>I have a Campag Strada double chainset for which I need to buy a
>bottom bracket to fit it to my bike which has 120mm rear stay
>spacing. My early 60's parts catalogue says that I should be looking
>for an axle marked 68 SS 120 however I note in the recent Bicycle
>Quarterly that there was an article on SKF's new range of roller
>bearing bottom brackets part of which is made specifically for
>Campagnolo but the maximum axle size quoted there is 111mm [part no
>68 BSA 111] which has an ISO taper. The SKF range does also include
>a 121mm long JIS taper [part number 68 BSA 121] for old bikes but it
>does not make it clear whether this will fit an early square taper
>Campag or Stronglight (49D) set which I know are different.
Obviously, the best fit is the original Campagnolo 68 SS 120 bottom bracket, but those are hard to find.
SKF bottom brackets with the ISO taper are available only in a 111 mm length, intended for a variety of Campagnolo models that are outside the CR timeline.
The JIS tapers are available in a variety of lengths, and the differences between JIS and ISO are anything but clear-cut. (TA appears to fit better on JIS.) We are still experimenting with different cranks and bottom brackets to see what fits. As these come along, we put them online at
http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com/
Jan Heine
Editor
Bicycle Quarterly
140 Lakeside Ave #C
Seattle WA 98122
http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com