thook

yep...sheared it right off. it literally crumbled, but it is probably 20 years old or more. the bearings are great..very smooth, and it'd be a shame not to be able to use it as i'd intended. i got it from a donor raleigh mtb that looks hardly used at all. i'd planned to use this BB on my triple cross since it seems to have a relatively low profile for a triple. are the lock rings available separately anywhere? anyone have one to sell or trade? thanks!!

Andrew R Stewart 

Would a common, "classic", steel BB lock ring work? Andy

thook

afraid not. otherwise i'd have this solved already. it's a sealed cartridge unit and the non-drive side of the cartridge is smooth. so, the lock ring threads into the shell but "presses" on to the cartridge to retain it
and, i have to correct myself. the bottom bracket is an LP26 (shimano). it says MM110 on the bearing, but LP26 on the cartridge.
anyway, dare i try, but i do have a seized BB on an aluminum mtb frame that's been sitting over 20 yrs. (hate to get rid of the frame. one of those "plan to" projects). if i can even get it out without breaking the lock ring, it might work on this LP26.

edit: i realize now 110 refers to the spindle length...though it measures 111 with my calipers. whatevs...

thook

i just went out to try remove that alum. mtb BB and the lock ring is metal. fortune!! i got it budge a little, but don't want to strip the tool, so i'm gonna soak the BB for a bit. i just hope the lock ring fits after the trouble of getting it off

Bill Kapaun

On BB's with a plastic ring, I tighten that ring first and loosen it last. (DS a couple turns shy of tight)
Often, you have to really crank them hard to seat fully.
Give a few years of UV exposure to the plastic and it's junk.

I think another issue is alignment. IF the BB shell isn't faced well on the NDS, it may "cock" the cartridge a bit. That's NOT going to make it easier to install the plastic cup.
Inserting the cartridge "almost" all the way will allow the plastic sleeve to align better.

I've seen metal cups for sale individually, but the cost approached that of a cheap BB. May as well just buy the better BB that comes with the metal cup?

davidad

Problem Solvers Up-Cup - Alameda Bicycle

thook

good tip on installing the lock ring first and removing it last. i'll remember that

to my utter surprise, i got the bottom bracket with metal cup/ring out of the aluminum frame. it'd been in there so long i thought it'd never come out except maybe with my impact wrench....which is down for servicing at the moment. anyway. a half inch drive tool with breaker bar and 3ft cheater bar over that and finally it came loose. and, it's metal. so, problem is solved!! this LP26 will solve the problem i've had with a wide q factor on the dx crank i've had on my triple cross.

thook

thanks for the tip. i can see what mr. kapaun is saying. that's as much as a new a bottom bracket.