Used parts/new parts, when does it matter?

[KnottedYet]

I'm looking at a used bottom bracket (Campy Athena) and used front derailleur (Campy Veloce or Mirage). Each is about 1/2 the cost of new.

Are those pretty safe things to get used?

Do BB's ever snap and make your cranks fall off and cause disasters?

From what I've read, older Campy BB's had a habit of coming loose. Did Athena BB's do that?

[DebW]

I'm looking at a used bottom bracket (Campy Athena) and used front derailleur (Campy Veloce or Mirage). Each is about 1/2 the cost of new.

Are those pretty safe things to get used?

A front derailleur should be safe. I'm not really familiar with Veloce or Mirage, but my Campy Nuovo Record derailleurs that I got used in 1975 are still WONDERFUL! There's
not much to go wrong with a front derailleur, other than the spring snapping or a bolt stripping. I did break a spring in a Campy Grand Tourismo rear derailleur once, but I've never heard of a front derailleur spring snapping. If you break a spring in a front derailleur, you just ride in your smallest chainring til you get it fixed. But you should expect that top quality expensive parts will last longer than mid-level parts. Not sure what that means in this case, since I haven't used Veloce or Mirage, but I certainly wouldn't expect one to be worn out in a few years.

A used BB would be fine if you and/or the LBS inspects it and it has no visible wear. Check the spindle where the bearings ride to look for a groove or pits. Inspect the cups. Inspect the spindle ends where the crank attaches. Use brand new bearings. A well maintained BB can last for 20 years. Damage shows if you look carefully in the right places.

Do BB's ever snap and make your cranks fall off and cause disasters?

From what I've read, older Campy BB's had a habit of coming loose. Did Athena BB's do that?

A spindle would have to be extremely worn or ridden loose for a long time before there would be danger of it snapping. I haven't heard of Campy BBs coming loose frequently. Though my fixed cup has come loose twice in 20 years. If you test the BB for play frequently, you shouldn't have a problem. And riding with a loose BB is noticeable. I do remember one guy who would round his square-tapered spindle ends, and one guy who sheared off his chainring bolts, but these were big guys who only mashed in big gears.

[DebW]

A couple additional notes:

If your eyes are on the downhill side of the aging curve like mine and you can't read fine print anymore, take your reading glasses or a magnifier to inspect that BB. Bearing-surface damage is of order 1/2 millimeter in size when it's visible. If this BB came from someone who wanted to upgrade a crankset and hadn't put much wear on the old one, you could be getting something close to new for a very good price. Hopefully someone here knows more about the recent history of Campy BBs than I do and can give specific advise about these models. But I think of using used parts as recycling and keeping things out of the landfill until their useful life is really over.

[bcipam]

If you trust the source you get the used part from then its OK. Otherwise you just don't know how the part was used or taken care of. Some things I would never buy used like handlebars and maybe wheels unless I know the source. I have alot of friends who buy top end stuff and as soon as something better comes out they sell the "old" stuff. basically the old stuff is brand new and used little so OK to buy. My road and mountain bikes have been upgraded by all my friend Richard's toss offs - all the stuff is almost new - I love the fact he's always shopping for better stuff!

[mimitabby]

Ha, as the new owner of a Well used bike (advertised as lightly used, not true!)
I can say that used parts DO have a lot of life in them. Bill Davidson who makes Davidson bikes inspected my bike and assured me that it wasn't near worn out yet, that it had thousands of miles to go ...

Campy components are made to last and last and then be rebuilt.
Any good LBS can do that for you.

[ridebikeme]

I think the main concern here is whether your LBS thinks that they are in good condition. The bottom bracket will be a sealed unit, so you won't be able to inspect bearings or cups. However, as someone that had used Campy parts exclusively for many years, they generally do last quite some time and with very few problems. FYI: front deraileurs generally last much longer than their rear counterparts . If you are able to take the bottom bracket spindle in your hands and roll it in your fingers... listen for any gritty sounds and generally how smooth it seems to move. More than likely, you have found a good deal!!! Have fun!!