maddog34

I run into a lot of really low budget, destined to fail, Ashtabula bearing sets in bikes... poor finish, low quality bearing balls, cups that are poorly finished, and even out-of-round... and visible gaps at the perimeters of the bearings, allowing water to flow in and out, unimpeded.

What are the best brands, and sources of, better quality ashtabula bearing sets?
or do any actually exist any longer?

and since i regularly get bikes donated, which bike brands might have the better quality bearing sets in them from the factories?

FBinNY 

In all honesty, while they're less than ideal, they're typically good enough for the application. After all these bikes don't see the kind of high mileage use that a quality sport bike might.

IME most bikes of this caliber have the original tires dry rot before they wear out, except for skid wear on cst rears.

Grease them, adjust to minimal or zero preload and know that "better" probably wouldn't make a difference.

100bikes

I have experienced two ends of the quality spectrum for Ashtabula, and the other one-piece cranks.

Any high(er) quality bearing would be no match for the relatively low quality/precision of cups used for any current one-piece cranks.

The cups are stamped, with a zinc or other finish.
I have never seen a machined cup for a one-piece bottom bracket(although they could exist).
There have been some modest attempts, but really nothing that would be considered truly precision, with conventional
retainer ball bearings.

The other end of the spectrum is the sealed bearing set up.

The cups are of enough precision to accept higher end, sealed bearings, and bring them to square (no binding) alignment.

Curious if there any levels in between?

rusty

.

FBinNY 

While we still call them "Astabula" cranks, keep in mind that the originals bearing the brand haven't been made in decades. What we see today are imported knockoffs, rather than the Made in OHIO originals used on American bikes for eons.

For example, the pressed cups were stamped and plated, but of decent steel, and a quality that broke in and then wore very nicely. I don't know if we can say the same about what's sold now.I've also seen comparable quality differences in every part from the ones to the crank itself to the chainrings.

All in all, it boils down to fitness for purpose, and the originals easily passed, though I'm not surprised that the current product is not the same.

GamblerGORD53

And there's at least 2 sizes. The new ones made for BMX have smaller diameter lock nuts, about 1/16". They don't work with my old CCM.
But still I've done 7,100 miles with pitted cones. I have to set it loose because there's a loose/ tight unevenness.

2old

I must be lucky in that I've never seen a bad set. The last one was this Micargi "e" that had been left in a yard for a long time (don't know its history, but the company that produced the motor had been out of business for more than 10 years). I took apart the BB, greased the bearings and it was smooth as the proverbial silk.

Part way through the restoration.

Iride01 

You might look and search for BMX bottom brackets. The "American" size is the same as the old Ashtabula standard, IIRC. Some of the suppliers might still have some older bearing and cone sets for one-piece cranks. But I think even the BMXer's are getting away from one piece cranks.

Here is one made by Dimension. But I have no idea if it's any better than the cheap stuff you are seeing. https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...s.php?id=27282

trucklet

These Dimensions are pretty cheap but good enough for the application IMO, I use these a lot. The only thing is the threading is not quite Schwinn compatible. Usually I just use the bearings and cups, and reuse the original cones and hardware.

This is the only nicer one I've seen, but have no experience with: https://www.modernbike.com/tioga-sea...1-piece-cranks

maddog34

i've seen the traditional Tiogas ... they may be the best old style, not stupid-spendy, option... the customer i'm working with now wants to stay with the old school design, but wants a higher quality too. I ran across a blowout deal on the Tiogas.. I just might buy some for stock.

the sealed bearing design is an option for others...those kits are way spendy, if you can find them.... $80 to $150, on Ebay, etc.... the BMX price gouging policy is in effect, i suspect.

i've installed a few ashtabula-to-3 piece conversions... my Marin MBX500 BMX bike has one in it.

i'm wondering why no one has never made a better sealed standard ashta setup... Lately i've noted lots of resto-mod bikes being built up as grocery getters and clunker MTB, and bar hoppers.
the overall laclk of precise reproduction of the cranks or frames themselves may be a hindrance with sealing the standard ashta-bearings... i was hoping to find a set with a lip on big washers...
i might take some measurements and call US Bearing to see if a seal exists that would fit...

whelp.. off to the hardware store... i need some countersunk pan heads and locknuts for a sissy bar/banana seat.

hokiefyd 

Question out of ignorance: why did the BMX community apparently hang on to them long after most other bike niches moved away? Are there attributes of the 1-piece crank design that makes it particularly suitable for BMX?

Or are well-kept BMX bikes the only ones still running with 1-piece cranks in significant numbers, and owners are dealing with the conversion process?

maddog34

when abused, they usually bend instead of breaking.
they can be bought for next to nothing, in bulk
they are crazy low priced, increasing profit per bike.
i know there are other reasons, but stating them here might get me in trouble.

and don't look now, but other than walmart-level BMX, almost all BMX bikes come with three piece cranks, and various design bearing sets that still press into the frames,.with heavy steel components.
and every kid that stops in here wants a "Light BMX Bike".... for 50 bucks.. smh.

Iride01 

No idea. I've always been a road biker. I think 1 piece cranks stayed popular with the mountain bikers longer than road bikes. However BMX seemed to hang on to them the longest.

Perhaps it's just that BMX bikes were abused so much, it didn't make as much sense to go to higher priced options. At least until big money put BMX competitions on the map to cause a need for better. But that's just wild supposing.

However the ability to easily adjust the one-piece cranks as the races and bearings wore may have had a lot to do with their preference too. Again, just supposing.

Dan Burkhart 

Leave it to the French to come up with a new take on the one piece crank for high end road bikes. The Look Zed crank is actually a pretty good design, not to mention versatile. Two different bolt circle sizes and three possible crank lengths without changing cranks.

Andrew R Stewart 

The number one issue I see with one piece cranks/BBs is their lack or set up and later care. They are generally on low cost bikes (pick your flavor, BMX, beach cruiser, big box MtB...) and rarely even adjusted for bearing preload after the factory assembly, let alone any periodic maintenance (which is so easy with plumbing type tools).

Having said that they are a pretty well sorted out design. Huge balls that reduce point loading and increase the range of tolerance of the races. Simple and nearly no bike specific tools are needed to service or install them. They are quite low cost. They have a very forgiving failure mode, the soft steels used tend to bend and mush, which is a better failure path then fast crack propagation of Aluminum. They are no where as application specific, meaning the range of models a shop needs to have on hand is few.

It might help to view bike parts like musical instruments. Some are quite fancy and finely honed, others impress with their tonal range and some are just made so even those who don't want to spend much $ can still enjoy trying to playing. Andy

hokiefyd 

I like that insert at the end that appears to change the effective length based only on its orientation in the arm. Pretty neat!

Chuck M 

I've been told that Schwinn did not grease the bottom brackets and that the dealer was supposed to lube and adjust them before putting them on the showroom. The same sources tell me that the dealers were not good about doing that. I don't know if that is true, but the 50 plus year old Schwinn BBs I've taken apart seemed to support that theory but worked quite well after cleaning and lubing.

This '73 Suburban spins as well as anyone could expect after cleaning and greasing. Maybe I'll finish putting this old girl together and pass it on to someone I know will appreciate it this winter.

Dan Burkhart 

Yeah I have seen more than one Ashtabula crank that was in service for many years and showed no sign that there was ever a speck of grease in it. Surprisingly they also showed no sign of wear.
However, contrary to the evidence at hand, I did not take that as evidence that dry assembly was a good practice.

noglider 

I suspect that if you can manage to grab parts from a Chicago Schwinn, they are better than the stock parts on whatever low-end bike you're working on.

maddog34

i've revived several old schwinns.... they were wallflowers that still had fringe on the tires, mostly... the ones i didn't revive had been ridden until they dropped, then parked in the rain.
the rustbucket owners sometimes think their bikes are worth big cash... the wallflower owners sell them on for about 25 bucks, at estate/garage/rummage sales... you can tell if there was a window near the wallflowers... sun fade, in patches.

typical suburban/collegiate resale price after revival?
$100 to $150, depending on the condition of those rump-chaffing seats, and the paint.
some have brand new tires, and they've been kinda cleaned too... they got ridden down the driveway, but usually not back up. Either the chain fell off, due to stiffness, or the rider fell off, due to stiffness... look for band aids on the seller.

parts still come up regularly on Ebay... wanna buy an original schwinn branded seat post bolt?i have a hundred or so... and tossed out 5 times that many during a "I want to see my garage floor again" spring cleaning session...along with 2 dozen or so bent up schwinn approved huret boat anchors, err.. derailleurs.

the owner of the yellow Varsity i revived a few years back INSISTED that the drop bars remain flipped up... scary.
i put them in their correct position while i was re-taping them.... he smirked, borrowed a 8" crescent wrench, and promptly put them back up in the wrong position. "..... there!"... he rode it home with a massive smile on his face.... 6'4", medium bike frame, bars up... a Massive Smile, Ear to Ear.

Duragrouch

I never serviced the one-piece crank on my Kmart 3-speed, but I was clueless then.

Decades later I replaced the cups on a friend's kid's BMX, the left cup was fractured, I determined from him dropping it on the left pedal onto concrete instead of using the kickstand. Cheap parts at LBS, followed by gentle cautions.

noglider 

By the way, it's pronounced ash-ta-BYOO-la, right? Years ago, I think I heard some folks say ash-TAB-yoo-la.

FBinNY 

Yes, it's ashta-bula not astab-ula. It's the name of the company and the city in Ohio where the were made. Sometimes I've settled bets like this by looking up a random phone number, dialing a stranger and politely asking for a favor, ie. "we're settling an argument, may I ask you to say the name of your city".

30 years ago I won $50 off my wife this way about my claim that all Texans remember the Alamo. They did, and my wife has not bet me anything ever since.

maddog34

ask a local Ashtabulanian.

and it's Wiil-AM-it, dammit!
not will-ah-met-tee
Willamette River and Valley, Oregon
Tualatin River... Too-Allah-tin
Tigard, Oregon....Tie-Guard.. not tiggerd.. and us older locals say it Ty-gerd
Clatskanie, Oregon..... Clat-Skan-Eye., Ore-E-Gun.

etcetera
locally, the french got involved and twisted up hundreds of local native names.. the Irish, English, Spanish, Germans, and Chinese then added their own accents to the soup, with a healthy dash of Norse sprinkled in....... sigh... this trend, unfortunately, was Not isolated to the Pacific Northwest.

FBinNY 

Want to see real anger---_

Visit Newark, Delaware and pronounce it like the city in NJ.

Psst it's the replacement for the old ark.