I spent years defending Italian BBs..

[veggieburger]

Ridden a lot of old vintage steel. When people griped about Italian BB threading, my reply was something along the lines of - i have ridden on Campy It BBs for decades, never had one come unscrewed.

Until yesterday.

Couldn't figure out why I was unable to shift to the large chain ring. Then it felt like I was dragging a brake pad. Finally I pulled over. What the heck?! Was almost a full inch out, and the non-drive arm is now gouged.

Do you put any blue (?) locktite on your Italian threaded BB?

[Black Dog]

Ridden a lot of old vintage steel. When people griped about Italian BB threading, my reply was something along the lines of - i have ridden on Campy It BBs for decades, never had one come unscrewed.

Until yesterday.

Couldn't figure out why I was unable to shift to the large chain ring. Then it felt like I was dragging a brake pad. Finally I pulled over. What the heck?! Was almost a full inch out, and the non-drive arm is now gouged.

Do you put any blue (?) locktite on your Italian threaded BB?

No loctite, just grease or antisieze and make it tight! The tight part is the key. Clean it up, grease it and make it tight and it will take 20 years to come loose again. :)

[tuscanyswe]

My problem is they are a b***t to take out

[Spaghetti Legs]

About a year ago I had one unwind on me; first time in a long long time. This was an older Athena BB which has an adjustable cup on either end, so I think that might have been an issue with extra tight not being tight enough. I put it back on with blue loctite. Did the same with a Phil Wood and it’s double adjustable cups. Otherwise it’s just put them on real tight.

I will continue to wave the Italian thread flag! As I get older it’s one less thing to have to take up brain space.

[jtbadge]

Try teflon plumber's tape on the threads to keep things tight.

[mtechnica]

Use blue loctite for sure, if anything it will make it easier to remove in the future because it will act as anti seize and prevent corrosion between the threads.

[fmradio516]

Non-drive side crank was gouged? Was it the non-drive side cup that unscrewed? Usually its the drive side.

And I have always had italian BBs(not by choice). I usually start with blue loctite, then if that unscrews, then I used blue loctite + plumbers tape.

[veggieburger]

Non-drive side crank was gouged? Was it the non-drive side cup that unscrewed? Usually its the drive side.

Drive side unscrewed, basically "pulling" the non-drive side crank into the BB shell. Awesome.

[fmradio516]

ah ha! that sucks

[bicycletricycle]

I have spent years defending fruit but last year I got a bad fruit cup and I vomited. What should I do?
;)

[Pegoready]

I use plumbers tape on my Italian BB's.

Tightening super hard is not ideal for me-- the risk of removing it later, slipping tools, damaging the cups is too great.

[cgolvin]

I have spent years defending fruit but last year I got a bad fruit cup and I vomited. What should I do?
;)

Mix blue loctite into your fruit cup, and if you still throw up add plumber's tape.
:butt:

[elliott]

Theres a reason Campy uses so much of that yellow locktite on their cups.

[bicycletricycle]

Mix blue loctite into your fruit cup, and if you still throw up add plumber's tape.
:butt:

I thin that just might work, maybe more torque on each bite?

[KJMUNC]

had the same prob a couple of years ago and also realized the crank arm hole got widened in the same incident so I could never get it "tight enough".

For the Italian BB I just put in a different Merckx frame I slathered on the blue loctite and cranked that sucker down to full ft-lb spec. Not sure it's ever coming off!

[Gummee]

I have spent years defending fruit but last year I got a bad fruit cup and I vomited. What should I do?
;)

It's obvious: drink more

M

[mtechnica]

Blue loctite is not strong enough to prevent you from removing the BB, it’s actually rated for quite a bit smaller diameter threads than a BB, like I said it will probably be easier to remove than using nothing since there won’t be galvanic/other corrosion between the cups and the shell.

[oldpotatoe]

Ridden a lot of old vintage steel. When people griped about Italian BB threading, my reply was something along the lines of - i have ridden on Campy It BBs for decades, never had one come unscrewed.

Until yesterday.

Couldn't figure out why I was unable to shift to the large chain ring. Then it felt like I was dragging a brake pad. Finally I pulled over. What the heck?! Was almost a full inch out, and the non-drive arm is now gouged.

Do you put any blue (?) locktite on your Italian threaded BB?

Nope. No glue needed.
1)Make sure frame is prepped, BB shell faced
2)install with proper tool, something that ‘grasps’ the flats of the cup. Teflon tape on threads, grease in BB shell...and make it TIGHT.

Been riding ‘far superior Italian threaded BB’ since 1985, only had one for unscrew and I didn’t install it.

[berserk87]

Either English or Italian threaded, it's a pretty rare occasion when they come unthreaded. I've only had it happen once, and it was pretty minor. Once in 25 years is a good track record.

[HTupolev]

The issue with Italian-threaded shells isn't that they're horribly unreliable, it's that they're less reliable than BSA-threaded shells while having fewer BB options and providing zero benefits.

[Matthew]

Just the fact it "might" happen makes me glad I don't have any.

[Black Dog]

Just the fact it "might" happen makes me glad I don't have any.

Getting run over by your own donkey, however rare, is the reason I don't have a donkey. ;)

[ultraman6970]

The non driver side got messed up? hmm... squared tapper... driver side cup got lose...

Teflon tape, a lot of grease and tight it like hulk, done.

[Steve in SLO]

The issue with Italian-threaded shells isn't that they're horribly unreliable, it's that they're less reliable than BSA-threaded shells while having fewer BB options and providing zero benefits.

Except that they’re Italian, which makes them faster, sooo...just tack weld the cups to the BB shell and enjoy the speed.

[dddd]

I'm not getting how Teflon tape could be useful here.

As a low-durometer polymer, it can't really help sustain the tightening tension in the cup over time, and as a low-friction substance it would not seem to help with frictional grip in the rotating direction.

Is it that the tape lubricates the threads as they are tightened, creating more tension for a given amount of torque?

[SimonC]

I had exactly the same issue last week - the week before I’d snapped a seatpin, so I took another bike out instead of fixing it. I thought the front mech cable just have slipped, until the NDS crank started knocking on the chainstay (all of 500m down the road).

It never rains but it pours. I’ll try the blue Loctite...

[Tandem Rider]

I'm not getting how Teflon tape could be useful here.

As a low-durometer polymer, it can't really help sustain the tightening tension in the cup over time, and as a low-friction substance it would not seem to help with frictional grip in the rotating direction.

Is it that the tape lubricates the threads as they are tightened, creating more tension for a given amount of torque?

I was wondering the same thing, teflon tape is a thread lubricant, used on tapered threads, which is an interference fit. The lubricant allows the joint to be tighter, deforming the threads slightly, creating a seal that will hold pressure. It does not fill gaps under pressure. If it's an old school RH cup with a shoulder, mating to the face of the BB, maybe the tape allows the mating shoulders to have more friction? Still wouldn't do anything that anti-seize or grease wouldn't accomplish.

[Black Dog]

I'm not getting how Teflon tape could be useful here.

As a low-durometer polymer, it can't really help sustain the tightening tension in the cup over time, and as a low-friction substance it would not seem to help with frictional grip in the rotating direction.

Is it that the tape lubricates the threads as they are tightened, creating more tension for a given amount of torque?

I was wondering the same thing, teflon tape is a thread lubricant, used on tapered threads, which is an interference fit. The lubricant allows the joint to be tighter, deforming the threads slightly, creating a seal that will hold pressure. It does not fill gaps under pressure. If it's an old school RH cup with a shoulder, mating to the face of the BB, maybe the tape allows the mating shoulders to have more friction? Still wouldn't do anything that anti-seize or grease wouldn't accomplish.

Well it creates a friction fit by filling the spaces between the threads. Since it is a solid and has limited compression it gets "jammed" in the space under pressure. Grease will be extruded under pressure where the teflon will not. You can test this by putting a good amount to teflon tape on threads and trying to fully tighten, it will become very difficult if there is too much tape do to the friction it creates as it gets compressed between the threads. Too little tape and you are just reducing friction and allowing higher tightening torques.

[Matthew]

Funny how this BB gets some love but all of the pressed in BBs here get ripped on non stop. I agree, I prefer threaded and every bike I own has threaded. But when crank arms get gouged and chain stays get dinged by crank arms because cups unthread? Just add tape, or loctite, or tack weld it, and then tighten it as if you're the Hulk. No thanks. But if you love them that's cool. Just find it funny is all.

[veggieburger]

Funny how this BB gets some love but all of the pressed in BBs here get ripped on non stop. I agree, I prefer threaded and every bike I own has threaded. But when crank arms get gouged and chain stays get dinged by crank arms because cups unthread? Just add tape, or loctite, or tack weld it, and then tighten it as if you're the Hulk. No thanks. But if you love them that's cool. Just find it funny is all.

In fairness, this is the first time in 20+ years one has come unthreaded on me...and this particular BB probably has 15,000kms on it with nary a gripe. Am I happy it unthreaded? Nope. Has it been good to a lazy rider who doesn't take the best care of his stuff? Sure.

[Tony Edwards]

I had an Italian BB walk itself out of my DeRosa about 20 years ago, much to my frustration. Fortunately I was not too far from home. After that I used Teflon tape and didn't have a recurrence, nor have I had it happen on any other Italian-threaded bike since. I do think it's fundamentally a flawed design, though, and can see no benefit to it relative to English threading that is not outweighed by the possibility of the BB exiting the frame.

[Tickdoc]

Only one occurrence for me with the far superior Italian threading. It was my fault though, after installing a Phil Wood BB myself (always a bad idea) and forgoing the blue thread locker. Turns out you need it in some cases!

I'll take a backing out BB any day over a creaky press fit problem.

[jtbadge]

Funny how this BB gets some love but all of the pressed in BBs here get ripped on non stop. I agree, I prefer threaded and every bike I own has threaded. But when crank arms get gouged and chain stays get dinged by crank arms because cups unthread? Just add tape, or loctite, or tack weld it, and then tighten it as if you're the Hulk. No thanks. But if you love them that's cool. Just find it funny is all.

+1, quiet pressfit installations take less work than a secure "FSIT" bb install. This forum is so weird.

[m_sasso]

Yea, pull that glued in press fit out and reinstall it a few times and then tell me how weird an Italian threaded BB is!

[Black Dog]

+1, quiet pressfit installations take less work than a secure "FSIT" bb install. This forum is so weird.

Yup press-fit is great until it gets messed up by the act of replacing warn bearings or the bore is not perfectly round or to spec. Threaded fittings are far less prone to these issues.

[El Chaba]

I hadn't totaled up my lifetime mileage for a while and brought things up to date this past winter. As it turns out, I made the 300K mile milestone in early November. The vast majority of those miles was completed on bikes with either Italian threaded bottom brackets or French threaded bottom brackets-which share a right-hand threaded fixed cup. In all of those miles, I have never had a cup come loose while riding, and I don't use anything on the threads other than grease or a thread compound and plenty of torque.

[fmradio516]

Well I have had a bunch of french and italian bottom brackets come loose before I started using the loctite+tape combo. I always torqued the hell out of them too. Not sure what the factors are, or if its just random.

[unterhausen]

probably depends a lot on the thread quality. I had one bike that had Italian threads. Rode that thing for 25 years without issue. I was a bit worried about it at first. But really, I was a mechanic back when French bottom brackets were really common, and never saw one come loose. So I always thought the precession thing was a bit overblown

When I was just starting out as an engineer, I ran a test that failed because a nut came loose. It was left hand thread and every force we knew about should have tightened it.

[bicycletricycle]

Funny how this BB gets some love but all of the pressed in BBs here get ripped on non stop. I agree, I prefer threaded and every bike I own has threaded. But when crank arms get gouged and chain stays get dinged by crank arms because cups unthread? Just add tape, or loctite, or tack weld it, and then tighten it as if you're the Hulk. No thanks. But if you love them that's cool. Just find it funny is all.

Both standards have their own types of problems. Your mechanical aptitude and tolerance for creaky noises will have a big effect on which one you prefer. I was riding with somebody with a firefly that had a PFBB and it was creaking really badly. I asked him about it and he kind of shrugged and said all the new bikes are like this. It just didn't seem to bother him. Well, if he is wiling to accept that then that is fine. I could not. My threaded ones do take more work to get apart but I can clean them and put them back together to fix a problem like that.

I was reading a specialized manual that recommended gluing the bearings in to fix out of spec creaky bb shells. That is the problem with that system to me. If it is right than it is fine, when it is wrong their is not much to be done.

[Matthew]

A creaky Firefly would drive me nuts. Personally, I wouldn't buy a bike with a press fit BB. In fact I'd rather have an Italian threaded bike. But for me I'll take a BSA bottom bracket all day long.

[Hellgate]

Back in the day I ran all of the higher end Bianchis thru the Campy kit. After a good facing, chase, cleaning and correct torque, never had a customer have an issue.