# Motobecane BB help?



## seeborough (Feb 3, 2004)

I am looking to pick up an early 80s Motobecane Grand Touring, Vitus 888 tubes, Weinmann brakes and a Suntour drivetrain. I am wondering about the bottom bracket - without taking it apart, what threading am I most likely to find? NOS French BBs are not that easy to come by and that would be a deal breaker for me. Thoughts, anyone?


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## FatTireFred (Jan 31, 2005)

gotta assume french, can prob rule out italian... vo has french threaded BBs


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

seeborough said:


> I am looking to pick up an early 80s Motobecane Grand Touring, Vitus 888 tubes, Weinmann brakes and a Suntour triple drivetrain. I am wondering about the bottom bracket - without taking it apart, what threading am I most likely to find? NOS French BBs are not that easy to come by and that would be a deal breaker for me. Thoughts, anyone?



let me check....It might be Swiss threaded.. If it's Swiss, it's the same as french threaded only the drive side is reverse threaded..


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

Dave Hickey said:


> let me check....It might be Swiss threaded.. If it's Swiss, it's the same as french threaded only the drive side is reverse threaded..



It might be Swiss...might not be Swiss...depending on the year

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/french-cranks.html

If it's French you have the Velo Orange French BB alternative. It's not that much $$

If it's Swiss you are SOL unless you want to use Phil Wood..

You can check by trying to remove the driveside cup...reverse threaded, it's Swiss. standard threaded, it's French


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## Nielly (Sep 21, 2009)

What about thst doohickey BB that Velo orange sells? Cran-Cru or some such, might be an option.


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## FatTireFred (Jan 31, 2005)

Nielly said:


> What about thst doohickey BB that Velo orange sells? Cran-Cru or some such, might be an option.




his name is DAVE hickey


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

Nielly said:


> What about thst doohickey BB that Velo orange sells? Cran-Cru or some such, might be an option.


I think this is the doohickey not DAVE hickey you refer to. 
VO dosent make or sell crap. So I am sure it would work fine.


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## zmudshark (Jan 28, 2007)

If it's a Suntour drivetrain, it's probably English thread.

I would just about guarantee by the 80's it would be English.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

zmudshark said:


> If it's a Suntour drivetrain, it's probably English thread.
> 
> I would just about guarantee by the 80's it would be English.


It could be either

I heard somewhere in the early 80's was the switch from Swiss to English...

Not sure of the year of this one but it's Swiss and Suntour

http://bronzegears.blogspot.com/2009/03/motobecane-grand-touring-teardown.html


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## seeborough (Feb 3, 2004)

Dave Hickey said:


> It could be either
> 
> I heard somewhere in the early 80's was the switch from Swiss to English...
> 
> ...


Thanks y'all. Looks like St.Sheldon says it best:

Some French bicycles, notably many Motobécane models, used Swiss thread bottom brackets. These have the same thread and diameter as French, but use a left thread for the fixed cup. *This makes life interesting when you need to remove the fixed cup and don't know which way to turn it. Good luck.*

Oh my.


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## zmudshark (Jan 28, 2007)

It will be marked on the cups. I have a mid-late 70's Moto Gran Jubilee w/ SR crankset, Huret Jubilee derailleurs, and it's English.


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## abarth (Aug 12, 2008)

Moto switched over to Swiss threaded BB around mid 70's. I don't know when they switched from Swiss to English. Swiss and English BB cups has the same thread direction, just the thread pitch is different. There is a chance an English threaded BB will fit in a Swiss threaded BB shell. I know of a few people did it with no problem but I've never done it myself.

Zmudshark, your GJ should be a 1976 model, last year Moto used the Huret derailleurs and 531 for the GJ. AFAIK, it should have a Swiss threaded BB, unless it was replaced by an English one.


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## JP (Feb 8, 2005)

Are the cups trashed? Is there a reason you couldn't just repack the bracket?


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## seeborough (Feb 3, 2004)

JP said:


> Are the cups trashed? Is there a reason you couldn't just repack the bracket?


The cups might well be OK and if I buy the bike, they will get cleaned and freshly greased. But you all know how it is: There's an old bike at your LBS for sale, it's in your size and you just _have_ to look. Since I can judge the condition of the other components (barring hub bearings) by sight, I was just wondering what I'd get into if the bottom bracket is toast.


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## FatTireFred (Jan 31, 2005)

seeborough said:


> The cups might well be OK and if I buy the bike, they will get cleaned and freshly greased. But you all know how it is: There's an old bike at your LBS for sale, it's in your size and you just _have_ to look. Since I can judge the condition of the other components (barring hub bearings) by sight, I was just wondering what I'd get into if the bottom bracket is toast.




if it's at the lbs, maybe they know, or will break it down to find out for you


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## PDex (Mar 23, 2004)

I had the same bike - check the stamping on the outside of the cup. If it is 35 x 1, then it is Swiss.


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## shudson16 (Mar 20, 2009)

zmudshark said:


> It will be marked on the cups. I have a mid-late 70's Moto Gran Jubilee w/ SR crankset, Huret Jubilee derailleurs, and it's English.


I had a '78 model Moto Gran Jubilee, metallic red w/black trim, w/Stronglight cranks, Huret Jubilee derailleurs and it had French threads. Sure wish I had it now.


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## PDex (Mar 23, 2004)

PDex said:


> I had the same bike - check the stamping on the outside of the cup. If it is 35 x 1, then it is Swiss.


Sorry, as my wife has pointed out to me, 35 x 1 could also be French. 

Yes, Dear.


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## shudson16 (Mar 20, 2009)

shudson16 said:


> I had a '78 model Moto Gran Jubilee, metallic red w/black trim, w/Stronglight cranks, Huret Jubilee derailleurs and it had French threads. Sure wish I had it now.


Make that a 1977 model. My memory ain't what it used to be but now that I think back it was '77. I bought it from Millers Ski and Cycle Haus in Ogden ,Utah. I was stationed there at Hill AFB at the time. Had to drag my old pics out to verify. Regardless, it was most definitely French threaded.


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## jellsworth1967 (Feb 2, 2010)

Dave Hickey said:


> It could be either
> 
> I heard somewhere in the early 80's was the switch from Swiss to English...
> 
> ...


This one is mine. Previous owner said it was mid-1970's. It's got 75 stamped into a couple of the lugs (seat binder and lower head lug, IIRC). Suntour derailleurs and shifters were OEM, but the rest was a mixed bag of Japanese components -- definitely Swiss threading.

I confirmed two weekends ago that you can use Phil Wood Swiss rings with an old Shimano UN-72 bottom bracket, with the one cup tapped off. Later models have the threading machined into the body, so they're not applicable. I'm not happy with the resulting Q, so I may end up doing something different, though, to narrow it down. Might swap the Phil from my Kestrel and might also try a Velo Orange Gran Cru and tap off its cups to see if it's compatible with Phil rings, just like the UN-72.

Someone may already have done this -- might be worth a search.

J


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## seeborough (Feb 3, 2004)

After stopping by the shop this afternoon, I checked the BB - it does indeed say 35x1. I checked the rest of the bike a little more closely and it looks salvageable. Since it is being sold on consignment, I left an offer of $50. We'll see...


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## zmudshark (Jan 28, 2007)

I don't have mine with me, as it's freezing in MI and I'm riding in AZ, but it could very well be French/Swiss threading. I believe there is a mark on the cups to differentiate, but I'm old, and could be mistaken again.

There is no reason to take out the fixed cup, in any case, unless it's pitted. Chances are you can take off the adjustable side, but new balls in there, and be good for another 40 years.


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