Servicing an Ashtabula BB
01-11-21, 01:38 PM
#1
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Servicing an Ashtabula BB
I just stripped down a Schwinn Varsity I picked up from an old farmer. I have done this one time before, on an old Fuju Suncrest I have, and on that, removed the BB, and headset cups. I have the tools to remove and replace them, but as a pure mechanical point, is it beneficial to do so, if you are going to use the same cups? I see some of the rust inside the BB, and am wondering if it may do more harm then good. I would like to do it just for the practice. Having just removed these parts, I haven't really gotten into it to see the rust situation. The exterior looks pretty good. Thank you.
01-11-21, 01:53 PM
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I just stripped down a Schwinn Varsity I picked up from an old farmer. I have done this one time before, on an old Fuju Suncrest I have, and on that, removed the BB, and headset cups. I have the tools to remove and replace them, but as a pure mechanical point, is it beneficial to do so, if you are going to use the same cups? I see some of the rust inside the BB, and am wondering if it may do more harm then good. I would like to do it just for the practice. Having just removed these parts, I haven't really gotten into it to see the rust situation. The exterior looks pretty good. Thank you.
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Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
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Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
01-11-21, 03:49 PM
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There’s no real reason to remove either headset or bottom bracket cups. If you are inspecting for rust, you can look around the cups and see into the frame. Even if you decide to use a treatment of the rust, you probably don’t have to remove the cups. If you are putting in new parts, yes, remove them. But from a maintenance point of view, let the sleeping dog lie.
01-11-21, 03:57 PM
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I think it is beneficial if you intend to ride the bike and use it for years to come to overhaul it. You don't have to remove cups and things like that but if down the line you needed replacement and they get seized it can be bad news bears trying to get it out then.
01-11-21, 05:43 PM
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I will only say, you never know what evil lurks in the shadows unless you shine a light on it. Many 's the time I have discovered hidden problems I never would have seen if I hadn't taken the time to open things up. Having said that I think the Ashtabula crank is one of the sturdiest pieces of bicycle kit ever invented. Having said that , at Burning M<an, where there are about 80,000 Huffy Cranbrooks tooling around with Ashtabula cranks, the bike shop I volunteered at once opened one up to discover that the entire bearing race had disintegrated spilling bearings on the ground as soon as we unscrewed the non drive side cup.
01-11-21, 11:33 PM
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I will only say, you never know what evil lurks in the shadows unless you shine a light on it. Many 's the time I have discovered hidden problems I never would have seen if I hadn't taken the time to open things up. Having said that I think the Ashtabula crank is one of the sturdiest pieces of bicycle kit ever invented. Having said that , at Burning M<an, where there are about 80,000 Huffy Cranbrooks tooling around with Ashtabula cranks, the bike shop I volunteered at once opened one up to discover that the entire bearing race had disintegrated spilling bearings on the ground as soon as we unscrewed the non drive side cup.
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01-14-21, 07:19 AM
#7
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Dog
Thank you guys for the replies. I went and woke the dog. No big deal, just wanted to see what was under there. I do agree, not a lot of need to remove them if you aren't going to replace them.
01-14-21, 09:45 AM
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01-14-21, 12:38 PM
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It depends but I usually pop them out on bikes I enjoy restoring. That way I can inspect them for damage and I can check the frame for any small cracks. I also find it easier to polish any rust or corrosion on the outside away and make them look new again. I've seen guys leave BB cups in when painting a frame and it makes a mess.
01-15-21, 07:32 AM
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Thanks for the link, dedhed. I ordered a couple of 28TPI cup sets off of Ebay. I have a buddy that has a Varsity that he has kept in great shape, and I am going to go over that for him, and if need be, will replace the BB components.
I don't know if this warrants another thread, but I have ordered some replacement brake/shifter cables for the Varsity, and am having a hard time finding the cable housing for the front brakes and shifters. From what I can see, they don't seem to be universal, as normal housing is. I queried a seller on Ebay about a set of front cable/housing, and they said they would not fit the Varsity. I do want to stick to the white/grey color. Any gouge out there this subject? Thank you all for your information.
I don't know if this warrants another thread, but I have ordered some replacement brake/shifter cables for the Varsity, and am having a hard time finding the cable housing for the front brakes and shifters. From what I can see, they don't seem to be universal, as normal housing is. I queried a seller on Ebay about a set of front cable/housing, and they said they would not fit the Varsity. I do want to stick to the white/grey color. Any gouge out there this subject? Thank you all for your information.
01-15-21, 07:55 AM
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The cables and housings on your Varsity are the standard universal type that almost all bikes have ever used. You do have some cable fittings that are specific to your bike, don't lose those!
01-15-21, 09:32 AM
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Cable housing can just be brake cable housing if you want.
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Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
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01-15-21, 09:53 AM
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I don’t completely agree. For brake cable, yes, the cable end is just normal road cable. But the shifter cables are probably “lollipop” type which are a disc set on end rather then the cylinder you’ll find on most all modern shifters. You can see what the end looks like here. It’a the lower one. That listing is for 25 of them which is enough lollipop cables to last to the heat death of the universe. If you only need one, Sunlite makes a “universal” cable with both ends.
Cable housing can just be brake cable housing if you want.
Cable housing can just be brake cable housing if you want.
I've seen some cheap universal cable sets that weren't long enough for some bikes, so maybe that's what the Ebay seller was referring to when he told the OP that they wouldn't fit his bike?
