Wednesday 18 June 2014

A yellow stunner with an issue

Bottom bracket issue to be precise. I've finished working on my friend's bike, complete with a delicious handlebar tape job, which was done without any additional tape, by starting at the top, rather than at the bottom. It's the first time I've tried this and I'm quite pleased with the result.



After endlessly fiddling with the brakes--I really love my centre pull brakes, but the set up can be a pain in the arse--I've taken the bike for test ride to the shop to swap the pedals over. (I really need to buy a pedal spanner!)
Goodness, that creaking got on my nerves. I just didn't really know where it came from. It sounded as if it was the seat, but it didn't make a noise when I pedalled backwards. But when I put pressure on the pedals ... that's when it started. After swapping them over it got a bit less, but was still apparent. I investigated and found it looked as if it was cross threaded. Not sure if it's coming loose or what else is going on.


This isn't right!
I'm just not happy with this all. As you can probably remember, the bike initially came with a cottered pin bottom bracket, which I'd foolishly discarded, so I didn't really know what thread it is. My solution now is a threadless bottom bracket, as this is not how a new bike should sound like. I tell you what: I'll take a Viscount or Lambert press-fit bottom bracket any time over any threaded ones. Nevertheless, now, that the bike's all dressed, it's looking rather stunning. BB issue aside.




And here's something to smile at: I 'forced' J, another bike mechanic--normally only riding modern road bikes, to take my blue Sport for a spin, and he liked it.

J. on the blue Aerospace Sport
This bike needs new cables fitted and, somewhere down the line, will be re-build--powderc.-coating and all. 

2 comments:

  1. Something is seriously wrong with that BB fitting on the Yellow, - looks loose. Several parts on that bike peg it as an early one, except that the early ones had a threadless BB's. Perhaps someone drilled it out for Italian, which is slightly bigger and rumored to work. I can check the threading on a blue one I just got, it's missing all the silly parts and has threaded BB, so I assume it's a later one, so I would expect English threading. The Velo Orange expanding BB for threadless didn't fit tight enough on my old Lambert so I added a few strips thin metal from a pie plate, and sinfully added a little JB Weld to keep everything tight and squeak proof. -L. ( Viscount loony from US).

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    1. Lar, it's a mystery to me. I could thread in the English BB up until a certain point when it got stiff. Not sure about the Italian thread as it's a tad bigger. I'll try threadless, but rather I wouldn't have. It's a Victor or Sebring as it's partly lugged and came with cottered cranks.

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