Campagnolo Bottom Brackets

This is the more traditional of the two Record B/Bs using cup and cone construction with ball bearings. As you already know, Campagnolo has quite a reputation for doing things well. Some riders like to know the parts of their bike, specifically their bearing parts, intimately. A part of the reasoning is that points of high wear might indicate other problems with adjoining parts. Sealed cartridge bearings in trade for low maintenance, don't permit an examination of the internal ball bearings.

High quality ball bearings of this sort, rather than sealed cartridge bearings, have demonstrably less drag, (just spin each spindle), absorbing less energy. This is considered the best user service-able bottom bracket available. The spindle is made of steel. Its two degree tapered spindle ends are machined not merely cast or forged. The bearing contact surfaces (cones) are precisely ground then polished, smoother may not exist. The spindle is hollow to reduce weight with threaded inner ends for crank bolts.

Crank bolts aren't included because a few years ago Campy introduced a variation on Shimano's one key release designed crank arm caps/bolts. The bolts that come with the cranks incorporate an arm cap, arm bolt, and crank arm puller. The cups are machined from aluminum and has such a high polish, many people think they are made from steel then given a thick chrome finish. A separate steel cup race, ground and polished is pressed into each aluminum cup. This is not a floating B/B and uses a fixed cup on the drive side of the shell. The sides of the fixed cup are spaced for a 36mm fixed cup tool.

The adjustable (left) is also superbly machined from aluminum, then highly polished, and has the same style steel race pressed into the cup. The adjusting cup has 6 holes in its face for peg/pin spanner installation. The chromed steel lockring is tightened with a hook spanner. The Record uses twelve 7/32" ball bearings in a steel retainer for each cup. Included is a clear plastic water sleeve.

The standard Record B/B comes of in either Italian or English thread, its only spindle length is 111mm. The weight of the standard Record B/B is 224 grams.

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Campy recognizes that many riders want quick to replace, easy to maintain parts, this is their solution. Known by Campy part number as the BB-11RECART, it is sold as the cartridge B/B in both the Record and Chorus parts grouppos. This B/B has three sealed bearing cartridges that are machine pressed onto the spindle. The spindle is made from machined steel, very clean milling creates the 2 degree tapers. The spindle is hollow with tapped inner ends for the crank bolts. The crank bolts aren't included, as described above, they are included with the Campy crankset.

This B/B use two resting side-by-side sealed bearings on the right (drive) side. The two independent bearings have a 26mm diameter and a 5mm height. They are pressed onto the spindle against a machined aluminum water sleeve. To the outer side of these bearings is an aluminum spacer that is supported on the spindle by a very stout custom rubber gasket, that is the B/B's first line of contaminant defense. The left (non-drive) side has a single bearing that is 30mm in diameter with a 6.5mm height (SKF 61903-2RS1) pressed in place against the water sleeve surrounding the spindle. Another aluminum spacer with a custom rubber gasket is placed to the outer side of the left bearing.

There is a trough that houses a rubber O-ring 4mm from each end of the water sleeve. This O-ring forms a final inner seal for the machined aluminum cups which slide tightly over the bearings and over the first 6mm of the water sleeve. The interior of the cup is tiered, and follows the line of the bearings. This particular design leaves no aspect of the B/B mechanism exposed to the outer environment. Because the bearings are machine pressed in place, and there is no appreciable gap between the water sleeve and the inside bearings, removal for replacement of the bearings should it ever be necessary will likely damage neighboring parts.

Like the Shimano and Suntour B/Bs, the Campy Cartridge requires an installation tool that is inserted into splines in the end of the bearing cup. We have found that the Park BBT-5, made to fit the Record, Chorus, and Athena cartridge B/Bs, works quite well without apparent damage to the aluminum part. The actual Campy tool is available but it sells for $14.99 that may be pricey for the occasional use.

The Campy Record/Chorus cartridge B/B is available with either English or Italian threaded cups having a spindle length of 111mm. Made in Italy, it weighs 251 grams.

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