Date: Mon, 7 Mar 2005 17:29:13 -0500 From: Bianca Pratorius <biankita@earthlink.net> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: [CR]Is there a web site which tells which Campy bb/ spindle?
I see that in preparation for my project of late that the most difficult item to figure out is the whole Campy bottom bracket spindle issue. There is some talk of thick thin cups, and then spindle measurements which can't actually be measured anywhere. Also there is the issue of spindle taper which may or may not cause the crank to sit out too far or to touch the chainstays. The guy who is supplying me with these parts has the parts of two or three campy equiped bikes in one bag. The brakes are easy, as is the headset and the crank and the derailleurs and the seatpost, stem etc., but the bottom bracket looks tricky. Assuming Italian threading and a known bb shell width, how will I know which spindle goes with which cups? If I understand correctly Campy used two different ball bearing sizes to add to the mix!?!
Garth Libre in Miami Fl.
Oh, it's way more complicated than that! ;-) (Just kidding, but there are a bunch-o-Campy-spindles-and-cups out there...). There is a chart on my website that helps some, but it's certainly not definitive. It only covers GS/R/NR/SR. (www.bicycleclassics.com). I recommend every person on this list get a Sutherland's Manual of the appropriate vintage. They are absolutely invaluable. I have mine within arm's reach as I am sitting here at my desk. A veritable treasure trove of technical information! You need to match cups with spindles, and spindles with RH arms. For Record/NR/GS BBs, it's not really all that complicated, but there are things to watch out for. All pre-1994 Campy cranks used the same two-degree taper as (almost) everyone else. Thick cups with the rifling in the I. D. are what make NR BBs "Nuovo" and those are by far the most common vintage Campy BBs out there. Thick cups go with spindles that have a bearing shoulder spacing of about 49.5 mm (BSC/French) or 51.5 (Italian). This is measured at the top (inner) edges of the two ground bearing surfaces of the spindle. Thin-cup spindles have 5mm more space in these areas, so you are looking for a pretty big difference. You can almost eyeball it. In 1977, Campy changed the RH crank arm and BB spindles. Early RH arms (1958-1977) have a large "bump" on the back where the spindle enters the arm. Large Bump (double chainring) arms need 112 (BSC/French) or 113 (Italian) spindles. Later arms (1977-1987) have a much smaller "bump" on the back. Small Bump (double chainring) arms need a 114.5 (BSC/French) or a 115.5 (Italian) spindle. Piece of cake, right? :-) Greg "BB nerd" Parker Ann Arbor, Michigan, 'murrica