Crank and BB problems

[Dr. Guitar]

I just obtained a Lambert frame. It's handmade in England from roughly 30 years a go. For those of you who don't know about these guys, here is the skinny. The bottom bracket is not threaded. It is pressed into the shell some how. The spindle on the bottom bracket is not tapered. As well as the mounting hole on the cranks.

My problem is, the previous owner of this bike rode with loose cranks. Thus making the cranks a bit of a liability.

Does anyone have a way to get around this, or posibly have some non tapered cranks to sell?

[Wolfchimp]

You could go the expensive way and have a custom BB machined for you. I know Phil Wood will do custom BBs. I hear they are not cheap though.

[Palmer]

You could get the bb tapped out with italian threads, then you could run a "new" style botton bracket.

Might work.

[hockeynut]

Have you checked out Sheldon Brown's Page (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/lambert.html) on these bikes? There is a link that may or may not help you out with the BB issues.... interesting reading at least.

Isaac

[funky-funky-chicken]

Does anyone have a way to get around this, or posibly have
some non tapered cranks to sell?

I don't think that you will find anyone willing (or able) to tap your BB with threading for modern BB. If you really want to ride this frame and the expense is worth it to you, you could look for an old Mavic BB. I think that there are a few shops around town that still have the special tool to chamfer the shell on the BB. (Maybe Freewheel. You could also check with GO at One on One, I know that he is somewhat a Mavic expert!)






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</PRE><CENTER>MAVIC 610/616 SERIES BOTTOM BRACKET




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Mavic's specially designed bottom bracket requires personal courage, real expertise, or professional installation, but will last you a life time. This bottom bracket is another variation of the floating style bottom bracket unit, this one is made to achieve very fine and minute adjustments. Installation requires that your bottom bracket shell is re-faced to make the shell faces perfectly parallel and chamfer the inner lip of the B/B shell slightly.

The re-facing to make this B/B fit will require the elimination of the outer few threads inside the B/B shell. This is done to accept Mavic's special mounting rings that use a threaded compression fit. As the threaded aluminum lockrings are tightened, they compress 45 degree chamfered sides into the B/B fixing the bottom bracket in place. The body of the unit is an aluminum tube into which sealed bearing cartridges are fit and then seated with an internal aluminum lockring (similar to their hub design).

The spindle is made of hollow machined steel and available in seven lengths. Also included are a pair of steel crank bolts and washers, (33 grams). With the spindle in place the entire unit is held by beefy aluminum locking compression rings at each end. You can adjust your chain line easily due to the bottom bracket's floating design. This B/B has the bearings positioned at the extreme ends of the bottom bracket shell, which increases support, and lengthens the life of the bottom bracket.

Available in spindle lengths of 114mm, 116mm, 119mm, 123mm for Road bike use, and 124mm, 128mm, or 134mm for mountain riders. The 114mm Road model weighs 317 grams, including the 33 grams crank bolt/washers. In the 134mm spindle length, it weighs 365 grams, (including the crank bolts and washers which weigh 33 grams), it isn't the lightest, but is one of the smoothest bottom brackets available. This bottom bracket is your only salvation if you've somehow seriously cross threaded or stripped the threads of your B/B shell, because it can be installed in a shell lacking inner threads.