Set of adapters and taps ITAL

A tap, adapter, and guide set for Italian-thread bottom bracket shells (36 mm × 24 TPI, right-hand thread on both sides). The dedicated thread-chasing tool for the Italian-spec BB shell pattern that ships on Bianchi, Pinarello, Colnago, and other Italian frame builders; and on a handful of frames from other regions that have chosen the Italian thread specifically.

A new frame's BB shell may not arrive at the workshop with threads cut perfectly to spec. Burrs, paint overspray inside the threads, and minor thread-form irregularities can prevent a BB cup from threading in cleanly; or worse, cross-thread on installation and damage both the shell and the cup. A tap-and-chase pass clears the threads to factory spec before the BB cup goes in, which means the cup threads cleanly and the BB sits square in the shell.

What's in the set

The set covers the Italian-thread BB tap workflow:

• Italian taps (1698.1): threaded to 36 mm × 24 TPI right-hand thread (Italian spec). Drives into the shell from the shell's open end to clear and re-cut the existing threads.
• Italian adapter: lets the tap thread into Unior's 1695/4BI magnetic handle (sold separately), plus the 1697.4 guide that joins the two taps through the shell.

The English-thread (BSA) version of the same workflow is covered by the separate 1697 tap set (English thread is 1.37 inch × 24 TPI with left-hand-thread on the drive side and right-hand on the non-drive side; the Italian set's right-hand-on-both spec is the meaningful difference).

Compatibility

• Italian-thread BB shells: 36 mm × 24 TPI, right-hand thread both sides
• Frame builders: Bianchi, Pinarello, Colnago, Cinelli, De Rosa, and other Italian builders; some non-Italian frames specifying Italian thread
• Not for: BSA (English-thread) BB shells, T47 BB shells, pressfit BB shells, or BSA30 oversized shells

Specs

• Italian-thread tap, 36 mm × 24 TPI right-hand
• Italian-thread adapter for tap-handle compatibility
• Set weight: 597 g
• Article number: 1698.3 (code 626486)

Note: the magnetic handle (1695/4BI) is sold separately; this set is the taps, adapters, and guide, not the complete tap-and-handle kit.

Built in Zreče, Slovenia

Unior has been forging hand tools in Zreče since 1919, and sponsors professional road and mountain-bike race teams. The frame-prep tool line covers the standard BB thread patterns (BSA, Italian, T47), facing cutters for headset cups and disc-mount tabs, and the tap-handles that drive them. The Italian thread set is the variant for the European frame heritage that runs counter to the BSA-dominant US and Japanese frame patterns.

Pro tip from our mechanics

Tap the shell, don't cut new threads into it. The thread chase is a re-cutting pass through existing threads, not a thread-creation operation. Cutting fluid (or a light cutting oil) on the tap helps the cut, and turning the tap quarter-turn forward then quarter-turn back clears the chips out of the flutes. Trying to cut fresh thread into an unthreaded shell with a chase tap will either bind the tap or cut off-axis; that's a tap-and-die operation, not a chase.

For the broader picture on BB shell preparation, including when a tap pass earns its time: Frame Prep: Threaded Bottom Bracket Shells →.

FAQ

Does this set cut new threads or only clean up existing ones? It chases the existing Italian threads. The 36 mm x 24 TPI taps clear paint overspray, corrosion, and contamination from a fouled shell so cups thread in smoothly again. If the shell's threads are genuinely stripped, a chase cannot rebuild them; that repair is a thread insert or frame work.

Which bottom bracket shells does it fit? Italian-threaded shells only: 36 mm x 24 TPI, 70 mm shell width, right-hand thread on both cups. BSA (English) shells are 1.370 inch x 24 TPI with a left-hand drive-side cup and need the 1697.3 set instead. Press-fit and T47 shells are different standards.

Do I need a separate handle to drive the taps? Yes. The 1698.3 set contains the taps, two adapters, and the tap guide, but no handles. The adapters mate the taps to Unior's 1695/4BI magnetic handle for reamers and taps, sold separately.

What exactly is included, and can I buy the parts separately? Four pieces: the left and right Italian taps (article 1698.1), two adapters (1698.2/4), and the guide for taps (1697.4) that joins the two taps through the shell. All three articles are also sold individually, so a worn tap does not mean replacing the whole set.