Bike Bottom Broacket (crank) Bearings?

[mpeyton]

Below are what I am told are the two more common sizes for bottom bracket (crank) caged bearings in cheap 26x2.25" cruiser bikes.

I have two bikes (cheap 26x2.25" cruiser) stored near BRC and I suspect at least one needs new bottom bracket bearings, and I know they use the caged bearings. But I am not sure the correct size to order. And even then, it will be a dusty playa repair.

Is there a common size for 26x2.25 cruiser bikes? Online I see 5/16" with 7 or 9 bearings in the cage. These I got locally are 7 and 10 bearings. I want to order more online to have extras for the camp.

Also, this seems to be the most common mechanical repair needed on playa, due to cheap bikes and lots of dust. It there also something else I should bring parts? I have lost of tools, lube, dry lube, tubes, tire, ... I can fix most anything on a cheap bike, but I need to have the spare parts.

Any help and info greatly appreciated. If I missed a previous post or you can provide a link that helps, that works too.

TIA,
Electric Angel

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[Elliot]

All the information is here:
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/opc.html

But summing it up: The correct bearings for the Huffy Crankbroke and similar Cheap Chinese bikes is the 5/16 x 10, also called bearing #66.

The two brands I have here, that I bought online several years ago, are Wheels Manufacturing and Sunlite. They come in sets of 10 bearings (5 bikes).

If you can find only 5/16 x 9 (#64), those do not fit quite correctly in the modern bikes, but will likely work just fine for a week. (These are for the vintage Chicago-built Schwinns and a couple other rarities.)

Otherwise, I swear by Thorn Resistant inner-tubes. These retail for something like $15 a piece, and are absolutely worth it -- not because there are thorns on Playa, but because the rubber is much thicker for general leakage and puncture-resistance.

[Popeye]

Hi Eliot, good to see you back. Will you be on Playa this year?

[Elliot]

Hey, thanks; but no, I'm not up to it anymore.

[mpeyton]

Thanks so much for the info. Too bad I will not be able to thank you personally on playa.

I am always interested in more input, if others care to expand the knowledge base.

THANKS!,

Electric Angel

[Elorrum]

When I saw the original post, I thought, “If Elliot was around, he would definitely know this.” Good to see you are here to answer, Elliot. Thank you.

[Elliot]

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