Cruzbike arms not centred on BB

LarryOz

Cruzeum Curator & Sigma Wrangler
I concur - It looks like you are missing the "dust cover/washer" combo.

Also - since this is the "old" style front end setup, the clamps do have the capability of sliding back and forth across the outside of the BB shell. Actually that has to be done to properly tighten each of the BB shells into the frame. The correctly placement of the clamps should allow equal amounts of the BB shell to be visible to the outside of the clamp. Based on the pics you shared, it is clearly oriented towards the drive side.
You said you tried loosen the bolts on the clamp and it will not budge - Try and remove the bolts from the clamps completely and very carefully pry open the clamps with some kind of wedge. This should allow you center the clamps over the BB assembly. Then clean up the bolts, grease them up a little and re-install.

This might help a little, but you still need to get that "dust cover/washer" over the end of the non-drive bearing. If I am not mistaken, this is what actually holds the shaft in the correctly horizontal alignment. Without the shaft is free to "flop" around some.

I had the same problem once off after a rebuild when that "dust cover/washer" fell off without me knowing it. Finally found it had rolled under a tool chest. Little bugger!
Good Luck!
 
So as I have been riding without for several years and have limited time to ride never mind maintenance I had left it until now to look at. Now I am confused. I did not come back to this initially but I found the dealers manual which showed the spacers in between the BB cups and the frame. The manual seems to suggest the equivilant of 1 2.5mm spacer on the non drive side and 2 2.5mm spacers on the drive side. However that definitely does allow enough purchase for the preload cap to catch. 1 on either side has the same problem using just one (not sure if it matters if it is on the drive on non drive side) seems to work.
See the last 4 photos in this album
@al-tux what model crankset / BB do you have?
 

ak-tux

Zen MBB Master
So as I have been riding without for several years and have limited time to ride never mind maintenance I had left it until now to look at. Now I am confused. I did not come back to this initially but I found the dealers manual which showed the spacers in between the BB cups and the frame. The manual seems to suggest the equivilant of 1 2.5mm spacer on the non drive side and 2 2.5mm spacers on the drive side. However that definitely does allow enough purchase for the preload cap to catch. 1 on either side has the same problem using just one (not sure if it matters if it is on the drive on non drive side) seems to work.
See the last 4 photos in this album
@al-tux what model crankset / BB do you have?
Sorry for the confusion, the washer shown in the picture above is not a BB cup washer but I think it is a dust cap washer. It came with the Shimano Sora triple Crankset and the included BB at purchase.

First I don't own a Vendetta. I have an S40 and a homemade MBB copy of a cruzbike. The BB picture above is on my homemade recumbent.

The homemade recumbent has a Hollowtech-II bottom bracket with no BB cup washers and a Shimano Sora Triple Crankset for a road bike. Those are the ones that are usually 2.5mm . The spindle length of the crankset I have did not require the BB cup washers.
 
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