Originally Posted by
the sci guy
Wow lots of the exact info I was needing. Thanks everyone!
Do y'all think it's necessary to service the BB? It hasn't been ridden since about 1994. I don't have any of those tools and I certainly don't want to wait 4 weeks and pay a shop to do it. I mean, I can order the tools, but $$$. It wasn't ridden a heck of a lot between the time it was purchased the time it began hanging in the garage (per the guy I bought it from). I'm not sure how the whole thing rides aside from the test ride I did.
Is it instead possible to just put a new modern BB in with a matching spindle length?
Happy to do a small part in helping.
YES on servicing the BB, a thousand times yes. My god yes I cannot say yes enough times. I just wish I had done it to my Cilo when I first got it instead of waiting, it may have already been seized but I might have had a better chance of saving it. I believe any old BB should be pulled and re-greased on every bike unless you installed it and greased it well in the first place and are confident it has not seized at all. However with cup and cone I would still service the dang thing.
You can put a new BB in but you do need to remove the old one first which it looks like you figured out. That would be my chosen route honestly. I like the IRD QB-99 Defiant bottom brackets they are really really really nice, smooth and of great quality. Honestly they are my go to square taper BB and the only reason to do something else is if for some reason you have a Phil Wood frame like I did or you already got the SKF one years ago and it is still going and probably won't quit either. They also do the Tenacity QB-40 (I believe) which is an old school cup and cone like what you have which is kind of neat for those who are strict in their vintage builds.