Cup & Cone Bottom Brackets - Any Sources?

I am looking for a source for high-quality conventional cup & cone BBs
(JIS square taper). Ritchey used to still make some but they are no
longer shown on his site. Any ideas?

On Mar 25, 6:29*am, Hands Of Stone wrote:
I am looking for a source for high-quality conventional cup & cone BBs
(JIS square taper). *Ritchey used to still make some but they are no
longer shown on his site. *Any ideas?


Any particular reason a cartridge BB won't work for you? FWIW--I
believe the new version house brand square taper BB at Nashbar is
being made by RPM in Taiwan and has an aluminum lock ring. Well made
and a steal at $15.

On Mar 25, 6:09*am, landotter wrote:
On Mar 25, 6:29*am, Hands Of Stone wrote:

I am looking for a source for high-quality conventional cup & cone BBs
(JIS square taper). *Ritchey used to still make some but they are no
longer shown on his site. *Any ideas?

Any particular reason a cartridge BB won't work for you? FWIW--I
believe the new version house brand square taper BB at Nashbar is
being made by RPM in Taiwan and has an aluminum lock ring. Well made
and a steal at $15.

I bought one 2 weeks ago (for $10!) and it is indeed MUCH nicer than I
expected. Alloy cups, very smooth bearings, very little seal drag.
Made by TH Industries, AKA RPM, as you say. I'd intended on stealing
the Truvativ out of another bike and using the Nashbar to replace it
when I built my new CX, but this turned out to be the nicer part. I
was quite impressed.

..

YEAH GET THE CARTRIDGE ride like Allworth
take a look at the winter sale items-terramar balaclava and mid
weight Nbar tights a steal.
but wash carefully before wearing. Mex aren't rinsing after dyed cloth

On Mar 25, 3:56*pm, datakoll wrote:
.

YEAH GET THE CARTRIDGE ride like Allworth
take a look at the winter sale items-terramar *balaclava and mid
weight Nbar tights a steal.
but wash carefully before wearing. Mex aren't rinsing after dyed cloth

Ha ha - get a free rash with every purchase? Good advice. I did
manange to find a NOS Lightspeed TItanium BB (cartridge, still in the
box, and unused, from 1990!) in my parts bins. But it's almost too
crazy-light for me to trust....

On Mar 25, 6:09*am, landotter wrote:
On Mar 25, 6:29*am, Hands Of Stone wrote:

I am looking for a source for high-quality conventional cup & cone BBs
(JIS square taper). *Ritchey used to still make some but they are no
longer shown on his site. *Any ideas?

Any particular reason a cartridge BB won't work for you? FWIW--I
believe the new version house brand square taper BB at Nashbar is
being made by RPM in Taiwan and has an aluminum lock ring. Well made
and a steal at $15.

No, I have nothing against cartridge. I just like everything about
the old-school BBs (except for the fixed cup): I run'em cageless with
a few extra balls, regrease and replace bearings (cheaply) when
needed, plus I like being able to adjust the bearings. Why fix what
ain't broke? Having said that, I may go with your idea as I am always
a sucker for a good deal.

On Mar 26, 1:48*pm, Hands Of Stone wrote:
On Mar 25, 6:09*am, landotter wrote:

On Mar 25, 6:29*am, Hands Of Stone wrote:

I am looking for a source for high-quality conventional cup & cone BBs
(JIS square taper). *Ritchey used to still make some but they are no
longer shown on his site. *Any ideas?

Any particular reason a cartridge BB won't work for you? FWIW--I
believe the new version house brand square taper BB at Nashbar is
being made by RPM in Taiwan and has an aluminum lock ring. Well made
and a steal at $15.

No, I have nothing against cartridge. *I just like everything about
the old-school BBs (except for the fixed cup): I run'em cageless with
a few extra balls, regrease and replace bearings (cheaply) when
needed, plus I like being able to adjust the bearings. *Why fix what
ain't broke? *Having said that, I may go with your idea as I am always
a sucker for a good deal.

It's a stupidly nice BB for the money. As much as I like loose ball
hubs and headsets, which are easy to maintain--I do love cartridge
BBs. I've never managed to wear one out--though the most miles I ever
put on one was 30K on a UN73. It's a superior technology, for sure.
Careful with the alloy cups, btw--you'll want to use loctite, these
guys like to work loose if assembled with grease.

landotter wrote:
On Mar 25, 6:29Â*am, Hands Of Stone wrote:
I am looking for a source for high-quality conventional cup & cone BBs
(JIS square taper). Â*Ritchey used to still make some but they are no
longer shown on his site. Â*Any ideas?


Any particular reason a cartridge BB won't work for you? FWIW--I
believe the new version house brand square taper BB at Nashbar is
being made by RPM in Taiwan and has an aluminum lock ring. Well made
and a steal at $15.


Jobst Brandt

The current design of the BBs one of the last holdovers from ancient
times that is still a perpetual problem. As I mentioned before, if it
has a left hand thread, the design is faulty, the thread being a crude
patch for the design problem, just as it is for pedal threads that
fail in spite of the orientation.

Left hand threads are used to cover for a moving interface that tends
to unscrews itself in use. As is visible on pedal crank faces, pedals
regardless of tightening, move in their contact with the crank and by
fretting erode the crank face. This erosion leads to cracks that
cause pedal eyes to fracture and throw the rider to the ground if
standing at the moment of failure.

Like pedals, BB cups also fret in the BB shell but, with the larger
thread, were moderately secure with right hand threads if tightened to
nearly unmanageable torque. That is why left hand threads are used
today to hide that they move. In time, the threads of the right hand
cup or BB shell become eroded to oblivion in time depending on which
of the two is the harder material. With steel hardened bearing cups,
the BB shell loses all its threads while with aluminum cups, the right
hand cup loses its threads.

Shimano has used a clamping method for left crank attachment to the
spindle that would also work for the BB. Meanwhile, cartridge
bearings fret on the inside and outside while the retaining cup frets
in the BB shell. That is what is wrong with the current design
especially with cartridge bearings.

In the short term, the current design works if monitored often and
maintained, but when the thread is gone, it presents a difficult
problem.

Jobst Brandt

aka Jobst Brandt wrote:
The current design of the BBs one of the last holdovers from ancient
times that is still a perpetual problem. As I mentioned before, if it
has a left hand thread, the design is faulty, the thread being a crude
patch for the design problem, just as it is for pedal threads that
fail in spite of the orientation.

Left hand threads are used to cover for a moving interface that tends
to unscrews itself in use. As is visible on pedal crank faces, pedals
regardless of tightening, move in their contact with the crank and by
fretting erode the crank face. This erosion leads to cracks that
cause pedal eyes to fracture and throw the rider to the ground if
standing at the moment of failure.

Like pedals, BB cups also fret in the BB shell but, with the larger
thread, were moderately secure with right hand threads if tightened to
nearly unmanageable torque. That is why left hand threads are used
today to hide that they move. In time, the threads of the right hand
cup or BB shell become eroded to oblivion in time depending on which
of the two is the harder material. With steel hardened bearing cups,
the BB shell loses all its threads while with aluminum cups, the right
hand cup loses its threads.

Shimano has used a clamping method for left crank attachment to the
spindle that would also work for the BB. Meanwhile, cartridge
bearings fret on the inside and outside while the retaining cup frets
in the BB shell. That is what is wrong with the current design
especially with cartridge bearings.

In the short term, the current design works if monitored often and
maintained, but when the thread is gone, it presents a difficult
problem.

I just throw out the bicycle if I have problems with the bottom bracket.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful