Bicycle Bottom Bracket Buying Help

[aigel]

Guys,

My commuter has been making noise on and off from the bottom bracket. It is time to replace it. I pulled it a couple months ago and it felt great when rotating it by hand and wiggling it, so I reinstalled it, tightening the cranks better and putting different pedals, but it comes back again with noise.

It goes into a fairly new Giant Escape hybrid - I estimate it is a 2010-2012 vintage. Here a picture of the current bottom bracket. What will I need to order? I am trying to buy from Amazon but can't find an exact match and am at a loss on all the part numbers!

http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-BB-UN26-Square-Bracket-68x127-5-mm/dp/B004KZW0CC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1460563493&sr=8-1&keywords=Shimano+BB-UN26


Thanks!

George - tick tick tick ...

[VincentVega]

68 x 123, right?

[uncle_scott]

As long as the length of the center of the BB and the total length of the square taper spindles match, then you should be fine. So you need a 68x123 BB according to the picture you posted. Sealed square taper BBs are all very similar, and for a basic commuter there is no reason to buy anything too expensive. As a former manager of a local bike shop, they *should have those in stock anywhere from $15-30 if you don't want to wait for an Amazon order, and you want to support a local business.

[aigel]

Thanks Guys! So, 68x123 are the key numbers. Diameter and width? What is all the other stuff printed on there?

I am too busy at work to break away during shop times currently. Nothing close to work. I spent north of 5k at the local bike shop in my hometown in the last 2-3 years, so no worries there. I don't want to spend my weekend going there. It is always super busy. Usually my wife shops for me during the week while I work, but I have gone to the well a bit too often, especially on technical stuff. Beer runs are still okay.

I will keep you posted!

Cheers,


G

[uncle_scott]

The other printed stuff is...
Shimano's part number: BB-UN26
Thread pitch and size: 1.37x24
Spindle width: LL123
BB cartridge width: 68

Diameter and thread pitch is all standardized for these unless you have some weird old French bike or something. For your 2000s era bike, the thread pitch will all be the same between those square taper BBs. The 68 is the width of your BB shell, and the 123 is your spindle length which ultimately sets the distance between your crank arms. Changing either of these will either make the BB not fit the frame, or will cause your chain line to be off, so you want to order the correct BB with those numbers. It is a good idea to clean the old threads a bit with some degreaser and a rag before threading the new BB in. Your new BB may or may not be the exact same tool to install it, so be aware of that, but again they are very common, so you should be fine. You're doing better than 99% of people out there in just being able to thread out the old BB since one side is backwards threaded, haha.

Good luck!!

[aigel]

LOL - uncle scott - on the thread ... thanks for the lecture on the part number / dimensions. I am so excited that my tools are paying for themselves right now. I only had to install one other bottom bracket with this set, so this time I may make my money back ...

My next project after this is my mountian bike. That looks a little more scary. I will post separately. It may be worth just bringing it to the shop. I am a high cadence peddler. Not sure why I go through BB ...

G

[vash]

it's not ticking at the crank-bb contact?

[uncle_scott]

I loved and miss the bike shop days, so any chance to geek out on bike stuff I take it

[look 171]

What kind of noise does it make and when? BBs last a long time they almost can't be killed. Those are tough BBs. Instead of using grease on the threads, We use Teflon tape, the stuff plumbers use to eliminate squeak or noise. Just don't use too much tape like if you are doing pluming. spin the spindle and make sure there are no play, and slam it back in there and go. Noise may not be coming from BB but elsewhere like a Quick release or a seat post. Start tightening and greasing all the mating parts.

[aigel]

Thanks fellow bikers and bike shop owners! It is clunking - real deep inside clunks that transfer a small shock wave all the way to my feet. I think I can tell a bearing noise pretty well. It comes and goes. It recovered for a while, then more ticking, that's when I pulled it and reinstalled it to make sure it isn't the crank / BB connection or any loose BB to frame. I am 90% sure it is the BB. At $11 and 10 minutes of my time with tools I already own, it is the next thing to try!

I have been thinking about a bike shop. Can't be an easy living, but fun. Maybe a semi-retirement project one day. Of course after working at one for some time to learn!

G

[Corvus Corvax]

Originally Posted by aigel

I have been thinking about a bike shop. Can't be an easy living, but fun. Maybe a semi-retirement project one day. Of course after working at one for some time to learn!

G

How do you make a million dollars as a bike shop owner? Start with ten million. Talk about a low-margin business.

[look 171]

I know a few shop owners and they are not driving Poor-ches. They were guys I used to raced with and they stuck to their guns. Most shops make their money on wrenching. I worked in one when I was in high school and first year of college. As soon as they found out my abilities (building wheels) around a bicycle, I was hired on the spot.

Sounds like its itme for a new BB. Just don't forget to use teflon tape.

[aigel]

Yes, yes, that's why i said "retirement project". Not "feed a family and save for retirement business idea".

My bike shop in town is big. They undoubtedly make good money. But they have several branches and have been around for a long time in a growing affluent area with perfect biking opportunities ...

G

[look 171]

Originally Posted by aigel

Yes, yes, that's why i said "retirement project". Not "feed a family and save for retirement business idea".

My bike shop in town is big. They undoubtedly make good money. But they have several branches and have been around for a long time in a growing affluent area with perfect biking opportunities ...

G

Aren't you back in the East BAy somewhere? I am shock that there are not a bike shop every three block as bicycling is so popular up there?

I wanted to do the bike shop thing when I was a kid. It was my dream, but working in one for a few years changed my mind. Saw how the business really run, and that there's aren't too much money to be made selling bikes, I was turned off. Plus, working on someone's POS turned me off. A high end bike would come in every few weeks for something. When it did, I properly knew the owner. It was a small community back then.

They charged 5 bucks to remove a BB cup. It took me all of 1 minute so the money wrenching was good for the shop and that was how they kept the lights on and stayed open.

[aigel]

Fit like a glove! Installed with Teflon tape as Jeff suggested. Noises gone! Thanks guys!

My next project is a dropper post for my Mtb - stay tuned!

Thanks,

George

[dan79brooklyn]

Glad you fixed it.

My father in law in Japan owns a bike shop and drives a Porsche!
Pretty much everyone owns a bike here.
He sells a lot of expensive road bikes.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by dan79brooklyn

Glad you fixed it.

My father in law in Japan owns a bike shop and drives a Porsche!
Pretty much everyone owns a bike here.
He sells a lot of expensive road bikes.

Interesting. Are the expensive bike out of Europe and the US? How about the japanese brands?

[dan79brooklyn]

Originally Posted by look 171

Interesting. Are the expensive bike out of Europe and the US? How about the japanese brands?

He sells a wide range of bikes. From Cinelli, Trek, Bianchi, Fuji, Bridgestone etc.
midrange to high end.

I work there one day a week and am slowly gaining knowledge. There's a chance I could take over the business when he retires.

Bon�*Vivant� �g�b�v�y�[�W