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Velosaloon Blog
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Campagnolo odd ball bottom brackets, from first gen Record to Super Record and C-Record, a complete guide on 3/16" and 7/32" bottom brackets, timeline and differences Campagnolo odd ball bottom brackets, from first gen Record to Super Record and C-Record, a complete guide on 3/16" and 7/32" bottom brackets, timeline and differences
As so often with vintage bike parts, there are lots of question marks, hard to be answered, due to lost knowledge and / or documents. Today we try to answer some of them and hope to do so successfully. If you spot some misinformation or have some samples not included in this guide, please contact us so that this article can be improved.
Today’s topic is all about Campagnolo’s odd ball bottom brackets. This story started somewhere in the early 1960s with the very first Record bottom bracket - the second square taper iteration after the Gran Sport of 1958 - and ends somewhere in the 1990s when cartridge bottom brackets took over.
While most bottom brackets use bearing balls in 1/4", this is not the case for first generation Record, Super Record or C-Record / Record Corsa / Record. Usually, you´ll find 11 x 1/4" balls hold in a retainer inside your Campagnolo bottom bracket on each side, this is the maximum number of balls able to fit in.
While the size of the balls across most of the bottom brackets found, independent of country, thread, square taper or cotter pin stays the same, the number of balls does not, on the classic bottom brackets 11 x 1/4" is the maximum balls you can get within that circumference. This can be either done with a retainer designed for eleven balls or by eleven balls without a retainer, both ways are a sign of quality.
First of all, the more balls, the more load transferring points the more evenly stressed the bearings surfaces the less the wear, but also more balls cost more. But on the other hand, more balls also mean slightly more overall friction, which might not be of any big problem with high precision grinded bearing surfaces and even higher precision polished bearings balls such as found on Campagnolo’s bottom brackets, but ever so more on untooled simply formed surfaces such as found on low end bottom brackets. These probably are the reasons you can also find bottom brackets with retainer carrying just 9 or even up to only 5 balls!
But let’s get to the odd ball bottom brackets. Starting with the first gen Record Bottom (#1046 [same number has been used for Gran Sport and other Record bottom brackets]), which must have been somewhere around the early 1960s (if you happen to now more on release date, please let us know), we are introduced to the first appearance of classic bottom brackets with any other than 1/4" balls, instead they used 14 x 3/16” on each side. Again 14 is the maximum balls you can fit within given circumference. As you noticed three balls more than before.
Note that bearing surfaces are shaped explicitly for the ball size intended and are not interchangeable, luckily though, as with the first Record, they are easy to identify. Kindly enough Campagnolo stamped the cups with the marking ''con sfere da 3/16”'' which is Italian and means ''with balls in 3/16”''. The axle again is also not interchangeable but is also easy to identify as it marked with this specification as well and fruthermore has bearing shoulders significantly higher (~ 23 mm) than usually found on Campagnolo (~ 21 mm) with the bearing surfaces of the axle being pressed on, which in theory, makes them replaceable.
However, this innovation quickly disappeared again, therefore the 1967 catalogue does not show it anymore, it only includes the “standard” Record thin cup bottom Bracket, as well as the “new” Nuovo Record thick rifled cup bottom bracket, of which both use 1/4" balls. Since the standard Record BB in contrast to the Nuovo Record BB is not communicated to be of any news, we assume the drop of the 3/16” version must have been prior to 1967.
But the reappearance of 3/16” bottom brackets was not long after. In 1973, with the official release of the Super Record group and therefore of the (#4031) titanium bottom bracket axle paired with aluminium alloy thick rifled cups featuring pressed in, high grade, grounded steel bearing surfaces for balls in 3/16”.
Same as with the first gen Record BB the Super Record BB axle also used pressed on bearing surfaces with shoulder height of ~ 23 mm but made of titanium instead of steel. This again, makes them replaceable in theory. Identical to the first gen Record the Super Record was also equipped with 14 balls on each side, hold in a metal retainer.
As most of us now, the Super Record BB changed in 1978 by increasing axle length by +1 mm to the left and +1.5 mm to the right (due to CPSC), and then again in 1982 from hollow to solid. Although most Super Record parts have been - in theory - produced until 1987, the 1984 catalogue does not include any Super Record Bottom Bracket anymore and the Group is listed as standardly being equipped with Nuovo Record. There is not even mentioned an option for Super Record bottom bracket as it is with the pedals for example. So, it actually might have been dropped prior to that, at least officially.
But this was not the end for 3/16” bottom brackets, as with the release of the Record / Record Corsa also called C-Record (Campagnolo was as inconsistent with this naming as are the people today, no wounder they are though) in 1984 / 1985 they continued to use 3/16” balls.
In contrast to the Super Record, the C-Record axle used high grade steel again, but this time the bearing surface was directly tooled onto the axle instead of being pressed onto it, yet the shoulder height remained at ~ 23 mm. Furthermore, the axle was hollow again and was the same length (109 mm) for all threads (ITA/ENG/FRA) and use cases (Strada/Pista) and was labelled either 70 or 68 and either SS or SP. The only difference from 70 (ITA) to 68 (ENG/FRA) axles, was the shoulder distance of either 54 mm (ITA) or 52 mm (ENG/FRA).
Whilst the axle changed compared to the Super Record BB, the balls and the cups did not. Still aluminum alloy thick rifled cups with pressed in bearing surface, still metal retainer with 14 x 3/16” balls. They even kept the part numbers the same. Note that even the dust sleeve stayed the same at first.
These first generation C-Record (#303/101) are very easy to identify by 109 mm axle length (only found on first gen) and the use of the same cups as Super Record being stamped BREV. INTER. Instead of MADE IN ITALY using 14 x 3/16” balls in a metal retainer (further differences down the line).
However there have been several different C-Record / Record versions, which are not always easy to differentiate, which in fact, was the main motivation on this post. Somewhere down the timeline, C-Record changed from 109 to 111 mm, from 14 x 3/16” to 12 x 7/32” balls to 11 x 7/32”, from metal retainer to resin retainer and back to metal retainer, from BREV. INTER. to MADE IN ITALY from two part sleeve to one part sleeve, from SS and SP to only SP to SPc and from high shoulder to normal shoulder.
Since there is a lot of confusion around on the internet and not much satisfying answers, we will try to deliver as much and as good answers as possibles.
While we can’t reliably tell the date of changes, we can at least explain the qualitative chronic of technical changes and somewhat guess the corresponding years.
Let’s begin with the Axle:
As mentioned, the first generation C-Record (#303/101) used a 109 mm long axle with high shoulders and was meant for 3/16” balls and could be marked SS (Strada) or SP (Strada and Pista).
At some point, this axle increased by 2 mm to 111 mm, this must have happened somewhere between 1985 and 1988. We assume around 1987. Also, at some point in this area the SS was completely dropped and only SP was used.
The next known part number for the (C-) Record was the #A0H0 in the 1988 catalogue, at this point the ball size of 7/32” is mentioned for the first time, its right between 3/16” and 1/4" and maybe a compromise of both benefits? But what’s really confusing about this, it says 14 x 7/32” in a resin retainer, which doesn’t make sense. First of all, the maximum amount of balls you can fit in given circumference are 12, and second usually the resin retainer maintained one ball less than maximum possible, probably due to the nature of the resin needing to be at least some thickness in order not to crack to easily whereas this is not a problem on steel retainers (usually 7/32” retainer contain the max. 12 balls in steel retainer and 11 in resin retainer, same with 1/4" balls, usually 11 balls in steel retainer and 10 in resin retainer).
However, something is odd about this statement either its not 7/32” or it ain’t 14 balls, to further increase the confusion, the corresponding picture shows an axle meant for 3/16” balls and metal retainer with 14 x 3/16” balls. But since the statement of a ball size of 7/32”, which has never ever been mentioned before, is just too specific, we assume the number of balls as well as the picture of the BB being wrong.
In addition, the explosion drawing of the same catalogue clearly shows a resin retainer with 11 balls which would be the right amount for 7/32” balls in a resin retainer. In conclusion, this would mean our third type of axle would be 111 mm and SP marking as well, but this time with standard shoulder height as its meant for 7/32” balls.
The next known part number is the #BB-01RE (ITA) / #BB-03RE (ENG) as shown in the 1992 catalogue. This is also the year Campagnolo introduced its first cartridge bottom bracket. However there where no more major changes to the axle. At Some point after 1988 the marking changed from SP to SPc but otherwise the ball size, the length and the shoulder height remained the same, until being dropped after 4 years of running parallel as an option to the cartridge BB in 1996, at least for the road group set. For the Pista group it was carried on until 2000.
According to Sutherland's handbook for bicycle mechanics edition 6, there should have also been a (C-) Record version with 1/4" but I would never have seen such, so as for now, we stick with the 4 versions just mentioned
- • 109 mm, SS or SP, high shoulder, 3/16”, (1984/85 ~ 1986 ?!)
- • 111 mm, SP, high shoulder, 3/16”, (1986 ~ 1988 ?!)
- • 111 mm, SP, standard shoulder, 7/32”, (1988 ~ 1991 ?!)
- • 111mm, SPc, standard shoulder, 7/32” (1991 ~ 1995 [2000] ?!)
Lets carry on with the cups:
There have been four Versions we know of, two of which are meant for 3/16” and two which are meant for 7/32” balls. As mentioned previously, the first Version is easy to spot, they are the same as the Super Record ones, they are labelled BREV. INTER. and the thread goes all the way down to the end of the cup. These are meant for 3/16” balls and have probably been around until 1986.
In 1987 the second Version is shown the first time, as with the first version, its meant for 3/16” balls, but now it says MADE IN ITALY instead and also the thread does not go all the way down to the end.
The third Version must have been released simultaneously with the change to 7/32” balls, as it’s meant for such, so most probably around 1988. It also says MADE IN ITALY and has a non threaded section down the end as well. Unfortunately, we could not find any optical detail to tell the both versions apart, as they appear identical. But there are still methods to do so. The safest being testing the second being measuring.
In case it’s the version meant for 7/32", when trying to place a high shoulder 3/16" axle and a 14 x 3/16" ball retainer, you won’t be able to place it in a way, the balls are in contact with both surfaces all around, as there is too big of a gap. If you don’t happen to have an axle around for testing, you can also measure the inner diameter of the cup races. Since smaller balls take up less space, they result in a bigger inner diameter. Therefore, the cup races inner diameter of cups meant for 3/16" balls usually measures something around 24.8 to 25.0 mm.
Whereas bigger balls take up more space and require a smaller inner diameter. Therefore the cup races inner diameter of cups meant for 7/32" balls usually measures something around 24.0 to 24.3 mm
As for the fourth Version, also meant for 7/32", the cups also say MADE IN ITALY and have a non threaded part down the end, but can be recognized by the non-threaded lower end being distinguishable shorter and different in shape compared to the second version. Therefore, they are easy to identify.
So, these are the four Versions we know off
- • BREV. INTER., completely threaded, 3/16”, (1984/85 ~ 1986 ?!)
- • MADE IN ITALY, long unthreaded section, 3/16” (1987 ~ 1988 ?!)
- • MADE IN ITALY, long unthreaded section, 7/32" ( 1988 ~ ????)
- • MADE IN ITALY, short unthreaded section, 7/32” (???? ~ 1995 [2000] ?!)
Retainer Balls:
The first versions obviously used 3/16” balls, as far as we know these only came in metal retainer containing 14 balls, they where first packed in the same plastic container as Super Record, probably until 1987 and then in a yellow plastic container.
As with probably 1988, the ball changed to 7/32”, so did the retainers, the resin version contained 11 and the metal version 12 balls, these both came in a red plastic container and might have been available simultaneously as two options. But the catalogues rather suggest, the resin version was used from 1988 to 1992 and the steel one from 1993 onwards. Just for completeness, 11 x 1/4" metal retainer usually came in blueish containers and 10 x 1/4" resin containers in a green one. This colour coding makes somewhat sense when you think about it. Taking the 1988 catalogue as a reference, the background colour and alphabet group colour of the groups were red = Record, green = Croce d'Aune, purple = Chorus and blue = Athena.
Record used 7/32" balls in resin retainer which came in red container, Croce d'Aune and bellow (Chorus) used 1/4" balls in resin retainer which came in green container, Athena (and below) used 1/4" balls in steel retainer which came in a blue container.
While this somehow sounds plausible, we had lots of NOS Chorus bottom brackets equipped with metal retainer delivered in a blue container, so maybe chorus was not always delivered with Croce d'Aune balls as stated in the 1988 catalogue, furthermore the later introduced Xenon (below Athena) was colour coded yellow, but was delivered with Athena balls in blue container, which means the colour coding of 1988 onwards is still valid, but does somewhat interfere with the Record balls from before 1988 being delivered in a yellow container.
But at the end, the colour of the container should not be of too much of importance, important is what’s within. (Also did you know no mark on lockring means either ITA [36 mm] or FRA [35 mm] and one circle / line on lockring means ENG)
So, there are four ”versions” we know of
- • Metal retainer, 14 x 3/16”, blue and clear container with world logo (1984/85 ~ 1987 ?!)
- • Metal retainer, 14 x 3/16”, yellow and clear container inscripted (1987 ~ 1988 ?!)
- • Resin retainer, 11 x 7/32”, red and clear container inscripted (1988 ~ 1992 ?!)
- • Metal retainer, 12 x 7/32”, red and clear container inscripted (1993 ~ 1995 [2000] ?!)
As for the sleeves:
There have been two different versions, the two part sleeve with the world logo as used also within Super Record which should have been around until ~ 1988 and the one part sleeve, with MADE IN ITALY, which is first shown in 1989
- • World Logo, two parts, ([1960s] 1984/85 ~ 1988 ?!)
- • MADE IN ITALY, one part (1988 ~ 1995 [2000] ?!)
So, if we want to sum it all up, it should look something like this
-
• First gen Record, con sfere da 3 /16” #1046
- - Early to mid 1960s
- - 14 x 3/16” balls (loose or metal retainer ?!)
- - Steel cups labelled “CON SFERE DA 3/16”
- - Steel axle with pressed on high shoulder races
- - (No sleeve?!)
-
• Super Record, Hollow, pre CPSC #4031
- - 1973 – 1978
- - 14 x 3/16” balls (metal retainer)
- - Aluminum cups labelled BREV. INTER.
- - Titanium axle with pressed on high shoulder races
- - World logo sleeve
-
• Super Record, Hollow, post CPSC #4031
- - 1978 – 1982
- - + 1.5 mm, + 1 mm
- - 14 x 3/16” balls (metal retainer)
- - Aluminum cups labelled BREV. INTER.
- - Titanium axle with pressed on high shoulder races
- - World logo sleeve
-
• Super Record, solid, post CPSC #4031
- - 1982 ~ 1984 ?!
- - + 1.5 mm, + 1 mm
- - 14 x 3/16” balls (metal retainer)
- - Aluminum cups labelled BREV. INTER.
- - Titanium axle with pressed on high shoulder races
- - Nuts instead of bolts
- - World logo sleeve
-
• C-Record first gen #303/101
- - 1984/1985 ~ 1986 ?!
- - 14 x 3/16” balls (metal retainer)
- - Aluminum cups labelled BREV. INTER.
- - Steel axle with tooled high shoulder races
- - 109 mm SS or SP
- - World logo sleeve
-
• C-Record still #303/101 ?
- - 1986 ~ 1988 ?!
- - 14 x 3/16” balls (metal retainer)
- - Aluminum cups labelled MADE IN ITALY long unthreaded part
- - Steel axle with tooled high shoulder races
- - 111 mm SP
- - World logo sleeve
-
• Record world logo sleeve #A0H0
- - 1988 ~ 1989 ?!
- - 11 x 7/32” balls (resin retainer)
- - Aluminum cups labelled MADE IN ITALY short or long unthreaded part ?
- - Steel axle with tooled standard shoulder races
- - 111 mm SP
- - World logo sleeve
-
• Record modern sleeve #A0H0
- - 1989 ~ 1991 ?!
- - 11 x 7/32” balls (resin retainer)
- - Aluminum cups labelled MADE IN ITALY short or long unthreaded part ?
- - Steel axle with tooled standard shoulder races
- - 111 mm SP
- - MADE IN ITALY sleeve
-
• Record resin retainer #BB-01RE (#BB-03RE)
- - 1991~ 1993 ?!
- - 11 x 7/32” balls (resin retainer)
- - Aluminum cups labelled MADE IN ITALY short or long unthreaded part ?
- - Steel axle with tooled standard shoulder races
- - 111 mm SPc o MADE IN ITALY sleeve
-
• Record metal retainer #BB-01RE (#BB-03RE)
- - 1993 ~ 1995 [2000] ?!
- - 12 x 7/32” balls (metal retainer)
- - Aluminum cups labelled MADE IN ITALY short or long unthreaded part ?
- - Steel axle with tooled standard shoulder races
- - 111 mm SPc
- - MADE IN ITALY sleeve
Please Note that this is only our understanding of things, based on personal experience. We can’t guarantee for accuracy or completeness. We thoroughly checked every catalogue available to us as well as every bottom bracket in our current stock as well as our big archive, furthermore we checked dozens of bottom brackets from our local bike shop friends and had a look on lots of bottom bracket pictures on the Internet. However, if you find any information to be wrong or missing, please feel free to contact us as we always want to improve on our knowledge. Also, we would love for anyone who has some wholesale catalogues from either the early to mid 1960s or from the mid 1980s to mid 1990s, including Campa BB, to send a copy to us.
We hope you enjoyed this article and learned a thing or two from it. We wish you well with your next Campagnolo odd ball bottom bracket, be it a first gen Record, Super Record or C-Record.
As so often with vintage bike parts, there are lots of question marks, hard to be answered, due to lost knowledge and / or documents. Today we try to answer some of them and hope to do so successfully. If you spot some misinformation or have some samples not included in this guide, please contact us so that this article can be improved.
Today’s topic is all about Campagnolo’s odd ball bottom brackets. This story started somewhere in the early 1960s with the very first Record bottom bracket - the second square taper iteration after the Gran Sport of 1958 - and ends somewhere in the 1990s when cartridge bottom brackets took over.
While most bottom brackets use bearing balls in 1/4", this is not the case for first generation Record, Super Record or C-Record / Record Corsa / Record. Usually, you´ll find 11 x 1/4" balls hold in a retainer inside your Campagnolo bottom bracket on each side, this is the maximum number of balls able to fit in.
While the size of the balls across most of the bottom brackets found, independent of country, thread, square taper or cotter pin stays the same, the number of balls does not, on the classic bottom brackets 11 x 1/4" is the maximum balls you can get within that circumference. This can be either done with a retainer designed for eleven balls or by eleven balls without a retainer, both ways are a sign of quality.
First of all, the more balls, the more load transferring points the more evenly stressed the bearings surfaces the less the wear, but also more balls cost more. But on the other hand, more balls also mean slightly more overall friction, which might not be of any big problem with high precision grinded bearing surfaces and even higher precision polished bearings balls such as found on Campagnolo’s bottom brackets, but ever so more on untooled simply formed surfaces such as found on low end bottom brackets. These probably are the reasons you can also find bottom brackets with retainer carrying just 9 or even up to only 5 balls!
But let’s get to the odd ball bottom brackets. Starting with the first gen Record Bottom (#1046 [same number has been used for Gran Sport and other Record bottom brackets]), which must have been somewhere around the early 1960s (if you happen to now more on release date, please let us know), we are introduced to the first appearance of classic bottom brackets with any other than 1/4" balls, instead they used 14 x 3/16” on each side. Again 14 is the maximum balls you can fit within given circumference. As you noticed three balls more than before.
Note that bearing surfaces are shaped explicitly for the ball size intended and are not interchangeable, luckily though, as with the first Record, they are easy to identify. Kindly enough Campagnolo stamped the cups with the marking ''con sfere da 3/16”'' which is Italian and means ''with balls in 3/16”''. The axle again is also not interchangeable but is also easy to identify as it marked with this specification as well and fruthermore has bearing shoulders significantly higher (~ 23 mm) than usually found on Campagnolo (~ 21 mm) with the bearing surfaces of the axle being pressed on, which in theory, makes them replaceable.
However, this innovation quickly disappeared again, therefore the 1967 catalogue does not show it anymore, it only includes the “standard” Record thin cup bottom Bracket, as well as the “new” Nuovo Record thick rifled cup bottom bracket, of which both use 1/4" balls. Since the standard Record BB in contrast to the Nuovo Record BB is not communicated to be of any news, we assume the drop of the 3/16” version must have been prior to 1967.
But the reappearance of 3/16” bottom brackets was not long after. In 1973, with the official release of the Super Record group and therefore of the (#4031) titanium bottom bracket axle paired with aluminium alloy thick rifled cups featuring pressed in, high grade, grounded steel bearing surfaces for balls in 3/16”.
Same as with the first gen Record BB the Super Record BB axle also used pressed on bearing surfaces with shoulder height of ~ 23 mm but made of titanium instead of steel. This again, makes them replaceable in theory. Identical to the first gen Record the Super Record was also equipped with 14 balls on each side, hold in a metal retainer.
As most of us now, the Super Record BB changed in 1978 by increasing axle length by +1 mm to the left and +1.5 mm to the right (due to CPSC), and then again in 1982 from hollow to solid. Although most Super Record parts have been - in theory - produced until 1987, the 1984 catalogue does not include any Super Record Bottom Bracket anymore and the Group is listed as standardly being equipped with Nuovo Record. There is not even mentioned an option for Super Record bottom bracket as it is with the pedals for example. So, it actually might have been dropped prior to that, at least officially.
But this was not the end for 3/16” bottom brackets, as with the release of the Record / Record Corsa also called C-Record (Campagnolo was as inconsistent with this naming as are the people today, no wounder they are though) in 1984 / 1985 they continued to use 3/16” balls.
In contrast to the Super Record, the C-Record axle used high grade steel again, but this time the bearing surface was directly tooled onto the axle instead of being pressed onto it, yet the shoulder height remained at ~ 23 mm. Furthermore, the axle was hollow again and was the same length (109 mm) for all threads (ITA/ENG/FRA) and use cases (Strada/Pista) and was labelled either 70 or 68 and either SS or SP. The only difference from 70 (ITA) to 68 (ENG/FRA) axles, was the shoulder distance of either 54 mm (ITA) or 52 mm (ENG/FRA).
Whilst the axle changed compared to the Super Record BB, the balls and the cups did not. Still aluminum alloy thick rifled cups with pressed in bearing surface, still metal retainer with 14 x 3/16” balls. They even kept the part numbers the same. Note that even the dust sleeve stayed the same at first.
These first generation C-Record (#303/101) are very easy to identify by 109 mm axle length (only found on first gen) and the use of the same cups as Super Record being stamped BREV. INTER. Instead of MADE IN ITALY using 14 x 3/16” balls in a metal retainer (further differences down the line).
However there have been several different C-Record / Record versions, which are not always easy to differentiate, which in fact, was the main motivation on this post. Somewhere down the timeline, C-Record changed from 109 to 111 mm, from 14 x 3/16” to 12 x 7/32” balls to 11 x 7/32”, from metal retainer to resin retainer and back to metal retainer, from BREV. INTER. to MADE IN ITALY from two part sleeve to one part sleeve, from SS and SP to only SP to SPc and from high shoulder to normal shoulder.
Since there is a lot of confusion around on the internet and not much satisfying answers, we will try to deliver as much and as good answers as possibles.
While we can’t reliably tell the date of changes, we can at least explain the qualitative chronic of technical changes and somewhat guess the corresponding years.
Let’s begin with the Axle:
As mentioned, the first generation C-Record (#303/101) used a 109 mm long axle with high shoulders and was meant for 3/16” balls and could be marked SS (Strada) or SP (Strada and Pista).
At some point, this axle increased by 2 mm to 111 mm, this must have happened somewhere between 1985 and 1988. We assume around 1987. Also, at some point in this area the SS was completely dropped and only SP was used.
The next known part number for the (C-) Record was the #A0H0 in the 1988 catalogue, at this point the ball size of 7/32” is mentioned for the first time, its right between 3/16” and 1/4" and maybe a compromise of both benefits? But what’s really confusing about this, it says 14 x 7/32” in a resin retainer, which doesn’t make sense. First of all, the maximum amount of balls you can fit in given circumference are 12, and second usually the resin retainer maintained one ball less than maximum possible, probably due to the nature of the resin needing to be at least some thickness in order not to crack to easily whereas this is not a problem on steel retainers (usually 7/32” retainer contain the max. 12 balls in steel retainer and 11 in resin retainer, same with 1/4" balls, usually 11 balls in steel retainer and 10 in resin retainer).
However, something is odd about this statement either its not 7/32” or it ain’t 14 balls, to further increase the confusion, the corresponding picture shows an axle meant for 3/16” balls and metal retainer with 14 x 3/16” balls. But since the statement of a ball size of 7/32”, which has never ever been mentioned before, is just too specific, we assume the number of balls as well as the picture of the BB being wrong.
In addition, the explosion drawing of the same catalogue clearly shows a resin retainer with 11 balls which would be the right amount for 7/32” balls in a resin retainer. In conclusion, this would mean our third type of axle would be 111 mm and SP marking as well, but this time with standard shoulder height as its meant for 7/32” balls.
The next known part number is the #BB-01RE (ITA) / #BB-03RE (ENG) as shown in the 1992 catalogue. This is also the year Campagnolo introduced its first cartridge bottom bracket. However there where no more major changes to the axle. At Some point after 1988 the marking changed from SP to SPc but otherwise the ball size, the length and the shoulder height remained the same, until being dropped after 4 years of running parallel as an option to the cartridge BB in 1996, at least for the road group set. For the Pista group it was carried on until 2000.
According to Sutherland's handbook for bicycle mechanics edition 6, there should have also been a (C-) Record version with 1/4" but I would never have seen such, so as for now, we stick with the 4 versions just mentioned
- • 109 mm, SS or SP, high shoulder, 3/16”, (1984/85 ~ 1986 ?!)
- • 111 mm, SP, high shoulder, 3/16”, (1986 ~ 1988 ?!)
- • 111 mm, SP, standard shoulder, 7/32”, (1988 ~ 1991 ?!)
- • 111mm, SPc, standard shoulder, 7/32” (1991 ~ 1995 [2000] ?!)
Lets carry on with the cups:
There have been four Versions we know of, two of which are meant for 3/16” and two which are meant for 7/32” balls. As mentioned previously, the first Version is easy to spot, they are the same as the Super Record ones, they are labelled BREV. INTER. and the thread goes all the way down to the end of the cup. These are meant for 3/16” balls and have probably been around until 1986.
In 1987 the second Version is shown the first time, as with the first version, its meant for 3/16” balls, but now it says MADE IN ITALY instead and also the thread does not go all the way down to the end.
The third Version must have been released simultaneously with the change to 7/32” balls, as it’s meant for such, so most probably around 1988. It also says MADE IN ITALY and has a non threaded section down the end as well. Unfortunately, we could not find any optical detail to tell the both versions apart, as they appear identical. But there are still methods to do so. The safest being testing the second being measuring.
In case it’s the version meant for 7/32", when trying to place a high shoulder 3/16" axle and a 14 x 3/16" ball retainer, you won’t be able to place it in a way, the balls are in contact with both surfaces all around, as there is too big of a gap. If you don’t happen to have an axle around for testing, you can also measure the inner diameter of the cup races. Since smaller balls take up less space, they result in a bigger inner diameter. Therefore, the cup races inner diameter of cups meant for 3/16" balls usually measures something around 24.8 to 25.0 mm.
Whereas bigger balls take up more space and require a smaller inner diameter. Therefore the cup races inner diameter of cups meant for 7/32" balls usually measures something around 24.0 to 24.3 mm
As for the fourth Version, also meant for 7/32", the cups also say MADE IN ITALY and have a non threaded part down the end, but can be recognized by the non-threaded lower end being distinguishable shorter and different in shape compared to the second version. Therefore, they are easy to identify.
So, these are the four Versions we know off
- • BREV. INTER., completely threaded, 3/16”, (1984/85 ~ 1986 ?!)
- • MADE IN ITALY, long unthreaded section, 3/16” (1987 ~ 1988 ?!)
- • MADE IN ITALY, long unthreaded section, 7/32" ( 1988 ~ ????)
- • MADE IN ITALY, short unthreaded section, 7/32” (???? ~ 1995 [2000] ?!)
Retainer Balls:
The first versions obviously used 3/16” balls, as far as we know these only came in metal retainer containing 14 balls, they where first packed in the same plastic container as Super Record, probably until 1987 and then in a yellow plastic container.
As with probably 1988, the ball changed to 7/32”, so did the retainers, the resin version contained 11 and the metal version 12 balls, these both came in a red plastic container and might have been available simultaneously as two options. But the catalogues rather suggest, the resin version was used from 1988 to 1992 and the steel one from 1993 onwards. Just for completeness, 11 x 1/4" metal retainer usually came in blueish containers and 10 x 1/4" resin containers in a green one. This colour coding makes somewhat sense when you think about it. Taking the 1988 catalogue as a reference, the background colour and alphabet group colour of the groups were red = Record, green = Croce d'Aune, purple = Chorus and blue = Athena.
Record used 7/32" balls in resin retainer which came in red container, Croce d'Aune and bellow (Chorus) used 1/4" balls in resin retainer which came in green container, Athena (and below) used 1/4" balls in steel retainer which came in a blue container.
While this somehow sounds plausible, we had lots of NOS Chorus bottom brackets equipped with metal retainer delivered in a blue container, so maybe chorus was not always delivered with Croce d'Aune balls as stated in the 1988 catalogue, furthermore the later introduced Xenon (below Athena) was colour coded yellow, but was delivered with Athena balls in blue container, which means the colour coding of 1988 onwards is still valid, but does somewhat interfere with the Record balls from before 1988 being delivered in a yellow container.
But at the end, the colour of the container should not be of too much of importance, important is what’s within. (Also did you know no mark on lockring means either ITA [36 mm] or FRA [35 mm] and one circle / line on lockring means ENG)
So, there are four ”versions” we know of
- • Metal retainer, 14 x 3/16”, blue and clear container with world logo (1984/85 ~ 1987 ?!)
- • Metal retainer, 14 x 3/16”, yellow and clear container inscripted (1987 ~ 1988 ?!)
- • Resin retainer, 11 x 7/32”, red and clear container inscripted (1988 ~ 1992 ?!)
- • Metal retainer, 12 x 7/32”, red and clear container inscripted (1993 ~ 1995 [2000] ?!)
As for the sleeves:
There have been two different versions, the two part sleeve with the world logo as used also within Super Record which should have been around until ~ 1988 and the one part sleeve, with MADE IN ITALY, which is first shown in 1989
- • World Logo, two parts, ([1960s] 1984/85 ~ 1988 ?!)
- • MADE IN ITALY, one part (1988 ~ 1995 [2000] ?!)
So, if we want to sum it all up, it should look something like this
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• First gen Record, con sfere da 3 /16” #1046
- - Early to mid 1960s
- - 14 x 3/16” balls (loose or metal retainer ?!)
- - Steel cups labelled “CON SFERE DA 3/16”
- - Steel axle with pressed on high shoulder races
- - (No sleeve?!)
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• Super Record, Hollow, pre CPSC #4031
- - 1973 – 1978
- - 14 x 3/16” balls (metal retainer)
- - Aluminum cups labelled BREV. INTER.
- - Titanium axle with pressed on high shoulder races
- - World logo sleeve
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• Super Record, Hollow, post CPSC #4031
- - 1978 – 1982
- - + 1.5 mm, + 1 mm
- - 14 x 3/16” balls (metal retainer)
- - Aluminum cups labelled BREV. INTER.
- - Titanium axle with pressed on high shoulder races
- - World logo sleeve
-
• Super Record, solid, post CPSC #4031
- - 1982 ~ 1984 ?!
- - + 1.5 mm, + 1 mm
- - 14 x 3/16” balls (metal retainer)
- - Aluminum cups labelled BREV. INTER.
- - Titanium axle with pressed on high shoulder races
- - Nuts instead of bolts
- - World logo sleeve
-
• C-Record first gen #303/101
- - 1984/1985 ~ 1986 ?!
- - 14 x 3/16” balls (metal retainer)
- - Aluminum cups labelled BREV. INTER.
- - Steel axle with tooled high shoulder races
- - 109 mm SS or SP
- - World logo sleeve
-
• C-Record still #303/101 ?
- - 1986 ~ 1988 ?!
- - 14 x 3/16” balls (metal retainer)
- - Aluminum cups labelled MADE IN ITALY long unthreaded part
- - Steel axle with tooled high shoulder races
- - 111 mm SP
- - World logo sleeve
-
• Record world logo sleeve #A0H0
- - 1988 ~ 1989 ?!
- - 11 x 7/32” balls (resin retainer)
- - Aluminum cups labelled MADE IN ITALY short or long unthreaded part ?
- - Steel axle with tooled standard shoulder races
- - 111 mm SP
- - World logo sleeve
-
• Record modern sleeve #A0H0
- - 1989 ~ 1991 ?!
- - 11 x 7/32” balls (resin retainer)
- - Aluminum cups labelled MADE IN ITALY short or long unthreaded part ?
- - Steel axle with tooled standard shoulder races
- - 111 mm SP
- - MADE IN ITALY sleeve
-
• Record resin retainer #BB-01RE (#BB-03RE)
- - 1991~ 1993 ?!
- - 11 x 7/32” balls (resin retainer)
- - Aluminum cups labelled MADE IN ITALY short or long unthreaded part ?
- - Steel axle with tooled standard shoulder races
- - 111 mm SPc o MADE IN ITALY sleeve
-
• Record metal retainer #BB-01RE (#BB-03RE)
- - 1993 ~ 1995 [2000] ?!
- - 12 x 7/32” balls (metal retainer)
- - Aluminum cups labelled MADE IN ITALY short or long unthreaded part ?
- - Steel axle with tooled standard shoulder races
- - 111 mm SPc
- - MADE IN ITALY sleeve
Please Note that this is only our understanding of things, based on personal experience. We can’t guarantee for accuracy or completeness. We thoroughly checked every catalogue available to us as well as every bottom bracket in our current stock as well as our big archive, furthermore we checked dozens of bottom brackets from our local bike shop friends and had a look on lots of bottom bracket pictures on the Internet. However, if you find any information to be wrong or missing, please feel free to contact us as we always want to improve on our knowledge. Also, we would love for anyone who has some wholesale catalogues from either the early to mid 1960s or from the mid 1980s to mid 1990s, including Campa BB, to send a copy to us.
We hope you enjoyed this article and learned a thing or two from it. We wish you well with your next Campagnolo odd ball bottom bracket, be it a first gen Record, Super Record or C-Record.
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Chesini X-Uno / Precision 83 Aero Bottom Bracket Cable Guide Chesini X-Uno / Precision 83 Aero Bottom Bracket Cable Guide
Many of the artisan vintage steel frames that we love and adore so much, especially those from the 1980s, had internally routed brake and gear cables. This design offered aerodynamic benefits as well as a sleek look. Chesini was one of the manufacturers who understood the art of internal cable routing to perfection. Both the prestigious X-Uno and the Precision 83 featured aero-guided cables.
While it does really look good, to enter the cables through the downtube - right where the levers are - and just let them exit - right where the derailleurs sit - this also brings up a difficulty of, how to run the cables along the bottom bracket?
For precise shifting, gear cables need to move smoothly with low friction and without a narrow radius. While one might think that the cable could simply run along the bottom bracket axle — the radius is large enough, and steel-on-steel friction is low enough — this would in fact be a fatal idea. As both parts move — especially the axle, which turns constantly when pedalling — they would soon start to abrade each other to the point where either the cable would tear or, even worse, the axle would break in half. Furthermore, it would not be possible to cover the bottom bracket in a dust sleeve, meaning you would lose protection against dirt and water entering the bearings. This is even more so a problem if the frame features a cut out on the bottom bracket lug. So why not just run the cables above the dust sleeve than? Well, that's already half the answer to the problem. But, since most dust sleeves are made of thin, flexible plastic, they wouldn't withstand the tension of the gear cables and soon give in.
At this point, Chesini came up with a brilliant and beautiful, yet simple, solution. They turned an aluminium sleeve to perfectly fit in between the bottom bracket cups. The sleeve features elegant cable guiding grooves on the outer circumference, wide enough to allow for not only the radial guidance, but also the slight lateral guidance, which is needed for the rear derailleur.
Unfortunately, they may have been lost over the years, or a frame may have been purchased second-hand without the sleeve. This is a pity for many collectors, and even more so for enthusiastic riders. While replacement sleeves are rare and hard to find, they don't have to be — at least not anymore! Here at Velosaloon, we took matters into our own hands and created a technical drawing based on an original spare sleeve from our storage. We then contacted a local metal craftsman and bike enthusiast with over 20 years' experience of professionally turning parts by hand — this is where the magic happened! In his workshop in the heart of Vienna's sixth district, he perfectly recreated the Chesini Aero bottom bracket gear cable guide sleeves!
It is now available to purchase on our website. This solution may not be exclusive to Chesini Aero frames — please check your Aero frame or send us a picture to verify. Just as with the original sleeve, this one is designed to fit Italian threaded Campagnolo bottom brackets, but it should also fit any bottom brackets, which share the same cup dimensions as the classic Campagnolo C-Record, Super Record or Nuovo Record bottom brackets.
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2026/02/02 Update: Cinelli, 3ttt, Galli, Brooks, Colnago, Gios, Lüders Berlin ... 2026/02/02 Update: Cinelli, 3ttt, Galli, Brooks, Colnago, Gios, Lüders Berlin ...
check out our latest update! we added many Cinelli + 3ttt Stems, including Gios + Colnago pantographed stems!we also had some handlebars going online, a Galli crankset (not the best condition unfortunatly) and a
very nice Brooks Lüders Berlin saddle!
and finally, some more Shimano Dura-Ace + 600 Ultegra gear levers!
relevant Categories:
Vintage Components
check out our latest update! we added many Cinelli + 3ttt Stems, including Gios + Colnago pantographed stems!we also had some handlebars going online, a Galli crankset (not the best condition unfortunatly) and a
very nice Brooks Lüders Berlin saddle!
and finally, some more Shimano Dura-Ace + 600 Ultegra gear levers!
relevant Categories:
Vintage Components