John Barry wrote:
> The other day I finally got around to cleaning up the bottom
> bracket, and saw that it was clearly stamped "NERVEX", and
> then underneath that, all on one line:
>
> 61'64'D22zE38
>
> ...well, if you replace the ' with a degree symbol
> superscripted, and the z with a small subscripted 2, that
> would be how it reads.
>
> I am wondering, would anyone know what the markings stand
> for? I'd guess that the 61' and 64' are lug angles, but what
> of the rest of it?
Just a guess - 22 followed by subscript 2 could mean 22.2mm, the diameter of the chainstays. Maybe they made that BB shell also for some other chainstay size?
I just went and looked at several Nervex shells and they differ in the first two angles, but the 222 and D38 are constant on all of them.
61° is the angle between the downtube and seattube; 64° is between the chainstays and seattube.
Chuck Schmidt sells a reprint of the Nervex catalog which I've been meaning to buy but haven't yet - I bet it explains the markings. Buy the catalog from Chuck and find out!
Mark Bulgier
Seattle WA USA