I don't know if it's just sheer luck, or the planets have aligned, or plain old karma, but I am having one very bizarre, surprising, and interesting weekend! Grab a cuppa, because this is a long one...
A couple of months ago I bought an old TVT made Look frame, for the components more than anything else. Stripping the frame down, I found a shimano UN71 BB, 107mm long, with french thread. I'd never seen or heard of this model in a french thread version, and even posted here about it, looking for details. Thinking I might need it one day, I saved it "just in case".
Yesterday morning, I saw a thread in the wanted section for a french threaded BB with a short spindle. Thinking that I would never need the UN71 I had stored away, I sold it to konsta. payment was super quick, before lunchtime, and I headed home to tinker with my bikes, and pack the BB for posting. Now, I've had a bike stored away for several years, since a friend gave it to me. I'd ridden it a couple of times, but not really had time to do anything with it. Not having any other projects on the go, I thought I'd strip it down and get it ready for painting, before rebuilding it with mostly C-record and some slightly more modern record. Low and behold, as I stripped off the ultegra 6400 group, and got down to the BB, what did I see but "shimano 35x1"!!! The frame is spanish, made in 91 or thereabouts, and all others that I've seen from that (now out of business) builder are italian threaded, so this was a complete surprise, and not to mention a huge problem.
I got in touch with konsta, and explained my situation - the UN71 I'd sold him just hours before was probably exactly what I was going to need to be able to fit my C-record cranks, as the shimano 113mm would be too long. I would however prefer to use a campagnolo 111mm spindle, which would be perfect for the C-record cranks. Konsta very generously offered to let me decide on keeping the UN71 or not, but having found what I believe to be a decent solution, I'll be sending him the UN71, on the understanding that if it doesn't work out for him, that he'll send it back again. The solution I'd found was a set of french BB cups from harris cyclery in the states, which would leave me needing only the correct length campagnolo (or other compatible make) spindle (68mm shell type). Easy, I thought - campagnolo spindles appear quite often, and in theory, and 111mm spindle designed for a 68mm shell should work.
So on to this afternoon, and I've been stripping down another spanish bike from the late 80s or early 90s that I bought for some parts. Again, it should have an italian threaded BB. But once I got the very nice zeus cranks off, what did I discover but a campagnolo BB, with french threads, and a 111mm spindle! exactly what I need! I've checked it at least 4 times, and it is definitely 35x1, 111mm, campagnolo. I haven't taken it out of the frame yet though, and it does feel pretty rough so I don't have high hopes for it just yet.
So in the end, I've had 3 french BBs in the last couple of months, two of them completely unexpected, and after selling the first one, then finding I might need it, finding half a solution, and then finding exactly what I need right under my nose and completely by chance, I'm feeling lucky today!
A couple of months ago I bought an old TVT made Look frame, for the components more than anything else. Stripping the frame down, I found a shimano UN71 BB, 107mm long, with french thread. I'd never seen or heard of this model in a french thread version, and even posted here about it, looking for details. Thinking I might need it one day, I saved it "just in case".
Yesterday morning, I saw a thread in the wanted section for a french threaded BB with a short spindle. Thinking that I would never need the UN71 I had stored away, I sold it to konsta. payment was super quick, before lunchtime, and I headed home to tinker with my bikes, and pack the BB for posting. Now, I've had a bike stored away for several years, since a friend gave it to me. I'd ridden it a couple of times, but not really had time to do anything with it. Not having any other projects on the go, I thought I'd strip it down and get it ready for painting, before rebuilding it with mostly C-record and some slightly more modern record. Low and behold, as I stripped off the ultegra 6400 group, and got down to the BB, what did I see but "shimano 35x1"!!! The frame is spanish, made in 91 or thereabouts, and all others that I've seen from that (now out of business) builder are italian threaded, so this was a complete surprise, and not to mention a huge problem.
I got in touch with konsta, and explained my situation - the UN71 I'd sold him just hours before was probably exactly what I was going to need to be able to fit my C-record cranks, as the shimano 113mm would be too long. I would however prefer to use a campagnolo 111mm spindle, which would be perfect for the C-record cranks. Konsta very generously offered to let me decide on keeping the UN71 or not, but having found what I believe to be a decent solution, I'll be sending him the UN71, on the understanding that if it doesn't work out for him, that he'll send it back again. The solution I'd found was a set of french BB cups from harris cyclery in the states, which would leave me needing only the correct length campagnolo (or other compatible make) spindle (68mm shell type). Easy, I thought - campagnolo spindles appear quite often, and in theory, and 111mm spindle designed for a 68mm shell should work.
So on to this afternoon, and I've been stripping down another spanish bike from the late 80s or early 90s that I bought for some parts. Again, it should have an italian threaded BB. But once I got the very nice zeus cranks off, what did I discover but a campagnolo BB, with french threads, and a 111mm spindle! exactly what I need! I've checked it at least 4 times, and it is definitely 35x1, 111mm, campagnolo. I haven't taken it out of the frame yet though, and it does feel pretty rough so I don't have high hopes for it just yet.
So in the end, I've had 3 french BBs in the last couple of months, two of them completely unexpected, and after selling the first one, then finding I might need it, finding half a solution, and then finding exactly what I need right under my nose and completely by chance, I'm feeling lucky today!
