Having some bottom bracket issues
 

I need to change the bottom bracket on my 1970s belgian Van Hout frame but the right side cup is stuck of course. I am unsure which way should I attempt to turn the cup since I don't know if it is made of Italian, French, British or Swiss standard. Is there a way of determining?

as I understand Italian and French should open anticlockwise. The shot bottom bracket was a shimano "one key release" 68-116 with markings: "W" , "<52>" and "FC". Probably not original and few years newer than the frame. I know Sheldon has some tips for a handy tool.

Another thing. As I got the frame I serviced the bb and noticed it was pretty worn out. as I opened it again a couple months later the bb area was full of water! There are no drain holes! How can this be? :eek:

None of my nine bikes has a drain hole.

Ok, not all do but most of my bikes do have it and I've seen plenty of bb drain holes. I guess there's some serious leaking going on somewhere in the frame, the non-original bb and rust inside shows the problem may not be new.. Frame is still in relatively good shape though!

I now see a some threads about drain holes on the forum..

If it was early Shimano, I do not belive they ever made a Swiss BB. The way I narrow it down whn I am unsure, is to try threadding an Italian, then Brittish, then french thread BB cup into the adjustable side (all right had thread). The only mystery left is if it is the french that fits(some may fit but are loose, these are not the correct cups). If it is not Brittish (or Swiss), the fixed cup will be right-hand threaded, otherwize, left (and my $$ is on Brittish). Some cups get stuck pretty well, and there are some threads which discuss this.

Rust is a common occurance in the BB of most bikes. Water manages its way in through gas vent holes, the seatpost, condensation, whatever. Unless you have a heap of flakes sitting in it, clean it out, apply some frame rust inhibitor, and move on.

The common build proofing is to grease the heck out of the seatpost and stem shafts before inserting, hopefully creating a water seal.

there is no markings anywhere on the cups?

There also "1,37x24T <52> Shimano Japan" in the stuck cup.



Thank you, I will try this!


Thank you. Maybe I will try this, I might have some cups somewhere or in the LBS!

I tried an Italian adjustable cup, it does not fit in.

With some google, I'm convinced it is british bb, yes!

I always had to look at the boxes on the shelf or keep a cheat sheet but yes I am pretty sure 1,37 is english OY here goes my memory again thats LH thread on the drive side right?

Correctomundo! Ingles it is!

Fixed Cup Removal
 

This is a cut and paste from another thread with a similar
issue. Since there appears to be some confusion
between this and the Sheldon Brown method of fixed
cup removal (which this is not the same as), I will try
to post some photos for you in the next few days.
I'm kind of strapped for time this weekend. As you
have correctly surmised, your cups are ISO/English.
This should make your replacement job considerably
easier in terms of parts availability. The fixed cup
is a left hand thread (i.e. it loosens clockwise).

If there really is an ongoing moisture problem,
I would probably opt for replacement with a sealed
cartridge BB unit at this point. They are cheap and
readily available, and you most likely have a standard
JIS taper on your crank. You just need to get the
right axle length and protrusion to maintain your chainline.



"I just did one of these (Campagnolo fixed cup removal) from
a 1978 frame that had been installed with some sort of thread
sealing compound and been in place for 32 years.

You need to refer to:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ed+cup+removal

and read far enough into it so that you get to
the ingenious idea of using a short 1/2" or 5/8"
hex bolt and nut with washers inside the cup and
outside the tool (large enough to hold it on the cup).

You can then proceed, as did I, to hit the end of the
goddam wrench in the appropriate direction with
a deadblow hammer (if you have one) or something
of a similar nature. This is kind of the poor man's
impact wrench.

Prior to doing any of this, degrease the cup area and
hit it from both sides with PB Blaster (as seen on TV)
and some triflow and let them soak in for 20 or 30
minutes. Patience and fortitude are called for in this
particular operation. For some reason I seem to have
both the Park and the Campagnolo tools for this fixed
cup. Must be indicative of advanced age or senility."

Mike Larmer

Thank you. I will be using the bike for not restoration but riding, so I think I will put on a new good quality bb. I will wait if you have some photos!

Zastolye:

Got up early this morning and these photos
are the result. As you can see, this method of removal
requires that you either own or obtain a fixed cup
wrench (which by itself is a laughable POS) in the
proper size and shape for your particular fixed
cup. Its primary advantage is that it does not
rely solely on friction to transfer your torque
to the cup, so it works better. Also, all those
guys you hear *****ing and whining about how
once they got the cup out, they couldn't undo
the bolt should be happier with this (although
they will doubtless find something else to *****
and complain about - I know I do.)

With regard to replacement with a sealed unit,
if you don't understand what's involved in measuring
the various dimensions of your original BB spindle,
take it to your LBS or bike coop and get somebody
to explain it/ measure your original. Also, your frame
is old enough that the seatpost may be a straight
through tube and thus open to the elements. I usually
use a wine cork in this event. Insert from below and
tap into place with a drift or dowel.

Mike Larmer