External-bearing BBs?

Andre Jute

On May 13, 9:11*am, Chalo <chalo.col...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Ryan Cousineau wrote:
>
> > *Chalo wrote:
>
> > > Hank wrote:
>
> > > > bfd wrote:
>
> > > > > Don't know much about Zipp bearings, but if you want the ultimate in
> > > > > external bearing bbs, check out the new Phil Wood:
>
> > > > >http://www.philwood.com/BB-Outboard%20Set.htm
>
> > > > Holy spit, you can get 'em in French!
>
> > > Isn't that a bit like getting a saddle for an epileptic horse? *Sooner
> > > or later there will be other issues.
>
> > As the old tale about delaying disaster goes, "maybe the horse will
> > sing!"
>
> > I don't think there's anything wrong with throwing down for a new BB for
> > an old frame.
>
> It's not oldness that is the source of the problem, it's Fwenchness.
> You can lay down a bundle for a BB, cranks, and pedals to make that
> smelly, leg-humping little dog learn a new trick or two, but the next
> thing you know it will want a headset, which will then make you find a
> new fork. *Then it will be a seatpost in 23.7mm or whatever ungodly
> obsolete size, and then-- joy of joys-- the freewheel turns out to be
> Fwench (and worn out).
>
> Pretty soon you've spent a small fortune, more than enough to get a
> real bike. *But it's still a peculiar, smelly, leg-humping little dog
> that probably has more bad surprises in store.
>
> Life is too short to suffer Fwench bikes or 26 tpi Raleighs. *At the
> first appearance of trouble, they should be recycled. *Better yet,
> don't even wait for the first trouble to appear and risk developing an
> affinity for an inadvisable machine. *Save yourself and several other
> people a whole lot of trouble and cut the bastard up before disposing
> of it.
>
> Chalo

A good French bike with the best French parts will have plenty of time
to ingratiate itself. My old Peugeot mountain bike, from the top of
their range in the late 80s, early 90s, was not well fitted to me (as
I now realize), but in the ten years the original parts lasted I
became awfully attached to it. It only showed its unattractive side
when the original best quality parts wore out and, as you say, no new
parts of equivalent quality were available. Then, within the short
span of two years, it became an unreliable nuisance and my annual
riding distance was almost halved. I gave it to the LBS for the
goodwill because my next bike was bought from overseas by mailorder;
he fixed the Peugeot and it still goes in the hands of its new and
obviously proud owner (he's always all smiles when I meet him on the
road), who may think that parts that wear out in two or three years
are acceptable.

But, I'll tell you what, I don't think many modern bikes will outlast
that Peugeot. Reason: the they have a semi-integrated headsets, and I
think those will wreck the head tube before the rest of the bike wears
out. My Trek also has a semi-integrated headset, and I carry a short,
lightweight Park headset spanner bolted behind my water bottle, and
have the headset adjustment on my shortest cycle of routine
maintenance; in fact, it is the only item on the 3-monthly maintenance
schedule as the totally enclosed chain gets checked and waxed only
every six months.

Andre Jute
http://members.lycos.co.uk/fiultra/...%20CYCLING.html