un 52 bottem bracket or else?

[Gerrit Van Wijk]

There is a creaking noise coming from my un52 bottem bracket. It has served me well for a long time
but since I can't overhaul it I will sent it into retirement. un72 or even un91 springs to mind but
these are also sealed and cannot be overhauld (?). So is there an altenativen to shimano
bottembrackets? Something that is very well sealed, square tapered but can be regreased/repacked.
Preferably about the same price (so no phil wood).

 

[Sheldon Brown]

gerrit van wijk wrote:

> There is a creaking noise coming from my un52 bottem bracket. It has served me well for a long
> time but since I can't overhaul it I will sent it into retirement. un72 or even un91 springs to
> mind but these are also sealed and cannot be overhauld (?). So is there an altenativen to shimano
> bottembrackets? Something that is very well sealed, square tapered but can be regreased/repacked.
> Preferably about the same price (so no phil wood).

There is nothing near the price that is as good as a Shimano cartridge BB.

"Creaking" noises are not normally the result of any wear, damage or defect in the bottom bracket,
but are generally caused by something not being screwed down tight enough.

If your BB feels rough and gritty, or has noticeble play, it is ripe for replacement. If not, the
problem lies elsewhere.

Make sure the BB is well tightened into the frame.

Make sure the cranks are well tightened onto the BB

Make sure the chainring mounting bolts are tight (I once wasted a LOT of time on one of my own bikes
due to not checking this!)

Make sure the pedals are properly tightened into the cranks.

Sheldon "Can't Beat 'Em For The Price" Brown +-------------------------------------------------+
| Search the Quality Bicycle Products Catalog | and order on line: |
| http://sheldonbrown.com/quality |
+-------------------------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts Phone
617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041 http://harriscyclery.com Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

 

[StøRker Moe]

On 09 jan 2003, Sheldon Brown wrote:

> There is nothing near the price that is as good as a Shimano cartridge BB.
>
OK, but I've NEVER found out what the real difference is between the LX (UN-52) and the XT (UN-72).
What's the difference, and is it worth the higher price?

--
Størker "needs a new one pretty soon" Moe

Email Storker(DOT)Moe(AT)chemeng(DOT)ntnu(DOT)no WWW http://www.chemeng.ntnu.no/~stmoe/

 

[Paul Southworth]

In article <[email protected]>, Størker Moe
<[email protected]> wrote:
>On 09 jan 2003, Sheldon Brown wrote:
>
>> There is nothing near the price that is as good as a Shimano cartridge BB.
>>
>OK, but I've NEVER found out what the real difference is between the LX (UN-52) and the XT (UN-72).
>What's the difference, and is it worth the higher price?

I have felt a lot of really gritty/tight UN-52s, but rarely an ugly UN-72 right out of the box. I
think the bearings must not be the same quality.

I think the UN-72 is a fair deal, I wish I could do bearing replacement but even without it the
price and quality are still acceptable compared to the alternatives.

--Paul

 

[A Muzi]

"gerrit van wijk" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> There is a creaking noise coming from my un52 bottem bracket. It has served me well for a long
> time but since I can't overhaul it I will sent it into retirement. un72 or even un91 springs to
> mind but these are also sealed and cannot be overhauld (?). So is there an altenativen to shimano
> bottembrackets? Something that is very well sealed, square tapered but can be regreased/repacked.
> Preferably about the same price (so no phil wood).

AFAIK the shortest loose-bearing standard spindle is a 3H, which is about 113mm ( old spec =30.5
left and right). Spindles are readily available from there up to about 130mm but not shorter. There
are some short specialty loose bearing BB sets around such as Campagnolo's last product the Record
Pista but for inexpensive standard spindles you are restricted to older crank formats.

--
Andrew Muzi http://www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April 1971

 

[Mike S.]

Might want to re-think that statement (113mm...) I have some D/A Pista spindles that are 109.

Mike "A Muzi" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> "gerrit van wijk" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > There is a creaking noise coming from my un52 bottem bracket. It has served me well for a long
> > time but since I can't overhaul it I
will
> > sent it into retirement. un72 or even un91 springs to mind but these are also sealed and cannot
be
> > overhauld (?). So is there an altenativen to shimano bottembrackets? Something that is very well
> > sealed, square tapered but can be regreased/repacked. Preferably about the same price (so no
> > phil wood).
>
>
> AFAIK the shortest loose-bearing standard spindle is a 3H, which is about 113mm ( old spec =30.5
> left and right). Spindles are readily available
from
> there up to about 130mm but not shorter. There are some short specialty loose bearing BB sets
> around such as Campagnolo's last product the Record Pista but for inexpensive standard spindles
> you are restricted to older crank formats.
>
> --
> Andrew Muzi http://www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April 1971

 

[A Muzi]

> > "gerrit van wijk" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]...
> > > There is a creaking noise coming from my un52 bottem bracket. It has served me well for a long
> > > time but since I can't overhaul it I
> will
> > > sent it into retirement. un72 or even un91 springs to mind but these are also sealed and
> > > cannot
> be
> > > overhauld (?). So is there an altenativen to shimano bottembrackets? Something that is very
> > > well sealed, square tapered but can be regreased/repacked. Preferably about the same price (so
> > > no phil wood).

><[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> > AFAIK the shortest loose-bearing standard spindle is a 3H, which is
about
> > 113mm ( old spec =30.5 left and right). Spindles are readily available
> from
> > there up to about 130mm but not shorter. There are some short specialty loose bearing BB sets
> > around such as Campagnolo's last product the
Record
> > Pista but for inexpensive standard spindles you are restricted to older crank formats.

"Mike S." <mikeshaw@coxDOTnet> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Might want to re-think that statement (113mm...) I have some D/A Pista spindles that are 109.

Yes,we agree. Specialty spindles are still around from Campagnolo and for the Dura Ace, etc.

Standard spindles ($9.95 to $14.95, available from a dozen suppliers) are just not made below
number 3H.

You'll notice that standardized spindles use the uniform markings with a 3, 5 or seven denoting the
shell width and a letter for the various combinations of left and right side length. If anyone has
ever noticed any pattern or order in standardized spindle markings I'd like to hear about
it. The oldest ones were 3-S and 3-T, then longer such as 3-M and 3-R, a supersized 3-RB ,then much
shorter like the 3-P, 3-A and 3-H just before their demise. I always found that nomenclature a
bit loopy .
--
Andrew Muzi http://www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April 1971

 

[Mark Boyd]

On Fri, 10 Jan 2003, it was written:

> On Fri, 10 Jan 2003 16:21:32 -0500, St=F8rker Moe wrote:
>
> > On 09 jan 2003, Sheldon Brown wrote:
> >
> >> There is nothing near the price that is as good as a Shimano cartridge BB.
> >>
> > OK, but I've NEVER found out what the real difference is between the LX (UN-52) and the XT
> > (UN-72). What's the difference, and is it worth the higher price?
>
> I've had both, and they both work very well indeed. I think the 72 is a bit lighter than the 52 --
> noticably so, but only on the order of a couple ounces.

It is lighter and it has a spindle that doesn't rust, unlike the 52 spindle. I don't know if the
bearings or seals are better, but I do know they are very good on the UN-72. I've only had one of
them wear out, and that was after eight years (and tens of thousands of miles) of use in all kinds
of weather.

=09Mark <http://www.cs.unca.edu/~boyd/bicycling.html

 

[David L. Johnso]

On Fri, 10 Jan 2003 16:21:32 -0500, Størker Moe wrote:

> On 09 jan 2003, Sheldon Brown wrote:
>
>> There is nothing near the price that is as good as a Shimano cartridge BB.
>>
> OK, but I've NEVER found out what the real difference is between the LX (UN-52) and the XT
> (UN-72). What's the difference, and is it worth the higher price?

I've had both, and they both work very well indeed. I think the 72 is a bit lighter than the 52 --
noticably so, but only on the order of a couple ounces.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | What is objectionable, and what is dangerous about extremists is _`\(,_ | not that they are
extreme, but that they are intolerant. (_)/ (_) | --Robert F. Kennedy

 

[Sheldon Brown]

David L. Johnson
> On Fri, 10 Jan 2003 16:21:32 -0500,=20
>=20
I asserted:

>>>There is nothing near the price that is as good as a Shimano cartridge=

>>>BB.

St=F8rker Moe wrote:
>
>>OK, but I've NEVER found out what the real difference is between the LX=

>>(UN-52) and the XT (UN-72). What's the difference, and is it worth the higher price?

David L. Johnson explained:

> I've had both, and they both work very well indeed. I think the 72 is =
a
> bit lighter than the 52 -- noticably so, but only on the order of a couple ounces.

That's correct. The UN-72 axle is drilled all the way through, saving a=20 bit of weight.

Other differences:

UN-52
=95Right side threads are integral with the steel shell. 95Left side retaining ring
=is plastic.

UN-72
=95Separate aluminum retaining rings for each side.

UN-73 (2003 replacement for UN-72)
=95Right side threads are now integral with the shell.

This is bad news for some folks, because the UN-72s could be used with=20 Phil Wood retaining rings,
for a less expensive alternative to Phil Wood =

for owners of bikes with unusual/obsolete bottom bracket threading=20 (French, Raleigh 26 tpi,
Swiss, Chater Lea...)

Sheldon "Doesn't Know Yet What The Deal Is With UN-53" Brown +-----------------------------------+
| Fashion exists for those people | who have no style of their own. | --John Moore |
+-----------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts Phone 617-244-9772
FAX 617-244-1041 http://harriscyclery.com Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

 

[Qui Si Parla Ca]

gerritt->There is a creaking noise coming from my un52 bottem bracket.
>It has served me well for a long time but since I can't overhaul it I will sent it into retirement.

Are you sure it's the BB-not the BB installation or chainring bolts, pedals/cleats or a bunch of
other things?

>un72 or even un91 springs to mind but these are also sealed and cannot be overhauld (?).

Correct and the same as a UN-52 except with a hollow axle and UN-91 are limited in their lengths..

>So is there an altenativen to shimano bottembrackets?

Phil Wood-

>Preferably about the same price (so no phil wood).

Nope-

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St. Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 http://www.vecchios.com "Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"