6mm vs 1/4” Bottom Bracket Ball Bearings
 

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3877953ef.jpeg
Ball Bearings comparison



https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...83d6bdfff.jpeg
Noisy Bottom Bracket
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c5a4bc249.jpeg
Tools
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e610d8ad7.jpeg
New 6mm Ball Bearings


Replaced BB bearings with new, and the BB left side cup went threaded in deeper than before. Not leaving enough thread exposed to catch the threads on the lock ring.

Should I search for 1/4” bearings?
Or use a BB facing tool to shave the 0.70mm off the BB shell? I might have to borrow that tool.


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f8fe0d6a17.png

The cups are designed and ground for the radius of a 1/4" ball.
Grade 25 chrome steel 1/4" balls are readily available on line, at the LBS, or local industrial bearing suppliers.

They are 0.25" bearings, not 6mm. They are not the same.

If you are in a pinch and want to finish the job now, you don't need the retainer crown.

You can do it the old fashion way, simply grease in about 11 bearings to make up for the extra space in the cup's moat.

If you can, better to purchase the 9-bearing crown assembly. They are inexpensive and dollars each, a LBS should be able to sell one to you.

I posted a picture of one earlier in the thread below.

Pay no attention to the haters, just go with the facts.

“Ya’ know...”

I am looking online for bottom bracket bearings, and they’re all Sealed .

I did install 11 bearings each side, btw, and the grease held them in while I tightened the cup.

I really think the factories, the Chinese ball bearing plants, are producing a metric equivalent, and there’s no changing that fact.

I’m going to experiment to see if there’s a way to run this BB with the new bearings.

In the meantime,I’ve put blue Loctite on the threads, and marked with white paint so I can see if the cup is loosening.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f9b12baa3f.jpg
Just a dab of white primer to check rotation

Don't use "bottom bracket" in your search.

ball bearings | McMaster-Carr But as mentioned these balls are widely available from different local retailers in most communities. Andy

Just look for 1/4 inch ball bearings. Don't put BB in your search terms. You can get them from a local bearing supplier to industry in your local area in your area very cheap.

Don't fill it slam full with loose bearings either, then the bearings won't sit properly in the races. You need one or two bearings less than what you think is full. Even if the race was 66% full with bearings, then that'd be plenty.

Nope, I'm looking at a ton of 9-bearing 1/4" crown assemblies specific of bikes right now on amazon.

The LBS will have loads of them as they are very common for big box store bikes.

Nope, the exact size is required for the right application, there is no substitute. SAE bearings, nuts, bolts, are still manufactured and regularly used in motorcycles and automotive.

As a bit of background, the world wide bike industry uses a (sometimes) confusing mix of SAE, Fractional and Metric specs. A classic example is a campy NT rear hub axle that is a 9.5mm diameter (not 3/8") but has 26 TPI. Due care when getting replacement parts is needed to have a properly working bike. Using almost but not quite parts is a good way to have problems and cause damage to the parts or fittings. Andy

This guy knows :

Only have to shave off paint and uneven surfaces, then the lock ring should catch
https://www.lavelocita.cc/guides-pag...nobody-does-it

nope, get the proper size bearings the diffference adds up and there are other considerations like the races being machined for .25 or 1/4 inch, facing would not fix this

I am surprised that you are not spot on on the details, considering the level of precision and technical excellence of your fairing designs. any thing new on that front?

Yes, we’ll sort of.
Not everyone wants a fairing, even if it’s just a handlebar basket with aerodynamic styling .
So I’m promoting a whole “Fairing/Pannier System” , and a stand-alone “Pannier Tailbox”.

This fits any rear rack, whereas the fairing only fits one make and model of bike, and with different handlebars, and I make my own mounting hardware, it’s a nightmare to install.

The Pannier/Tailbox combines a box on each side (of your rear rack) with a box on top of the same rack.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...168aabe4c.jpeg
Pannier/Tailbox clamped on my work bench. 15” cube, fits racks up to 6” wide, pannier wells are 7” deep.


I might simply buy a sealed bottom bracket.
it seems like no one repacks bearings anymore.

very few new bikes come with the cup and cone bottom bracket anymore

I’ve been keeping a bunch of 25 to 30 year old 21-speeds going as a “fleet” to test my Fairing/Pannier System on .
Possibly looking at buying a new E-cargo bike if I do buy a new bike. Like an Urban Arrow.

what is relavance? But it is true and that is my statement from a different thread, but it is clear Hotbike is working on an old bike. And a lot of C&V types including me will convert to sealed cartridge units (not that I have not done a ton of ball bearing bottom bracket clean, grease and adjust over the years)

Google foo needs work. Search under 1/4" bearing balls.

https://www.google.com/search?q=1%2F...hrome&ie=UTF-8

Yeah, well, my health has been improving lately and I’m doing a lot more mileage. So stuff is breaking more frequently as a result.

I might just scrape the paint off the bb shell with a file to see if the threads on the lock ring will catch the threads on the cup, then it will be serviceable.

Those Campagnolo “box sets” that include the facing tools are astronomically priced. The shop in Oyster Bay had two of them, but they were already sold when I got to the close out sale.

Plenty of new BSO's with cup & cone BB. Check out any Walmart or kids bikes.

Cheaper ones out there for home users. Last time I had one chased & faced I just took the bare frame to the LBS, let them do it, and paid my $20 rather than invest in a tool I'd rarely use.
https://www.bike-components.de/en/Cy...-Holder-p4171/

Agreed.

I was just re-quoting what another grossly uninformed user wrote earlier.

The metric diameter/inch thread pitch combination arose because the non-English makers were using lathes made in England which are only geared to cut inch thread pitches but which can cut arbitrary diameters.

And shops have learned that quoting BB overhaul on a loose ball system might be a stickey situation when they have to call the customer, after the parts are all taken apart, and quote for a replacement BB altogether. The supply chain has done a good job at moving the replacement parts for loose ball units further down the quality and availability scale. As a lifer in the service dept at a LBS (of over a dozen LBS) we find quoting for the replacement is less costly and more effective in getting a happy customer. During that last couple of C-19 years our overwhelmed the LBS service departments and many have found to help more people faster they should refuse some service jobs that can become time sinks when hard to get parts are needed.

The good news is that loose ball BB units are fairly easy to service by those without special tools or repair stands. I have seem quite a few bearing units with wear damage (bearing track pits and such) but with fairly fresh grease and a story of a friend's help to keep the bike running. Most of these times the bike still is rideable but the rider can still feel the problems, just less so. Andy

I have heard this many times before but recently read a post somewhere disputing this. If I come across it again I'll post it here. Andy

Okay,
I drove my van to ace hardware as soon as they opened. Against the back wall are the parts bins. Ball Bearings- picked the box , it has everything from 7/16” to 1/2”
But the quarter inch are looking scarse.
took the whole box to the cashier.
Counted them on the counter....
25 @ 31¢ each
I needed 22 to put 11 in each side. Or should I go 12? What if I drop one?
I bought all 25

When I sell things like loose balls (or cable end crimps) I generally add one for the god floor. Good choice to get as few extras. Andy