NOT a Nuovo Record BB

I went to fit these Nuovo Record cranks on to what I assumed was the matching bb - not so, as you can see from the photos! On closer inspection, the axle is marked "68 SS B" which I've never heard of. The matching axle should be a 112mm "68 SS" for my British threaded frame.






The cups aren't rifled so I can rule out that at least the cups aren't Nuovo Record. The axle measures approx 110mm and the right crank butts right up against the chainstay and isn't even sitting on the axle firmly at that. Is this an Athena etc?

I'm entirely doubtful whether the matching 112mm 68 SS BB set would be long enough, but in theory it should be spot on for the Nuovo Record cranks. Given that this is a winter bike, I could probably do with a cheap sealed BB unit. Could you recommend a unit that would match the cranks, please? Ebay links would be most appreciated.

Many thanks,

Craig

Tifosi might have something to fit,? Campag did some combined road / track bottom brackets but have an idea they were stamped CP or something. I wonder if it's a symmetrical Chorus RS?

You need a world logo 68ss. Shield logo is later.

The taper is considered by many to match jis taper so a un55 in 114mm may do the job.

I think that BB might be Chorus - that had a 68-SS B marking according to the dealer manual. 1/4 balls 111mm axle and non-rifled cups. RECORD had the same axle marking but had 7/32 bearings and rifled cups

Ah, might be chorus then

I thought JIS and ISO used the same 2 degree taper..... Just which bit of the taper?

It's the old Iso on jis fine, jis on iso no. Needs a catchier rhyme.

Lots of mix and match BITD as you say, got a bit trickier when they altered the axles and cranks to avoid the stabby front mech

Re:

Nuovo Record cranks are a real pain.

It depends whether they are pre or post 1978. Pre 1978 used a 112 mm axle, post 1978 used a 114.5 mm axle that was offset to the drive side. 70s cranks have a date code in a diamond on the back, 80s have it in a circle.

I have successfully used a Veloce 115mm triple bottom bracket with post-1978 cranks, but I had to use a shim on the drive side to offset it.

IMG_20190317_074943034 by cromoman, on Flickr

IMG_20190317_075013494 by cromoman, on Flickr

The shim is an old Shimano cassette spacer (I think) of about 2.3mm, it's pretty tight for clearance on the chainring. The photos are of a different bike that I just did to demonstrate it, but the crank is fully tightened onto the bottom bracket.

Best bet is to get a Nuovo Record BB to match the cranks, but they are a bit scarce. Otherwise it's trial and error.

An old black Gran Sport axle tended to stick out a bit more, sometimes crop up cheap.