cruiser newbie - what size brottom bracket?

[B.A.Nana]

My bike

Apart from the obvious issue, the bottom bracket bearings are all wrong, it appears that some twonk has put smaller bearings in (or something like that) and the whole thing (bb bearings and crankarms) are just turning loosely in the bb frame housing. It's possible that the threads are now damaged. As a starting point, what size diameter will the bb threads be?
Thanks

 

[B.A.Nana]

urm?

 

[B.A.Nana]

oops

 

[Markm]

turning loosely? like floppin around or actually turning?

 

[Markm]

is everything tightened up?

 

[B.A.Nana]

I think the issue is that cruiser bikes are rare in the UK and this diameter bb shell/housing is not standard in the UK. The previous owner has taken the bike to his local bike shop and the LBS, rather than pointing out that it is a non UK standard size, have just fitted some bearing and crank arms that are small enough to fit inside the bb shell/housing, but just rattle around in the shell.
I'm reasonably knowledgeable with mountain bikes and do maintenance on my mountain bikes, including bb replacements. I pretty sure that the wrong size bearings have been put in as a stupid 'make do' bodge job.

 

[Markm]

Oh...what about free-ballin it? Get rid of the "cage", load cups up w/grease, and stick the bearings in..
as many as you can fit then remove one...you'll probably need a couple more bearings but the same size from a donor should work...

 

[B.A.Nana]

No, sorry I'm not explaining myself correctly, I'm probably using the wrong terminology. The whole crank arm assembly (including cups) is loose in the frame shell, as if nothing is actually screwed into the threads in the frame. I want to try and find the correct size cups, although the threads in the frame bb may now be damaged due to whats been bodged up here.

 

[socal_jack]

Checkout Sheldon's page at the link below, you're looking for one-piece crank parts but there are several ways to go if the parts are messed up including conversion to a euro bottom bracket. The cups should be snug but not loose if they're the correct size as they just press into the frame, but I've had some on real old bikes that were rather loose.

http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/opc.html

 

[B.A.Nana]

I've found a cruiser bike shop near me, they sell a bb cups and bearings at 5/16ths ( I think). Does this sound like the correct size for a 80s Huffy Good vibrations? link here http://www.ridelow.co.uk/chrome-lowrider-bottom-bracket-set-p-1498.html

 

[B.A.Nana]

OK Thanks SJ, I maybe should take it all apart and take some measurements, I thought maybe there would be one standard size for these cruiser bikes.

 

[socal_jack]

It'll probably work 9 ball 5/16" bearings almost all the OPC cranks I've come across were 24tpi, but you might want to get a set of cranks with it to make sure of a match.

EDIT: Looking over Sheldon's info, the only thing he missed is that on some of the older cruisers like from the 30s I've run into 24tpi that actually had what I think used to be called English pitch on the threads so the hardware would thread for a turn or two but that was it. Shouldn't affect that Huffy at all.

 

[B.A.Nana]

OK Thanks, I'll probably drive over there to Ride Low and get them to build a new front wheel to match, they can look at the bb aswell. Considering what I think's been bodged up with the bb/cranks, it's a specialist import parts job in the UK, not a job for my local bike shop.

 

[deorman]

Here in the states, almost all 1-piece cranksets are the same diameter, but a few of them on geared bikes are deeper. If you don't find a bearing set whose races fit, as a last resort you could wrap the outer races with HVAC steel tape. It'd have to be pretty tight fit (mallet whack tight) to work on a crank, I can't swear it will work.

 

[stretch]

1 peice BB cups are press fit, not threaded. :?