Grrrrr... Flippin old bikes!!! (LTS content)

no go try it...

Threw the spanner of confusion into the workings there.

i know what your saying, my brain just doesnt work like that, i can see past that.

i think the simplest way to remember is this

you dont want the bb to come undone so pedaling [forward] tightens it up.

currie":1xt62mxe said:

i think the simplest way to remember is this

you dont want the bb to come undone so pedaling [forward] tightens it up.

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Nope.
There's no such thing as a "standard" BB, but on the "English thread" type (which you PROBABLY have) BOTH BB cups LOOSEN when turned towards the FRONT of the bike.

- Precisely because you DO want them to undo in the pedalling direction.
I *THINK* Sheldon says this is some kind of throwback to fixed gear drivetrains, where:

If the BB seizes up, the rotation is likely to break your ankles. So the BB is set to unwind in that direction. Under normal riding, this doesn't happen, because there's more friction in the BB cup/ frame interface than in the pedal and BB bearings.

Presumably this would only EVER work on a clean & well-lubricated track bike? My mud-encrusted BB cups always need a bit of grunt to remove them & would never smoothly unwind from the frame if the bearings suddenly seized up.

Lol but when at the bottom turning the spanner past 3,4,5,6 o clock Im going towards the back of the bike...!!!! lol

fingers":1rkdiqem said:

Lol but when at the bottom turning the spanner past 3,4,5,6 o clock Im going towards the back of the bike...!!!! lol

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I was meaning when the bike was the right way up!

Some of us here, who haven't spent all their money on retro stuff, have these new-fangled workstand things.

I remember by -

RH pedal, RH thread, LH pedal LH thread, BB the other way round.

Simple.

And I spend most of my money on wine and crisps