adjustable cup is still stuck in there. When I brought the bike to the shop, there was a slight play in the axle. Now I am unable to get rid of a 2mm play, so surely I'm missing something here. Did these French BB require specific bearings?
Today I went bck to the shop to make sure the parts weren't hidden there somewhere in a box. I found a matching cup (35 x 1) and an axle (68-SS-120). I'm not sure if these are mine but they might as well be. Anyway, I tried to install them back on the bike today - despite the fact that the adjustable cup is still stuck in there. When I brought the bike to the shop, there was a slight play in the axle. Now I am unable to get rid of a 2mm play, so surely I'm missing something here. Did these French BB require specific bearings?
In any case, you need to get the adjustable cup out or you'll never be able to properly adjust the bearings. Use the Sheldon Brown method:
https://sheldonbrown.com/tooltips/bbcups.html
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The adjustable cup is the one on the non drive side with the 6 notch lock ring.
if that is stuck and you are attempting to assemble it with misc parts, not a plan for success.
68-ss-120 would be Nuovo Record with the reverse spiraling, that thickness makes the bearing tracks closer to center.
the adjustable cup is on the left- if stuck, that has to come out.
french fixed cups are notorious for needed if to be really well torqued to stay in place and not proceed out while in use.
if that is stuck and you are attempting to assemble it with misc parts, not a plan for success.
68-ss-120 would be Nuovo Record with the reverse spiraling, that thickness makes the bearing tracks closer to center.
the adjustable cup is on the left- if stuck, that has to come out.
french fixed cups are notorious for needed if to be really well torqued to stay in place and not proceed out while in use.
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I wish I could but I’ve literally tried everything and so did the shop . Our next solution was heat but we were afraid to damage the paint. It’s not a super high end frame, at least. But I do agree with you. Had the previous owner taken care of the BB, I wouldn’t be typing this.
And this, mini air powered mini cut off tool, these can do amazing things where its very hard to get into and would be a challenge here.
https://www.harborfreight.com/18-in-...kit-60244.html
And mini cut off wheels for a Dremel
https://www.dremel.com/us/en/p/420-2615000420
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A stuck adjustable cup?
Treat it like a stuck stem or stuck seatpost with a liquid concoction and time. Lay the frame down on the nds and dribble your concoction down the ds side of the bb shell down between the adjustable cup and shell. Wait a week. Try to free it. Repeat.
What concoction to use? Equal parts atf and acetone? Maybe. Or CRC Freeze-Off, PB Blaster, or other penetrating oil.
It's lefty-loosey!
Treat it like a stuck stem or stuck seatpost with a liquid concoction and time. Lay the frame down on the nds and dribble your concoction down the ds side of the bb shell down between the adjustable cup and shell. Wait a week. Try to free it. Repeat.
What concoction to use? Equal parts atf and acetone? Maybe. Or CRC Freeze-Off, PB Blaster, or other penetrating oil.
It's lefty-loosey!
Last edited by SurferRosa; 07-21-22 at 12:00 PM.
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There is a shop-grade version of the Sheldon Brown tool; Kingsbridge made one, as did Zeus. And here's a comparison of the Nuovo Record ("thick") and Record ("thin") cups, to help with identification:
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#11
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Seems like I have record cups with two NR spindle (notice however the difference in the taper).
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First rule of Campagnolo Club is there are no “quick” bottom bracket questions. Well, maybe except “Is this a Campagnolo bottom bracket ?”
Sorry not much more help than that.
Sorry not much more help than that.
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I did not know there was an adjustable cup tool made. Interesting.
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That Kingsbridge made tool does not work very well because of the space between the two ends. It doesn't get tight enough on the cups and allows for some slippage. I have made a version here that I refer to as a junk yard tool, but it works. Made from two black sockets, two race car lug nuts, and one race car wheel stud. It took bit of welding and clean up grinding but my 20" breaker bar gives me all the leverage needed to break any stuck cup free. Pics:
Both ends of the tool that screw together inside the bottom bracket and outside the stuck cup.
Note that the nuts make a perfect contact so no slippage can occur.
HTH, Smiles, MH
Both ends of the tool that screw together inside the bottom bracket and outside the stuck cup.
Note that the nuts make a perfect contact so no slippage can occur.
HTH, Smiles, MH
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Your picture (above, cropped) shows a NR (thick) cup. I can see the spiral grooves. We still don't know what your adjustable cup is, got any pix of that?
You really, really need to break that adj cup loose, or else get a new frame! No way you'll be able to adjust the bearing via the fixed cup. If it means damaging the paint then so be it, the alternative is new frame anyway.
The pin wrench method is iffy for a really stuck cup, because you can break the pins. Might want to go straight to the Sheldon bolt method, plus heat as necessary.
Last edited by bulgie; 07-21-22 at 07:24 PM.
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Holy cow you're totally right. I don't know where I was looking but I wasn't looking where I was supposed to. So the fixed cup I picked up at the shop is NR. However the stuck cup has no spiral groove. Sounds like game over, until I'm able to remove the stuck cup and to fin a new french BB
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Holy cow you're totally right. I don't know where I was looking but I wasn't looking where I was supposed to. So the fixed cup I picked up at the shop is NR. However the stuck cup has no spiral groove. Sounds like game over, until I'm able to remove the stuck cup and to fin a new french BB
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Your picture (above, cropped) shows a NR (thick) cup. I can see the spiral grooves. We still don't know what your adjustable cup is, got any pix of that?
You really, really need to break that adj cup loose, or else get a new frame! No way you'll be able to adjust the bearing via the fixed cup. If it means damaging the paint then so be it, the alternative is new frame anyway.
The pin wrench method is iffy for a really stuck cup, because you can break the pins. Might want to go straight to the Sheldon bolt method, plus heat as necessary.
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Anything's possible, but a bike shop that doesn't know which way loosens a right-hand thread wouldn't stay in business very long.
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Did the bike originally have a triple chainring? That could explain the thin Record cup. After NR came out (when, '67 maybe?) road bikes all got the NR BB, the only exceptions being Track and Triple. & maybe cyclocross, I forget. Campy in their infinite wisdom never made NR BBs in track or triple, so those spindle lengths continued to have the wide cone spacing for thin cups. A thin Record cup on a road bike with a double isn't impossible, but very rare once you get into the '70s.
Apollo TBS distributors had the Nuovo in French at prices that exceeded retail prices.
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I do have some thin French cups in my Campy BB box, maybe that explains why I have them. Never had a French track bike myself, or a Frenchie with a Campy triple, the other two main ways to end up with thin cups.
Hmm, "French bikes that came with a Campy triple crank", that's a pretty narrow niche category. Like none, that I can recall. Anyone know of one?
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Gran Sport and its derivatives (Triomphe, Victory) also used "thin" cups.
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Wouldn't have any issue putting heat to the cup, I would heat the cup up to the point that solidified grease melts and wick some new grease into the threads. Then try the wrenching. The grease melts well before paint damage. I had to do this on a bike that broke the pin wrench.