Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => The Knowledge => Topic started by: mattc on 13 July, 2012, 04:20:33 pm
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Just taken a new Centaur BB out of its box and had a fiddle, as you do.
At least one bearing (I think there are 3 in total?) looks like an off-the-shelf cartridge replacable jobbie. I haven't noticed this on previous Campy square-tapers.
So can you just replace the cartridges, instead of buying a new £30 bb?!?
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I've never opened one up to see how they are installed, but I'd imagine it would be an unsatisfactory bodge.
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There aren't a lot of people doing it, if any, because the bearings don't just fall off the axle.
These Centaur BBs are almost the same as the most recent discontinued Chorus ones, if that helps with your research. Yes, three bearings in total.
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I was hoping they still made the Chorus BBs. The one installed in the bike I bought in 1999 will need replacing eventually. :D
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There aren't a lot of people doing it, if any, because the bearings don't just fall off the axle.
I guessed there would be a catch! I did notice the obvious one looks to be held by a circlip-thingy, not sure about the other two. I'll have a look at the Veloce one I'm taking out (which lasted a whole 11 months - a new low for Campag bits), dunno if they are similar.
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I don't think you can without special tools.
I was getting through loads of the Veloce ones and a quick google suggested you could replace the bearings on the Chorus one, so I stumped up for one. It did last longer, but when it fell to bits I went back on the internet to find out how you actually repair it, and it turned out to just be conjecture, no-one who was saying you could actually had.
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The bearings are firmly pressed on. That's the catch. But they shouldn't be a problem if/once you're equiped for such things (unlike me), despite Campag's warnings of injury and death.
I fit the left cups a lot looser than they're supposed to be to minimise bearing squasage. Thank you Loctite.
Veloce BBs have only two bearings.
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Talking of Loctite - I presume that is the green stuff on the last 3 threads, at each end? (Again, not noticed this on previous BBs).
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Talking of Loctite - I presume that is the green stuff on the last 3 threads, at each end? (Again, not noticed this on previous BBs).
Yes. The small amount supplied won't do much, though, especially if you put grease over the top. I think the only way to get effective thread locking AND full corrosion protection is to saturate the whole cup and shell threads with threadlocker. Then it may be hard to remove - may require heat. :(
Personally, I fit the left cups with lots of medium-strength Loctite, and the right cups with anti-seize.