I have a bike with a bottom bracket that is 73mmx114mm can i get a bottom bracket of another size (68mmx110mm) or would i have to match the one i currently have?
has to be matched the same otherwise your drive line up will be off
a great style of issues to analyze French motorcycles on the link. additionally, the place to purchase the areas you go with. traveling your LBS is likewise a good concept, those backside brackets are becoming to be uncommon to discover yet mechanics would have stored some.
73mm is the width of the bottom bracket shell, a 68mm bottom bracket will be too small to fit the frame. 114mm is the spindle length. If you buy a bottom bracket with the wrong length spindle your chainline will be off, derailleurs may not shift correctly. If the spindle is too short, your chainrings might not clear the frame. You have to buy the correct bottom bracket for your crank. If you change cranks, you would probably have to get a different length spindle
Many bottom brackets are sold as dual compatibility there, 68/73. Some aren't, though, and for you, if you used a dedicated 68 then you're going to have the left side quite a bit shorter, especially if you added a spacer to the right side to keep chainline correct. You could fix this with a longer spindle, of course, but it's easier to just buy the correct bb. For the best versatility if you ever want to switch that bb between frames, get one that is labeled 68/73 x 114 (and you can probably go +/- one millimeter if need bebut check your chainring clearance first to be sure).
