FSA Ultimax BB installation sanity check

[Captain Stupido]

Just started swapping a chainset and BB this morning... hoping to go for a ride this afternoon... but I want to check I've got this right before I wreck something...

Setup on this is different to the usual Shimano type... the cup attached to the BB doesn't have a lip on it. The loose cup does.

Seems that the L-R marking refers to thread orientation, not bike side. Loose cup (marked L) screws in to the drive side easily with a L/H thread.

So I'm guessing I put the loose cup in tight on the drive side, and then screw in the main part of the BB on the non-drive side. I guess I just do it up so it sits tight against the other cup?

Or have I missed something (obvious)?

 

[Captain Stupido]

:?

 

[Captain Stupido]

Well, I did as described above and all seems fine. Went properly tight first on the (flanged) drive side, slightly less so on the non-drive side as I wasn't so sure about it pushing against the cup. Still pretty tight, mind, but not Superman tight. Maybe I'll check it after some miles. Would be good to see a manual to see what FSA specify...

 

[RickTheUncivil]

i guess it will only screw in one way, so if it goes in that way that must be the way it goes in :?

 

[one-eyed_jim]

I think your cups must've got swapped over at some point.

My Ultimax Ti installed conventionally. The flanged cup installs first, from the drive side, and is normally attached to the unit. The L and R on the shell should point to the non-drive and drive side of the bike respectively. That seems to tally with images available on Google too:

[ https://i.ebayimg.com/images/i/26164306 ... -l1000.jpg ]

If the axle isn't very asymmetrical, it probably doesn't matter much.

 

[Captain Stupido]

Ah, yeah, I think you could be right.

It's fitted and works OK, it's a shortish (110mm) one so fairly symmetrical I should think - the crankset seems to sit where it should. But I'm wondering whether the installation is all that clever as-is. Normally a Shimano BB would be held in place mainly by getting the flanged/drive side done up super tight - the l/h cup just being additional support and stopping dirt getting in (often made of plastic and not designed to be done up too tight).

Saying that when I have checked FSA installation instructions they do specify the same high torque for the loose/unflanged cup as the other side. Clearly they aren't bonded so tightly to the cups as some other designs (otherwise it wouldn't have ended up the wrong way round) in which case one is just sort of pushed together by the two cups.

Hmmm... well, that's what you get for buying a cheap BB off eBay I suppose. I guess I'll just keep an eye on it.