Bottom bracket help!

I know Oak cycles can remove it for you for a charge - http://www.oakcycles.com/2011/11/how-do-i-get-out-a-seized-bottom-bracket/

I don't think there's enough space to get a chisel in there to force it around so I think cutting out may be your only option now that the splines are knackered

Get a file small enough to go round the splines and get them in a good enough state for the proper tool to go back in.
Will deffo be worth it.

I'll give this a go, but I think the problem is that they've worn down so much that there's nothing to work with, so not sure if filing will work, but I'll definitely give it a go.

Paying a bike shop to remove it (as long as it wasn't too much!) wouldn't beethe worst thing in the world I guess. I'll give it a few more goes on my end and see if the bb can make it through this weather ok which will give me a bit more time to explore other methods, and if not will head to a bike shop I guess.

Thanks again everyone.

I have a stuck lockring on my cup and cone bottom bracket. It's rusted solid onto the BB shell. The lockring wont move when i hit it very hard with a hammer and screwdriver. I think i need to cut off the lockring but how do i go about doing that? Anyone done it before?

My first guess would be to make two saw cuts, right through the lockring on opposite sides, effectively splitting the lockring into two halves. If it doesn't fall off then, give it some grief with a hammer

Stu F, have a look at sheldon browns site under bottom bracket area.

I just had exactly the same situation. Used his Nut and bolt trick, with a few washers.

With a socket and breaker bar extension, you can get tons of leverage. Might want to soak the bb with your fav degreaser WD40 Plus gas type stuff overnight beforehand

Cheers but I'll have to get one side off before I can try that method surely...

oh sorry, when I saw "a struck ..."

Big Vice, rotate the frame ?

stu if you need to utilise a massive bench vice i can oblige

also - heat can help, i removed one with a blowtorch once

Thanks mate, might take you up on that. I'm planning to buy Hyper's old mongoose maurice frame as a replacement because the headset is seized on this frame too and the BB is really too low for riding fixed, but if i feel inclined to have a proper go at sorting it out I'll PM you

beware, the nut and washer trick only works on really old cheap cups.

Anything decent/modern have hollow walls, and the method will crush the races rendering them useless.

Also the bolt's got to be pretty special, otherwise it'll just shear. Be careful of trashing frame too, its worth soaking it in plusgas (or other decent fluid) for a few days first.

Sheldon's Nut-and-Bolt tool has never worked for me, actually. I sheared one bolt - then I bought a special super duper tough hi-tensile bolt... it just kept tightening and tightening and tightening until eventually, even with my housemate on one side and me jumping up and down on my 3ft breaker-bar, we gave up.

The nut and bolt still comes in useful when bolting the proper* removal tools to BB cups, though.

• I say proper... what I mean is tools made from old steel stock that I turned up on a lathe. They work fine.
  

as well as the bike stand I had a piece of old 4x4 fence post cut to size under the bottom bracket for solid leverage.

Anyway just an idea, I was surprised it worked so well. There is often more than one way to crack a nut.

hey guys,
ive nearly completed my first fixie build, and ive come to the most confuzzling part of my build which is choosing the right bb size x|

my frame is a puch frame and im pretty sure its a 1972 model. ive measure the
i want to buy a sealed cup bottom bracket but im tottally stumped by all the numbers and names. if someone could just give me the correct size and name of BB i need id be more than grateful.

some pics and info:

2 Attachments

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Maybe you know that already. Check the threading diameter and TPI.

caveat: i'm not an expert and thus could be talking out of my arse

i think what you're saying is that you're trying to change the bottom bracket on what i presume is an old bike from that 'cup and cone' style BB (the one pictured measuring 120mm?) to a more modern sealed cup BB?

you've measure the BB shell - 68mm - and so any BB you buy needs to be 68mm by 'X' where 'X' is the length of the spindle. this is usually determined by the cranks you buy. if you by a modern set of cranks they will usually tell you the minimum spindle length you need.

eg: the following crankset (chosen at random)

http://www.tokyofixedgear.com/products/50-Crank-Sets/740-Sugino---RD2-Messenger-Crank-Set---White/

tells you you need a 103mm square taper BB. So any BB you buy (if you were buying these cranks) needs to be 68mm by 103mm.

if you're putting the old cranks back on and you want a new BB i'm guessing you'd need 120mm x 68mm but this might be because the bike originally had more than one front cog?

That axle is from an early cheap Japanese chain set where instead of crank bolts to keep the cranks on, they used nuts.

^This.

I thought it look funny. Sorry if I confused by suggesting it could be for a cottered crankset.

caveat:
i think what you're saying is that you're trying to change the bottom bracket on what i presume is an old bike from that 'cup and cone' style BB (the one pictured measuring 120mm?) to a more modern sealed cup BB?

yep ur exactly right, i do want to change from the cup and cone to sealed, and also yes the bike had two front cogs on it, which ive now reduced to one. so all in all should i be looking for 68 x 120 or something shorter because i'll only be using one front cog??

thanks for the help guys :D

Kinda depends on what you're doing for the rear wheel. If you're adapting a multicog cassette, then you can get the 120 and adjust the chainline by moving the spacers around. If you're using a non-adjustable single speed rear hub, you're going to have to get more scientific.

Sorry for the hijack, but does anyone have any idea what Spindle length I'd need for a Campag Chorus crankset like this one:

I'm planning on using a single chainring. Sheldon has no info on the Chorus spindle length.

Any help much appreciated.

Cheers.

Wow, that picture came out huge! Now I feel rude!

102mm is what the Campag Chorus/Record road cranks go on.

Thoma,

110mm BB is what you will want if it is a square taper remember that Campag had their own standard so you are best getting a Campag BB to got with it.

Alamara,

Your question is as confusing as the answers you have got but Malandro is right it does depend on the crank set. With a Puch you will have to check the TPI threads per inch, as these bikes were generally the cheap end of the market and tended to be imported with BB threads from the country of origin rather than British which is easiest to get here. Try the cups on another frame to confirn. 68mm is the most common width of BB and it will state that size on any BB you buy.

Zebs

Sorry for the hijack, but does anyone have any idea what Spindle length I'd need for a Campag Chorus crankset like this one:
I'm planning on using a single chainring. Sheldon has no info on the Chorus spindle length.

Any help much appreciated.

Cheers.

Is it a normal/regular thing to just take a chainring off and use it singularly?
asking cos im trying to hunt out a crankset