Old Bicycle Parts

No, they used to use them to hold the cranks in. If you google cotter pin press tool you'll see the one's park tool use to make and also pics of homemade ones, using mainly a grinding tool.
 
Oh yes, now I remember that style.

Daryl
MN
 
I've come across a cup and cone bottom bracket for a 70mm shell. ... The best option is probably to find the pieces in better shape than mine, another option is to try and use a modern sealed cartridge which according to some should work but then I can't use the original crank. My question here is how hard is it to machine pieces like this, can they be repaired? The races for the bearings on the moving cup are a bit worn.

It's hard to make a good ball bearing race, and the wear you see on yours is probably enough
to make it irreparable. Once I machined a replacement cone, but it wasn't the right alloy,
or wasn't hardened, or wasn't the right shape... and it disintegrated. For a good ride,
though, you don't need to let someone ELSE build the sealed cartridge, it ought to be
possible to create your own design, and thread it to mate with the existing frame, using
ball bearings (sealed is probably best) from a number of sources (eBay, vxb.com, etc.).

Easiest is to buy ALL replacement parts (one ought not re-use worn shaft or cup,
and the balls are SO inexpensive it's hardly worth inspecting the old ones).
If you machine for fun, a shaft with cotterless ends would be a fine project
piece, and some threaded fitting parts that mate with commercial ball bearings
will get you the benefits of an expensive cartridge, plus swarf!

Use a good tough steel for the crank; I've broken a few (Ashtabula type), it's not
an optimal biking experience. Bent wouldn't be better.
 
If he makes the trip (likely multiple) to my shop, it will be my intent to help him make his own part.
I'd expect him to contribute some cash to cover basic shop expenses.
I'm on my own learning curve and don't pretend to have the answers. However, I'm willing to give what I believe I know.
Yes, attempting to make those races is a bad plan for the reasons you cite.

Daryl
MN
 
I've come across a cup and cone bottom bracket for a 70mm shell. This is from the 1970's and not normally an issue as the Italian standard was 70mm shells. But the threading on these cups is English. English threaded cups use a 68mm shell so there's one mismatch. The other one is that the spindle is tapered 3 degrees instead of the standard 2 degrees. The best option is probably to find the pieces in better shape than mine, another option is to try and use a modern sealed cartridge which according to some should work but then I can't use the original crank. My question here is how hard is it to machine pieces like this, can they be repaired? The races for the bearings on the moving cup are a bit worn.

70mm shells were quite common on Raleighs and other brands owned by Raleigh. 70mm shells were usually 26tpi instead of the usual 24tpi. What bike and crank do you have? I'm into vintage steel bikes, and my entire business is based on cranks. Yet I'd never heard of a 3º taper. But checking my 1980 edition of Sutherlands, I see that some Asian spindles were made for 70mm shells and with 3º tapers. I scanned the appropriate page.

3deg_taper_spindles.jpg

Of course I have a (3S) while you need a 3S.

How original do you want to keep this bike? I have a lot of used cranks and I'm just across the river from you.

Back in the day, a few people experimented with machining the races off of spindles and cups to accept cartridge bearings. It might be easier to machine down the spindle than the cups. So making new cups from 7075 aluminum would be an interesting project. I can show you some commercially made versions.

If you do remake the spindle from scratch, which would be easier with cartridge bearings - I just checked a drawer full of spindles and they had all been turned with a 2º conical taper before the 2º flats were done.

BTW I'm the last source on the planet for cotter presses, and send them all over the world. If you want to make your own, I can give you some tips.

Give me a call some time, sounds like we may have some common interests. My newest road bike is a 1986 Jack Taylor.

Mark Stonich; BikeSmith Design & Fabrication http://bikesmithdesign.com
5349 Elliot Ave S. Minneapolis, MN 55417 USA
Ph. (612) 710-9593 mark@bikesmithdesign.com
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bikesmith/ (Mostly Wildlife)
 
I'd consider grinding a sealed unit to fit... I am somewhat of a brute on a bike needing replacement of 2 cassettes and 2 sets of chainrings and 4 chains per year. I have only had cause to replace unsealed spindles... I had to replace the 105 with a Ultegra and then a Dura-Ace before the shop said they gave up and put in a Phil Wood BB which has not failed, nor has my American Classic BB. The shell of the Bianchi with the 105 group was prepped with the right tool to cut the seat and align the bracket on the stationary side...

I have had a few mishaps on Raleigh frame bottom bracket shells(the frame part), including having the threads separate from the housing. I love the way their production bikes ride and the local shop warranted the frame 2 times before I gave up and sold it.

By the way, Phil Wood made sealed units in the 70's. I had one, but sold the bike... Look on eBay...

This is 6 months old and the cogs are steel. See the cogs marked with yellow arrows for deforming... While the gear trains fail those sealed Bottom Brackets just keep going. I clean and oil weekly.

131002_0004.jpg
 
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I had to replace the 105 with a Ultegra and then a Dura-Ace before the shop said they gave up and put in a Phil Wood BB which has not failed, nor has my American Classic BB. The shell of the Bianchi with the 105 group was prepped with the right tool to cut the seat and align the bracket on the stationary side...

By the way, Phil Wood made sealed units in the 70's. I had one, but sold the bike... Look on eBay...

My wife is still using a late '70s Phil Wood BB and I just recenty retired one of that same vintage. Phil hubs and BBs are still at the top of the food chain. Although SKF BBs are held in similar high regard.

Last week we laid to rest a local cycling ledgend, "Blind Al" Fryck, the "Stoker From Hell". With him on the back all you had to do was steer and hope the brakes worked. After the service we gathered to tell stories about adventures, and mis-adventures we'd had with him on the back of our tandems. Back in '78 he put a 15 deg twist in the Phil BB on the back of my Paramount tandem. I assume there was a heat treat issue, but with Al anything was possible.
 
I miss the old crew from Long Beach California, I figure many of them are "cruising clouds" these days. They took me in at 14, by 17 I was training with Ralph Therrio. The guy that turned me on to racing took me to my first club died in 1994, he was like a brother to me.

Before leaving California I used to repeat a memorial twin century the club had in honor of a member that died in the saddle. The most memorable of those runs was right after high school, I had graduated but was taking a guy one class down for his first try at 200 miles and we were unsupported. The AYH in Hemet is no longer in operation as was the restaurant we ate at on the overnight. He walks funny just thinking about it.

I did that twin century many times when I needed to clear my head. The course was life threatening back in the day... It was desolate desert roads, no cell phones, no water... It was all you and what you brought with you... It was a ride that demanded your attention... Today it's no longer the place for a warrior to prove his mettle, it's been civilized by the encroachment of people and homes and everything that goes with it.

My favorite bit of that ride... Wish it was still close enough to go.

Capture.JPG
 
They would be darn hard to machine. You could anneal them, machine them, and then re-temper them but the effort would not be worth it.
That's my opinion though. It IS possible.
Mark S.
There is a firm in England that sells bottom bracket parts in all sizes. I looked them up a while ago when I was building recumbent bikes/trikes. Casn't remember the name but if you try different wordings when googling you should find them.
 
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