Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Singlespeed & Fixed Gear
Reload this Page >

Bottom Bracket recommendation

Notices
Singlespeed & Fixed Gear "I still feel that variable gears are only for people over forty-five. Isn't it better to triumph by the strength of your muscles than by the artifice of a derailer? We are getting soft...As for me, give me a fixed gear!"-- Henri Desgrange (31 January 1865 - 16 August 1940)

Bottom Bracket recommendation

Old 10-13-21, 07:19 AM
  #1  
lancelegstrong
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Sep 2021
Posts: 18
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts
Bottom Bracket recommendation

Just picked up my first track frame today and needed some advice on what bottom bracket to get.

I am running a shimano dura ace 7402 crankset and i'm fairly certain it is a British standard bracket on my new frame, would I be best off sticking with a shimano BB if possible to match the crankset?

Not sure how much difference in quality there is going up in price ranges with these BB bearings but i would like to keep it within either low or mid range if possible as I am building on a budget, but something decent I can commute with but also hit the velodrome occasionally, a good compromise.

What do you think?

Cheers
lancelegstrong is offline  
Old 10-13-21, 10:13 AM
  #2  
Rolla
Guest
 
Join Date: Sep 2020
Posts: 2,888
Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1346 Post(s)
Liked 3,269 Times in 1,439 Posts
Originally Posted by lancelegstrong
Just picked up my first track frame today and needed some advice on what bottom bracket to get.

I am running a shimano dura ace 7402 crankset and i'm fairly certain it is a British standard bracket on my new frame, would I be best off sticking with a shimano BB if possible to match the crankset?

Not sure how much difference in quality there is going up in price ranges with these BB bearings but i would like to keep it within either low or mid range if possible as I am building on a budget, but something decent I can commute with but also hit the velodrome occasionally, a good compromise.

What do you think?

Cheers
Any JIS square-taper BB will work (provided the correct spindle length -- I think it's 112mm), but I've found the Shimano units to be long-lasting and a good value, price-wise.
Rolla is offline  
Likes For Rolla:
Old 10-13-21, 12:21 PM
  #3  
kingston 
Jedi Master
 
kingston's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Lake Forest, IL
Posts: 3,724

Bikes: https://stinkston.blogspot.com/p/my-bikes.html

Mentioned: 42 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1759 Post(s)
Liked 488 Times in 313 Posts
The original BB on my wabi didn't last one season so don't get one of those. I switched to the the IRD QB-95 several years ago and it's been holding up for me. 10 year warranty, so it will be worth it if it lasts that long.
kingston is offline  
Old 10-13-21, 02:05 PM
  #4  
TugaDude
Senior Member
 
TugaDude's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 3,511
Mentioned: 9 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 586 Post(s)
Liked 612 Times in 447 Posts
Velobase is a great resource for information. It indicates 112mm is recommended for 68mm shell width. If the track frame has a BB shell of 70mm, then 113mm is the recommendation.

https://www.velobase.com/ViewCompone...d-fde77aff77c8

For the style of riding you are describing, I would think the basic Shimano BB would serve you well, although you might have to compromise and go with 113mm or size down to 110mm assuming there's enough chain stay clearance.
TugaDude is offline  
Old 10-13-21, 06:12 PM
  #5  
ThermionicScott 
working on my sandal tan
 
ThermionicScott's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: CID
Posts: 22,625

Bikes: 1991 Bianchi Eros, 1964 Armstrong, 1988 Diamondback Ascent, 1988 Bianchi Premio, 1987 Bianchi Sport SX, 1980s Raleigh mixte (hers), All-City Space Horse (hers)

Mentioned: 98 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3868 Post(s)
Liked 2,560 Times in 1,574 Posts
Originally Posted by kingston
The original BB on my wabi didn't last one season so don't get one of those. I switched to the the IRD QB-95 several years ago and it's been holding up for me. 10 year warranty, so it will be worth it if it lasts that long.
I've had a QB-55 in my fixed-gear since 2013 and it sees the most rain/snow/grit of any of my bikes. Still turns smoothly after <checks notes> 11,000+ miles.
__________________
Originally Posted by chandltp
There's no such thing as too far.. just lack of time
Originally Posted by noglider
People in this forum are not typical.
RUSA #7498
ThermionicScott is offline  
Likes For ThermionicScott:
Old 10-13-21, 08:40 PM
  #6  
veganbikes
Clark W. Griswold
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: ,location, location
Posts: 13,278

Bikes: Foundry Chilkoot Ti W/Ultegra Di2, Salsa Timberjack Ti, Cinelli Mash Work RandoCross Fun Time Machine, 1x9 XT Parts Hybrid, Co-Motion Cascadia, Specialized Langster, Phil Wood Apple VeloXS Frame (w/DA 7400), R+M Supercharger2 Rohloff, Habanero Ti 26

Mentioned: 54 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4252 Post(s)
Liked 3,866 Times in 2,579 Posts
+1 for IRD assuming that is the correct spindle for your cranks. On my DA 7400 cranks I am running a Phil Wood B.B. and honestly while I love Phil Wood, I only did it because the frame is Phil Wood. Honestly I think the IRD QB-95 might be a tiny bit better at least easier to deal with.
veganbikes is offline  
Old 10-14-21, 06:55 AM
  #7  
lancelegstrong
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Sep 2021
Posts: 18
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts
Seems like the IRD's are quite a popular choice, I just checked then out but it seems only the 113mm spindle length is available for them though and on velobase it says aparently for 68mm BB shell I need 112mm spindle, does that mean they aren't compatible?
lancelegstrong is offline  
Old 10-14-21, 07:04 AM
  #8  
TugaDude
Senior Member
 
TugaDude's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 3,511
Mentioned: 9 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 586 Post(s)
Liked 612 Times in 447 Posts
Originally Posted by lancelegstrong
Seems like the IRD's are quite a popular choice, I just checked then out but it seems only the 113mm spindle length is available for them though and on velobase it says aparently for 68mm BB shell I need 112mm spindle, does that mean they aren't compatible?
No, it just means the spindle is 1mm longer. Not a deal-breaker in my opinion.
TugaDude is offline  
Likes For TugaDude:
Old 10-15-21, 06:43 AM
  #9  
lancelegstrong
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Sep 2021
Posts: 18
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts
Okay the IRD QB 55 looked like a perfect fit but is literally sold out everywhere, even went to the 3rd page of Google results which I haven't done since 2004

The price point was right on point, the 75 and 99 is a bit too much for me unfortunately, any other options that are comparable?
lancelegstrong is offline  
Old 10-15-21, 08:59 AM
  #10  
momoman
Full Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: SGV SoCal
Posts: 250

Bikes: 2013 Wilier Gran Turismo, 1983 Trek 760, 80's Colnago Super, 90's De Rosa SLX, 2009 Waterford 22 Series Singlespeed, 85 Medici Pro Strada, De Rosa Alumino frameset, Dave Molten Fuso frameset, 70's beater Peugeot PX10, Zizzo Liberte, 2022 Yoeleo R12

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 122 Post(s)
Liked 198 Times in 91 Posts
Boulder Bicycle has the QB-75 113mm BSC in stock for $46 + s/h, but their online orders are temporarily halted until 10/21. You can email them or call them to see if they’ll process your order.

I’ve purchased 2 QB-95’s from them and an assortment of parts for my vintage builds before. Their prices seem good and with the supply chain problems affecting everyone you may need to pay a little more or wait an indefinitely long time for the QB-55.

IRD QB-75
momoman is offline  
Old 10-15-21, 09:10 AM
  #11  
ThermionicScott 
working on my sandal tan
 
ThermionicScott's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: CID
Posts: 22,625

Bikes: 1991 Bianchi Eros, 1964 Armstrong, 1988 Diamondback Ascent, 1988 Bianchi Premio, 1987 Bianchi Sport SX, 1980s Raleigh mixte (hers), All-City Space Horse (hers)

Mentioned: 98 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3868 Post(s)
Liked 2,560 Times in 1,574 Posts
Oh hey, I just belatedly realized something! You're building a fixed-gear, but Dura-Ace 7402 was/is a road crankset. Therefore, the stock bottom bracket spec (112mm) is going to be WRONG for your needs anyway!

I assume you're going to want to run a single chainring on the outer position, since that looks best. That means you'll need a shorter bottom bracket to bring in the chainline. You may have to experiment, but I imagine a 107mm, maybe even 103mm, bottom bracket will be needed.

(If you play with bikes a lot, it's helpful to have a variety of bottom brackets on hand for test-fitting. They could be old and worn-out, but still good for this purpose, so if you needed a reason not to throw away all of your old bottom brackets, here's one. )
__________________
Originally Posted by chandltp
There's no such thing as too far.. just lack of time
Originally Posted by noglider
People in this forum are not typical.
RUSA #7498

Last edited by ThermionicScott; 10-15-21 at 10:52 AM.
ThermionicScott is offline  
Likes For ThermionicScott:
Old 10-15-21, 08:57 PM
  #12  
lancelegstrong
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Sep 2021
Posts: 18
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts
Ohh man i never even thought about that, i guess thats good on that case because there does seem to be more of the shorter size available i just couldn't find the 113mm length anywhere.

In terms of figuring out exactly what size I need, what am i best to do? I'll order a tool to remove my current bottom bracket to see if i can find out what size that is an use as a guide, apart from that is there anything else i can do to find an accurate measurement?

Cheers
lancelegstrong is offline  
Old 10-16-21, 03:42 PM
  #13  
IAmSam
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 1,611
Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 399 Post(s)
Liked 273 Times in 136 Posts
Originally Posted by lancelegstrong
In terms of figuring out exactly what size I need, what am i best to do? I'll order a tool to remove my current bottom bracket to see if i can find out what size that is an use as a guide, apart from that is there anything else i can do to find an accurate measurement?

Cheers
Best way to solve this problem is buy a crankset meant for a single ring when one is building a tarck frame from scratch
IIRC Dura Ace 7600 track crank wants a 109mm BB
Good luck...
IAmSam is offline  
Likes For IAmSam:
Old 10-16-21, 05:40 PM
  #14  
JohnDThompson 
Old fart
 
JohnDThompson's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Appleton WI
Posts: 24,935

Bikes: Several, mostly not name brands.

Mentioned: 153 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3571 Post(s)
Liked 3,367 Times in 1,916 Posts
Originally Posted by IAmSam
IIRC Dura Ace 7600 track crank wants a 109mm BB
That's what Sutherland's (6th edition) says:
Attached Images
File Type: jpg
shimano-bbs.jpg (79.0 KB, 163 views)
JohnDThompson is offline  
Likes For JohnDThompson:
Old 10-17-21, 01:17 AM
  #15  
Lazyass
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Minas Ithil
Posts: 9,337
Mentioned: 66 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2432 Post(s)
Liked 638 Times in 395 Posts
The Orgin8 Torqlite is a really nice bottom bracket, I've had a couple of them. Pretty light with a hollow chromo spindle and a decent price.
Lazyass is offline  
Old 10-17-21, 05:03 AM
  #16  
lancelegstrong
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Sep 2021
Posts: 18
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts
Okay I think once I get the tool to remove my current bb and check the size I should be good to go as current chainline is spot on, bearings have had it though.
Thank you all for your input
lancelegstrong is offline  
Old 10-17-21, 11:05 AM
  #17  
ThermionicScott 
working on my sandal tan
 
ThermionicScott's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: CID
Posts: 22,625

Bikes: 1991 Bianchi Eros, 1964 Armstrong, 1988 Diamondback Ascent, 1988 Bianchi Premio, 1987 Bianchi Sport SX, 1980s Raleigh mixte (hers), All-City Space Horse (hers)

Mentioned: 98 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3868 Post(s)
Liked 2,560 Times in 1,574 Posts
Originally Posted by lancelegstrong
Ohh man i never even thought about that, i guess thats good on that case because there does seem to be more of the shorter size available i just couldn't find the 113mm length anywhere.

In terms of figuring out exactly what size I need, what am i best to do? I'll order a tool to remove my current bottom bracket to see if i can find out what size that is an use as a guide, apart from that is there anything else i can do to find an accurate measurement?

Cheers
Good Sheldon Brown page about measuring chainline here: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/chainline.html You'll want about 42mm, but it doesn't have to be exactly that.
__________________
Originally Posted by chandltp
There's no such thing as too far.. just lack of time
Originally Posted by noglider
People in this forum are not typical.
RUSA #7498
ThermionicScott is offline  
Old 11-29-21, 02:15 PM
  #18  
GhenghisKahn
OwainGyndwr
 
GhenghisKahn's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2020
Location: Wellington/Porirua, New Zealand
Posts: 122

Bikes: 90 Fisher 3x7 hardtail, 2016 Reid 1x7 commuter, 2017 Viva 46x18 fixed gear, 93 2x8 Avanti Kona

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 34 Post(s)
Liked 67 Times in 43 Posts

On my Fuji Del Rey conversion I used a Sugino 103mm BB, Messenger 48t crankset, Vuelta 15t cog on some generic double wall wheelset. Might have been Omega. Sram 1/8" chain. Specialized split mtb seat. Everything else was stock. Except the add-ons.

Got a really straight chainline with this combo.
GhenghisKahn is offline  
Old 06-28-22, 05:26 PM
  #19  
ryanl092
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2021
Location: N CA
Posts: 75

Bikes: 87 Centurion IronMan, 89 Pinarello Treviso, 77 Schwinn Paramount, 85 Miyata 1000

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 19 Post(s)
Liked 63 Times in 32 Posts
It's off topic question, but what's the"Closest Taper End Size"
of "campy" means ?
I have a BB of "Double BB-7400 70W 113 ....Campy"
I want to use 80s Campy super record crank and found it's hard to find a proper campy BB for it.
Does this chart means I can use my DuraAce 7400 70W 113mm BB in stead ?
Thanks!

Ryan
ryanl092 is offline  
Old 01-22-24, 09:08 AM
  #20  
kingston 
Jedi Master
 
kingston's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Lake Forest, IL
Posts: 3,724

Bikes: https://stinkston.blogspot.com/p/my-bikes.html

Mentioned: 42 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1759 Post(s)
Liked 488 Times in 313 Posts
I know this is an old thread, but I just replaced the bearings on my IRD QB-95. Merry Sales has them for $25. So the ability for me to replace the bearings myself with no special tools makes this the hands-down best square taper bottom bracket you can get.
kingston is offline  
Likes For kingston:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.