Campy Super Record, 2015 Ultra Torque Click Part Ii



ColnagoC60

New Member
Jul 13, 2015
51
4
8
A quick update on a new bike which developed an annoying click in the BB, driving me nuts.

I removed some play in the assembly which is supposed to be dealt with by the wave washer. This was not a thought out plan, I had some silicone rubber 40 durometer 1/16" in my shop and though I would just do a quick test.

1,400km later the BB is still smooth as silk and completely quiet. Tonight was a fast club ride, my mind started playing games about what happened to that silicone rubber washer, so when I got home I opened up the crank and found everything still perfectly in tact.

There is a very slight indentation in the silicone washer, where the wave washer seats against it, I guess about 0.1mm, but it looks like the washer just nicely filled the void, helping the wave washer not to flex and silencing the BB.

Pictures attached below. Please note the marks on the crank is not scuffing, somehow the camera flash picks up the carbon layup underneath the Urethane top coat. There are no scuffs or scratches on the top coat,

Hope this helps anyone who has the same issue.



 
Nice work! Thanks!

1/16" is 1.5875 MM. The steel shims I used (behind the L.H. outboard/external cups or next to the wave washer inside the L.H. cup) were approximately 1 MM to 1.5 MM total, depending on how much clearance needed taken up to eliminate the clicking-ticking noise on my three bikes with Campy UltraTorque cranksets.

And just for reference, IIRC, your bike has a BB86 bottom bracket assembly?
 
Yep Campy Bob, that is the BB86.

Colnago is the only manufacturer though that use a precision machined assembly for the BB86 cups to press into. So the cups do not press into a carbon frame.

Picture below:

 
Leave it to Colnago to do it right!

Would it have been possible to widen the bearing stance by unscrewing the L.H. bearing cup holder and removing clearance in that fashion? I'm assuming the white threaded sleeve is aluminum and either molded into the carbon BB shell or bonded to it.
 
CAMPYBOB said:
Leave it to Colnago to do it right!

Would it have been possible to widen the bearing stance by unscrewing the L.H. bearing cup holder and removing clearance in that fashion? I'm assuming the white threaded sleeve is aluminum and either molded into the carbon BB shell or bonded to it.
Yep, a shim behind the bearing cup holder, will probably be a better solution, than my experiment, which compares to the way you did it.

Perhaps in the future, I will get a precision washer the right thickness to replace the wave washer and take up the clearance. I can probably get that done through one of my vendors, but there are a few companies that stock 1000's of sizes and can make to special order, without breaking the bank. One would have to measure the lateral play using a dial gauge and leave a very small clearance so there is no load on the bearings.
 
I haven't looked, but not knowing the specs of the Colnago cup threads...I'm guessing shim washers would be a little more difficult to source than the almost standard external cup shims.

Boker's washers would probably be one of the first places I would look, after trying Hope Racing, Race Face and the usual suspects.

For external cups, I could get practically any thickness and backing up the L.H. cup with a 0.5 MM was my starting point and then going to a 1 MM if the thing still made the ticking noise.

At least one of my bikes required a steel shim (.005" or .010" IIRC) backing up the wave washer IN ADDITION TO the 1 MM shim behind the cup before the noise was eliminated. And none of my cabon-with-aluminum molded-in inserts BB shells were anywhere close to the nominal dimension!

I guess Campy wanted those UT cranksets to fit in over-width shells?

I think I mentioned to you that have an asymmetrical pedal stroke and I probably put more axial load on the spindle assembly than the average rider. Despite knowing that fact for almost 40 years of training and racing at the point I got my first UT crankset, it took me a few weeks to trace the noise down (who knew Campy could pull something like that?!?!) and connect the dots.

I did 31 miles this afternoon with 1900' of climbing and thankfully it's as quiet as my old Record cranksets from the 1970's. I remember going up hills with the clicking noise telegraphing ever pedal stroke to the guys in the pack...not good!

Say....I've got Wire EDM machines! All I need is some Ti shim stock and we're in business! Look out Rogue Mechanic! I'll get $250 out of the guys with EPS! Heheh!
 

Similar threads