Abdelmoumene

Hello Everyone,

I have a question regarding compatibility of the crankset and the bottom bracket.

Is the Campagnolo centaur 170mm 53/39 Ultra Torque compatible with both Ultra torque Bottom brackets ? (Italian and English)

My frame has threaded shells bottom bracket 700mm width and 1.37″ x 24 threads. I know it is not common.

Thanks a lot for you help, let me know if I have to give more details.
Thanks

alcjphil

700 mm seems pretty wide, over 27 inches. What make of frame are you asking about?

Abdelmoumene

I have a Bianchi with 1986 1987 campione del mondo sticker, I beleive it is made in Japan (Tange Infinity tubing)

I have bought a Campagnolo Centaur Ultra Torque crankset that came with Italian Bottom bracket, I am wondering if I can just change the BB cups to ENG threads and keep the same Crankset.

Thank you !

Abdelmoumene

I have a Bianchi with 1986 1987 campione del mondo sticker, I beleive it is made in Japan (Tange Infinity tubing)

I have bought a Campagnolo Centaur Ultra Torque crankset that came with Italian Bottom bracket, I am wondering if I can just change the BB cups to ENG threads and keep the same Crankset.

Thank you !

Litespud

Pretty sure the crankset is the same, regardless of ITA or BSC - certainly if you go to buy an UT crank, the BB thread isn't an issue - that only comes up when you buy the BB

alcjphil

What is not clear is the bottom bracket shell width and threading. The OP says 700mm shell width(probably 70mm) with BSC threading. This is quite uncommon and if using English threaded cups the crank spindle might not be long enough. It might be necessary to face the BB shell down to 68 mm. If the BB threading is Italian, the BB cups that they already have would be fine because they are made for a 70mm BB shell

Abdelmoumene

I see, thank you !

Abdelmoumene

It is 70mm (not 700 lol) I thought also it was italian but the diameter is 34mm instead of 36mm. I understand your remark but the crank spindle is attached to the crankset no ? or you mean even if it is attached to the crankset, the bottom bracket can have an impact on the spindle lenth for Ultra torque ?

Merci !

Broctoon

The width of the spindle is set. Half of it is integral to the left arm, and half of it to the right, with a special joint where they connect in the center. The cups are the important thing to match to your frame. If you’re not sure about the thread pitch of your BB shell, get confirmation. Usually, English road bike shells are 68mm wide (Italian is 70 I think), and although the diameter is the same between English and Italian, the thread pitch is different.

If you’re sure about which standard your frame has, order the correct cups, and you’ll be fine. The crank doesn’t care—Ultra Torque is Ultra Torque.

nomadmax 

The answer to the orginal question is YES, Ultra Torque cranks are compatable with English or Italian threaded UT BB cups.

Abdelmoumene

Thank you !

icemilkcoffee 

Are you sure you are measuring the right thing? How are you measuring that 34mm now? You are supposed to be measuring the diameter of the threads of the cup that comes out of that bottom bracket, NOT the inner diameter of the BB hole.

It's almost impossible that that bike had a BB that was neither Italian nor English.

Abdelmoumene

I thought Italian is 36mm*24tpi (36 is the diameter and 24 threads per inch) and English is 1,37 inch*24tpi (1,37icn = 34,798mm diameter and 24 threads per inch) or are you talking about another diameter ?
Also the right side of the bottom bracket shell is left threaded, does is not indicate an English shell even if the width is 70mm ?
Thank you !

Abdelmoumene

I have measured the BB Shell, so ~34 mm is the inner diameter of the BB Shell (still didn't buy the BB cups)
Also the right side of the bottom bracket shell is left threaded, does is not indicate an English shell even if the width is 70mm ?
Thank you !

icemilkcoffee 

That looks like 69mm to me
Anyways, I am going to go with BSA. I think this is a BSA BB. They just forgot to face it down to 68mm.

Abdelmoumene

hahahha alright, thank you !

CooperJames

I'm trying to figure out if there may be another reason for the 70mm BSA, i.e. to space the drive side of the BB further outboard of centre?
Either way your UT cranks should work with the correct pretension spring.
not common Centaur UT cranks, most are power torque.

Abdelmoumene

Maybe ! Thanks for the tip regarding the pretention spring!

I have finally find the extra 2mm after cleaning the frame this morning, English it is

Thank you all for your precious help !

Broctoon

11 speed Centaur (aluminum crank) from a few years ago was Ultra Torque. This is what I have on my bike.

genejockey 

Mine, too, purchased last year. That was for a 2006 Bianchi 928, which has an English threaded BB shell.

CooperJames

still can’t figure out what’s happening there, sure it’s BSA thread? Not French?

Abdelmoumene

Hello, sorry for the late reply, so long story short yes it is BSA thread, and I had to face it down (in a bike workshop) to 2 mm, to have 68mm width (it was 70mm), so all good now, I was able to mount the BSA BB cups

Trsnrtr

I'm late here, but I have used the same UT crank with both. Crank doesn't care.

Abdelmoumene

Yes ! I confirm, tank you !

Road Fan

I'm not sure we're reading the Campy code correctly. First take a good metric scale ir caliper and measure the actual BB shell width. Do not go by anything printed in a book, data sheet, or web site. You need to know within about ½ mm how wide the actual shell is from face to face.

Does this chainset take square taper spindles, or does it have the large diameter Campy integrated spindle and threaded cups which thread into the ends of teh BB shell? If it's the former, you can use an English threaded cartridge BB (probably Centaur or other Campy 111 millimeter). You only have 2 mm extra shell width, and the non-drive side might be able to take care of this. If not, have the BB shell faced down to 68 mm at a shop which has "adjusted" frames in this manner a lot of times.

If you have the separated cups for the big, fat, hollow Campy integrated spindle and they are British threaded, first gently verify the threading by screwinng them in gently without cross threading. Then take them out and go through the standard Campy installation procedure. There should be zero end-play when the cups are turned down home, and very free chainset rotation with no scraping.

I think at the start of the Cam[y procedure they ask you to verify the correct bottom bracket dimensions. If you took the frame and those numbers to the best LBS in the area, they can tell you right anything is not right. Have that shop correct it if it seems like they can do it. But it does take some special tools, pretty $$. It it is too wide, it takes a special hand mill to cut the faces squarely.