Bottom Bracket Facing

[david.]

I've just bought an Ellsworth Epiphany frame and I'm trying to figure out if I need the bottom bracket shell faced or not. (I feel a bit awkward going to LBS for advice when I'm not buying any of the parts from them, but I'll get them to do the facing if required).
The outside of the BB shell is not raw metal - the coating covers it, however it's anodized rather than painted/powder coated and as far as I can tell with my eyes and digital caliper, the sides are very parellel.

Does anyone have any thoughts?

As I understand anodising makes the surface harder (potentially very hard) - I wonder if this prevents a problem with facing in any case?

 

[david.]

Sorry, should be "presents a problem". (and "par*a*llel")

 

[brianf7]

Do the bearing cups fit all the way into the thread and is the BB axel square set if so why worry it should be OK.
also check with a flat bar and see if it lines up with the gear cable stops either side.

 

[Head wind into the valley]

I am surprised that given the high quality of such a frame that it would be necessary to make any such alterations. I would like to ask out of interest what gave you the idea that you would need to do this work? The situations I have had to face bottom bracket shells before was in weird cases of wide q factors and bad chain lines, that would be the only situation I can see it being required, unless you have other thoughts?

 

[Bustedknuckle]

I've just bought an Ellsworth Epiphany frame and I'm trying to figure out if I need the bottom bracket shell faced or not. (I feel a bit awkward going to LBS for advice when I'm not buying any of the parts from them, but I'll get them to do the facing if required).
The outside of the BB shell is not raw metal - the coating covers it, however it's anodized rather than painted/powder coated and as far as I can tell with my eyes and digital caliper, the sides are very parellel.

Does anyone have any thoughts?

As I understand anodising makes the surface harder (potentially very hard) - I wonder if this prevents a problem with facing in any case?

Yes, get it faced. Almost all metal frames these days need it regardless of how much they may have cost. It will save you BBs in the future.

 

[artyomk]

Why not just mail Tony Ellsworth and ask?

Seriously. They are threating their frames' owners quite good.

 

[Head wind into the valley]

Yes, get it faced. Almost all metal frames these days need it regardless of how much they may have cost. It will save you BBs in the future.

Why would facing save bbs in the future?

 

[david.]

Thanks for the tips so far. I got the idea it needed to be done from reading web forums basically, which seem to indicate that any paint on the outside of the shell can result in the BB cups being less than perfectly parallel when installed. My research seems to indicate this is particularly the case with external BB cups (which I should have mentioned I'm using - FSA MegaExo).

The replies so far seem to confirm that there are cases/opinions for and against, which is basically what I expected, but I thought perhaps the anodised surface may be decisive. Does anyone have any experience with Ellsworth frames in this regard?

I have emailed Ellsworth tech support - will report back if I hear from them.

 

[david.]

Why would facing save bbs in the future?

As I understand it (and it makes sense to me but I'm no expert), if the cups are not perfectly parallel then they won't rotate perfectly parallel when attached to the crank spindle, which leads to higher than usual wear.

 

[Bustedknuckle]

Why would facing save bbs in the future?

When the 'faces' of the BB shell are parallel, thru facing, then the bearings run parallel and perfectly perpendicular to the BB spindle, no binding, no side loads on bearings, longer life.