"bruceinillinois" wrote in message
oups.com...
I have a Peugeot PX10 from the 1970s, which makes a dandy touring bike.
But I'm not so young anymore. I converted it to all Campy many years
ago, but now want to put a triple crankset on for loaded touring
without going broke in the process (TA would be nice, but would cost
more than $300 once I finish paying for the new bottom bracket,
chainrings, etc.--if anyone knows where to get a triple TA with French
thread for cheap, lemme know). Any rate, what I'd like to do is replace
just the spindle, keeping the existing Campy cups and bearings, and
then throw on a Sugino or equivalent, i.e. affordable, triple. Is this
possible? Anyone know what spindle would work with the Campy bottom
bracket and a crankset with a 30-tooth inside chainring (or even
lower)? I want something with a 52 tooth big ring for when the wind's
at my back and a granny bail-out gear for when it's not. Any other
options to get me to my destination for $100 or so would be much
appreciated. Thanks.


I am doing this exact conversion on a 70's vintage Crescent bicycle.
Swedish bike with a French-threaded BB. Go figure.

Anyway, your Campy cups will work with the majority of old-style square
taper bottom bracket spindles. There are 2 types of Campy cups, thin and
thick. In my experience, the thick cups outnumbered the thin by a wide
margin. If you have the thick cups, then any of the 3-series BB spindles
will be compatible, which were 90% those ever made. French BB's were the
same width as English threaded (68mm), so you should a lot to choose from.

My plan is to keep the existing cups and bearings, and replace the BB
spindle with something about 127-130mm wide for use with a Sugino AT
crankset. I pulled the crankset off of a bike at the local recycling depot.
Excellent cold-forged crankset with 28-40-52 rings. Total cost: $5 for the
spindle and a few more bucks for a Shimano long-cage front and rear
derailleurs. Spend $100 for a Phil Wood BB? As if......