So, let’s say you have an older bike you really like, but the bottom bracket has gone bad and the BB shell is a hellscape of rust, ruined threads from a bad previous installation, and maybe even an insect graveyard:
This is a nice, older GT frame. While a little rusty and scraped up, it’s ready for many more miles if a new bottom bracket can be installed. When the bike came into the shop for repair, the old bottom bracket had been used until the ball bearings rusted, pitted the races, and eventually completely failed. Unfortunately. the last person to install the bottom bracket on the bike had mixed up the drive and non-drive side bearing cups. The threads on bottom brackets go different directions to keep it from un-threading itself while pedaling if the bearings start to have resistance. So, now we have a bike with a completely destroyed bottom bracket and threads in the frame which can no longer be made to accept a standard replacement bottom bracket. The owner of the bike has had it for many years, and being attached to it didn’t want to just give up and buy a new bike. Luckily for him, Velo Orange makes a “threadless” bottom bracket designed to be used in frames with un-usable/ destroyed threads. We ordered one in with the correct spindle length and went to town.
The installation was pretty straightforward. We would recommend having it installed in the shop though. It took a little coaxing to get the bottom bracket in there, and we used a couple tools most home mechanics don’t have access to. When we were finished, the installation looked really clean, and the owner of the bike is ready to re-assemble it and get back to riding. Not bad for under $100 parts and labor, and we kept a cool, older frame from going to the scrapyard.
