Challenge: Who can remove a bottom bracket?

Hey all,

As the title will tell you, we are baffled as to how we can remove the Miche (Italian thread - square tapered) bottom bracket from my steed. We've annihilated two bottom bracket removers and Brick Lane Bikes have admitted defeat for the £50 budget we have spare so I'm extending the gauntlet to the rest of the forum. Apparently drilling until it crumbles is the way forward, any other ideas welcome.

Thanks in advance, here's a visual

Ed

Vaz can remove it but will probably burn it out = paint damage = respray.

are you against blowtorching? it'll probably work a lot easier than anything else and your 50 budget will pretty much get you a powder coat...

how have you bust the tools? is it cos they are slipping out of the interface? if so, try and use a bunch of washers in increasing size to hold the tool in place.

so it would go ... bb -> tool -> big washers (over the axle) ->smaller washers -> bolt into axle holding it all together. spanner on tool -> hit with lump hammer..

hope that makes sense. sometimes it helps to tighten slightly more before you try to undo, maybe risky on a bb though, dont want to mess the threads up.

or yes to drilling. go slow and be patient so you dont snap bits all the time. let the drill do the work, dont push hard etc etc.

leave it till its dark and go outside in the sunshine.

good luck.

I don't think it is Italian thread...

Looking at your picture, I'm assuming this is the right hand side of the bike (drive side), If so you should be turning this cup clockwise to undo and the other side should turn anti-clockwise to undo as it says on the cup 137x24 BSC which is unless I'm mistaken is british thread and not 36x24 tpi which would be italian.

Hope this helps and I'm not missing something?

I stand corrected, its is an Italian thread nevertheless the thread is now defunct and definitely not a keeper. I have attempted to drill however, nothing says 'this wont work' quite like a drill from argos.

I'm looking for more brutal means... Vaz sounds interesting? Where could I locate some? Would blow torching result in permanent damage to the frame?

I stand corrected, its is an Italian thread nevertheless the thread is now defunct and definitely not a keeper. I have attempted to drill however, nothing says 'this wont work' quite like a drill from argos.

I'm looking for more brutal means... Vaz sounds interesting? Where could I locate some? Would blow torching result in permanent damage to the frame?

Vaz is not a product!

http://www.cycle-finishes.com/

haha,

HI IM BARRY SCOTT, HERE TO TELL YOU ABOUT VAZ!!

Scherrit (The Bike Whisperer) will be able to remove it. He has magic powers when it comes to this kind of thing.

I can also remove it but it will involve lots of swearing and eventually turning your entire bike into a fine metallic powder and you buying a new ride.

I can also ride it but it will involve lots of swearing and eventually turning your entire bike into a fine metallic powder and you buying a new ride.

ftfy

That would also work..

if the whisper guy cant remove it, Vaz might be able to do a partial overspray, he is doing one for me on a Diamant right now that had stuck pin. Dont know about the cost - £25?

The miche bottom bracket is alloy .. your frame is steel ... so caustic soda?

Can I have a go?

Impact driver or rattle gun.

Impact driver sounds ideal to me, if you can get a head to fit the BB tool.

Drill 2 holes.

Pin Wrench:

Impact driver sounds ideal to me, if you can get a head to fit the BB tool.

I have on with either a 3/8 or 1/2 inch adaptor. But I prefer the rattle gun.

That's British threaded - PM'd

Did you get this out? I'm having exact same problem with an English threaded Miche BB. Just took it down to Brixton cycles and wouldn't even loosen in a vice.

It's in a steel frame and according to the internet my next step should maybe be one of the following:

Pour coca cola into frame overnight.

Use plusgas (assuming Brixton Halfords have it).

Pour ammonia into it (if I can find some - would household ammonia do?).

Drill holes into the BB shell (any more advice on doing this)?

Hacksaw blade - presumably if I can get it into the gap between the spindle and shell.

As usual there's too much information available on the web and a lot of it's contradictory - e.g. some things say plusgas won't help with steel/aluminium. Or that coke will dissolve the steel while leaving the aluminium (this sounds unikely).

I've not wrecked any tools yet (can bolt mine onto the spindle solidly), there's just no movement whatsoever.

weld a long bar (hollow so it fits over the spindle) onto the cup and twist it off

Could work Fruit, but be carefull that you don't get the thing to hot, otherwise your bb will shange shape (in a bad way..)

Another option works if the BB cups extends a bit out the BB shell: Put the whole thing in a vice and turn the frame. This gives you massive leverage and normally works fine.

It's too late for welding and leverage; we went straight for the power tools and rammed it full of holes. Got through to the bearings and the spindle fell out so now all that's left is to hacksaw the edges until something gives. Unfortunately it was our hacksaw.

Get some rubber gloves and eye protection, take the frame OUTDOORS and dunk the BB in a bucket of ammonia. Household stuff is fine, available from most corner shops. Be careful. Leave it overnight. You might have to repeat, but hopefully not.

Got to love the BB tool that screws onto the axle.

Add some flat bars for extra leverage.

weld a long bar (hollow so it fits over the spindle) onto the cup and twist it off

tis my thoughts: leverage, and lots of it