Had to choose between a full rebuild and a quick patch on a vintage bottom bracket

A customer brought in a 1980s Peugeot with a crunchy bottom bracket. The choice was a full tear-down with new cups and bearings, which would take about two hours, or just cleaning and re-packing the old parts, maybe an hour tops. I went with the full rebuild because the old cups were pitted. It cost him about $40 in parts and my shop rate for the time. The bike rides silent now, but I wonder if I over-serviced it for a commuter bike. Do you guys ever feel pressure to do the 'perfect' fix when a simpler one might last the customer a good while?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_pat1mo ago

Pitted cups mean that simpler fix would have failed pretty fast, honestly.

perez.patricia1mo ago

Yeah, pitted cups are a real headache. Reminds me of when my old coffee maker basically ate its own basket, @the_pat. The metal was so rough it just shredded paper filters. Had to toss the whole thing in the end.

sam1729d agoTop Commenter

Hang on, isn't that exactly when a simpler fix buys you the most time? If the cups are already pitted, you're just trying to get a few more weeks out of the thing while you line up a proper replacement. I've seen a lot of people slap a quick patch on a worn part and get another month of solid use out of their machine. It's not about making it last forever, it's about not having to drop cash on a new unit right this second. I'd say that little fix is actually the most valuable when things are already getting rough.