How would one know if a BB is Italian threaded??
 

It's an Italian frame I am working on now, and I was hoping the BB is English threaded and the English threaded BBs I have on hand would work so I started screwing in the cups by hand to find out. The non drive side cup screwed in OK for a bit and then started getting tight after a few turns. The non drive side cup did exactly the same thing....so, would this be the symptoms that indicate the BB shell is Italian threaded then??
Funny thing is, the English threaded headsets I have seems to screw in all the way OK on to the fork steerer tube.
I'd just like to make sure before I go ahead buy an Italian BB for the bike.

Chombi

English threaded cups will practically fall into an Italian threaded BB shell. So, it isn't Italian. Also, Italian BBs have right-handed threads on both sides.

what year is frame? brand? that might help.

my understanding is that the threading on a english headset will work with italian threaded fork....minimal difference so you can't use that as an indicator

Gosh, Maybe my BB isn't English afterall (French made Bador, but supposedly English threaded taken off a Vitus 979)
This is getting a bit confusing, I'll take a closer look at the threads on the shell and BB again tonight.

Chombi

1986 Alan Carbonio, sold by Nishiki. I assume that Nishiki did not change any of the threading specs for the bike. IIRC, all Alans I have ever encountered supposedly have Italian threaded BBs.

Chombi

If the shell is 70 mm (-ish) wide, it's almost certainly Italian-threaded (but nothing is 100% certain...).

If the shell is 68 (-ish), it generally isn't Italian, but could be any of four threading types (more if you count Raleigh 26 tpi, but those were usally wider than 68).

Are you trying to put Swiss-thread cups into a BSC shell, perhaps? They are close in spec....

Edit: didn't see your post right above mine. Should be Italian, unless Nishiki was able to spec. BSC? The non-drive side is a RH thread, right? And the drive side is LH? Sounds like BSC, and maybe you just need to carefully chase the threads?

Exactly as Gearbasher said. A english cup will drop directly into a Italian bb and fall out like your tongue out of your mouth when you see Selma Hayek. While a Italian cup into a BB won't ever happen unless your the Incredible Hulk, Chuck Norris or God.

I use Sheldon Brown's web site for questions on bottom bracket types. This link has a good summary of threading at the bottom of the web page:

http://sheldonbrown.com/bbsize.html

So what are you saying? I don't fancy Selma Hayek, so should I avoid Italian threads? Or BSC bottom brackets? Darn, this bike thing is getting complicated ....

I am not sure what he is saying but I agree an English Fixed Cup would make an excellent Go-NoGo guage.

Well, it looks like I was screwing in the Bador BB backwards. For some reason the spindle was flipped sometime in its life and the longer end is in the wrong cup. The BB screwed in OK after I flipped it. The cup threads engaged and they did not fall through, so definitely not an Italian threaded BB shell and defintely English. Also got a PM from the PO saying that he is sure it's English I also dug up an old DA fixed cup I had that is marked 1.37 x 24T and it screwed in OK too. The BB shell is 68mm wide so I guess that's another sign it's English threaded.
Thanks for all the info guys! your help will help me find the correct BB for the bike. I guess the interchangability with Italian and English threading only happens with the headsets then. I kinda thought it included the BBs.......By the way, does anyone know what ISO tapered spindle legnth will work with a double Edco Competitioon crank. Didn't see it listed in Sheldon's lists. 113mm, maybe?

Chombi

The standard is 114 for older iso jis cranks but you should be able to get a 113to116 work.

Glad you got it sorted out. BTW, since this issue seems to be resolved, what, no pics of Selma Hayek yet?

Seems like Selma Alan Carbonio Hayek prefers English gentlemen.....I can do the gentleman part when I carefully "dress' her up, but I'm nowhere close of being a far cousin of the Queen.....I'll take pics this weekend of her sexiest parts and post it up in a new thread for you....
...if you promise to "behave".....:D

Chombi

If you were able to thread those cups, then the frame obviously has an english threaded BB shell. english cups in italian shells cant be threaded, the hole is too big for the cups.

As for the stop you are feeling, there are many options... but my best guess is that the shell needs to be chased.