bruce thomson wrote:
> Folks: It finally happened, just as I was out this afternoon
> thinking what a good mileage base I had been building, the dreaded
> creaking sound that many of us had heard before. No it wasnt my
> knees, but a cracked BB shell. Finally, after thaousands of miles my
> main ride gave up. The crack follows the BB shell nearly all oround
> and I walked the last ten blocks home. I was sick. Now I LOVE this
> bike. I will do some search to see if there can be a repair.
I acquired the frame for my commuter bike as a result of a similar failure. It's an old Italian club racer type frame that the previous owner had himself gotten second-hand and by the time I got it was missing all pertinent maker's markings. It does have Prugnant lugs (with cutouts) and Campy 1010 dropouts, but I've not been able to determine who built it.
The guy I got it from bought used it in the early 70's and rode it extensively, including across the US on the BikeCentennial route in 1976. It failed in the early 80's in the same manner you describe, and he was going to throw it away (sob!), so I saved it from him and it languished in my basement for several years until some low-life boosted my mountain bike and I needed a replacement commuter bike quickly.
Through judicious application of hacksaw and cutting torch I was able to remove the old BB shell and replace it with a new, investment-cast shell. I shot a quick coat of paint onto it, built it up and have been riding it ever since -- that's about 18 years now and counting!
So, depending on how much effort you're willing to put into it, repair may still be an option.
--
John (john@os2.dhs.org)
Appleton WI USA