Retro-modern fusion gravel build madness. The new Superb!

[Woz]

Eyewatering prices.
Makes me want to cry as I fished out a Columbus-tubed Stella sx-76 frameset for a pal on ebay a wee while ago. In good condition with mint original campy bb and campy headset for £75 delivered

I know I'm about to lose a lot of forum credit, but I'm a sealed bearing guy. Was just going to shove one of these into the shell as deep as Franny can take it.

Is that a cheap-o Necco with French thread? If so sounds perfect !!!!

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

I don't believe anything is superior in every way. Virtues are always accompanied by vices.

How does a cup and cone bottom bracket have any genuine advantage or vice over sealed? I may have missed something, and I'm of the firm belief you can't know to much.

 

[torqueless]

Within any cylindrical constraint (such as a bb shell) you're going to be using larger diameter balls with cup 'n' cone than you would with sealed bearings. Thats a good thing.

 

[M_Chavez]

Bingo. It is double standards.

Double standards in bikes, huh.

Like French thread on the driveside and BSA on the non-drive side of a bottom bracket.

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

Within any cylindrical constraint (such as a bb shell) you're going to be using larger diameter balls with cup 'n' cone than you would with sealed bearings. Thats a good thing.

Cup and cone is reliant on a perfect shell face and thread alignment, if not they will run poorly with a tight spot. You may not feel it, but it will wear unevenly because of it, this negates a marginally larger ball. I am referring to square taper not ext b/b. They run smoother, they are far better sealed and have no mis alignment issues. To each their own.

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

Double standards in bikes, huh.

Like French thread on the driveside and BSA on the non-drive side of a bottom bracket.

Arggh French bike

 

[M_Chavez]

Come on guys, chill. It's not about the size of your balls, it's how often you use them.

Can't say I've had much luck with external BB units though. Sealed square taper is just plug & forget for thousands of miles. I don't remember Shimmy hollowtechs lasting half as long, and my current Sram GXP has developed a minor knock (seems to come & go) after about 600 miles on my summer bike.

 

[Woz]

@M_Chavez we like comparing balls and comparing balls ups. It's what we do best

Still don't get your bottom bracket set-up really.

Did some research on this and one elegant solution is the IRD Conversion Cups:
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/bottom-brackets/french-ird-bottom-bracket-conversion-cups/?geoc=FR

Further digging the IRD QBx bottom brackets use cartridge bearings 163110-2RS - so 31mm OD, 16mm ID and 10mm width.

The IRD bottom brackets are made by Tange, so high quality - but not cheap either and may probably not be worth the expense for this build, but if you have a cheaper bottom bracket like that Necco which uses the same cartridge bearing sizes I can't see why the IRD Conversion Cups wouldn't work. Just a suggestion.

Think x 2 BSC NDS cups and loads of PTFE tape could be workable bodge but far from elegant and probably not too reliable.

I believe this is the way to go. The 2nd hand cup and cone 35 x 1 FRA bottom brackets look either knackered, too old, probably need some weird extra tooling, and the price can be more expensive than the IRD Conversion Cups.

What I'm a bit miffed at, you would have thought a Frenchman working in a shed with all of the defunct tooling would be making Conversion Cups for a variety of BB systems so these frames can be kept a live. It's weird.

 

[M_Chavez]

@Woz

I was just joking about double standards in the bike industry - the frame is French ds and nds, and so is the bottom bracket cartridge.
Got the French BB from ebay and the cups don't look as well-made as sjs ones (was not aware of them), but they were not as expensive either.

I think that the cups should be interchangeable across all square taper BBs (neco, tange, first, etc)? Or is that yet another are where the industry has come up with a million standards?

PS SJS website say they even stock swiss bb cups, although there's none available for sale. Good to know. Might come in handy one day.

 

[Mickeyspinn]

@torqueless
Is there anyone stopping somebody in 2122 who is restoring 1950s mass-produced bikes from bumping the stays back to 116mm?

As ever I'm ahead of the times !
I've been bumping 135 down to 122 for a while now...does seem like harder work I got to say

Oh dear ...sealed cartridge bottom bracket!?
You utter heathen....wish I had the pics of how I fixed my old frenchies mullered bottom bracket ...push fit cottered sealed BB....you'd laugh it was a one shot wonder with a really meaty carver clamp whilst keeping an eye on chainline but it works and miraculously it hasn't budged.
Your cracking on well chap this rate you'll be riding soon