so, i have a 1954 gillott road/path that i'm restoring which has a narrow bottom bracket shell. i've found from reading (mostly the archives) that this was used on some track bikes but i have a few questions for those more learned than i.
were these only found on track bikes and were they a peculiarly british thing? how common were they? i assume they produced a narrower tread and therefore chain-line, and was that the point or is the narrower tread a survivor from earlier bicycle design? were the spindles for these BBs made by most manufacturers? is there a way to tell a spindle for a 65mm shell from one for a 68mm?
i'm going to fit a chater-lea chainset to this bike and i have a nos chater lea spindle, which will probably proove to be for a 68mm BB (does any one know the part# for the narrow bb?). i know i can use a couple of spacers under the fixed cup and lock-ring but if i can get the right part i would prefer to do that. this frame had a bayliss wiley threaded bottom bracket liner fitted when i got it with only the fixed cup attached. i think this was probably a repair as i'm not sure that gillott made frames with threadless BBs. i was thinking of having a sleeve brazed in as a permanent repair and if i did would also see if some spacers could be brazed onto the shell to widen it. however i do have a nos bayliss wiley liner and cups so it could go either way.
hey i know its only 3mm and i'm not going to lose sleep over it but i'd still like to get it right. thanks,
simon bird
london
england