Hey guys I want to thank you in advance for all your help. I have a european bottom bracket size on my road bike but it has a threaded end (old style) I'm upgrading cranks but the cranks I have have an external bottom bracket (mega exo with the fsa Gossamer crankset). So my question is since both are european can I simply change the bottom brackets? what sort of tools will I need or how much will a shop charge me to change them? Also, is english bottom bracket the same as euro bottom bracket? I know it's quite a few questions but any help is greatly appreciated!
Bottom brackets are typically Englishwith Italian French also seen around. Swiss and Raleigh, not so much. I don't know what they mean by Euro, or for that matter what you mean by European. Yes, you'll need a special tool to mount the cups. You can buy the tool and install it yourself, or have a shop do the install. Having the tool means you'll be able to remove the cups yourself in the future without taking your bike to the shop and paying for it again. Call your shop to find out what they charge, both for the tool and for the labor to do it for you.
There are 2 important things about fit which is important to know about the old style bottom brackets. 1 Thread type. There are 2, English and Italian/European. They are different and not compatible. 2 The axle length. Each chainset will have a recommended axle length. The length will ensure that the inner ring runs close to chainstay, but not close enough to rub, thus keeping the chain angle to the cogs optimum. Getting the right length is very important. Each manufacturers bottom bracket cups will have different means of removal and even the same manufacturer will have different kinds of removal methods for different models of bottom bracket. So you need to discover and buy the right tools. Cost to change bottom bracket in UK ?10 to ?15 Hope this helps
I have never heard of a european bottom bracket. I have heard of English, French, Italian and Swiss. A bike built within the last 10 years will almost certainly have an English, or less commonly Italian threaded bottom bracket.
