Bottom bracket help!

Has he tried oxford cycle workshop?
http://www.oxfordcycleworkshop.org.uk/index.php
What sort of bb is in there?

Try soaking it in Oil (WD40 etc) for as long as you can stand not to fiddle with it (I managed less than 3 days). Then either chase it round (but don't go nuts) with a hammer and cold chisel (read screwdriver) or if you can get the right tool to grip it then use that with a piece of pipe to act as an extension bar. It worked for me and I haven't done any damage. If you are worried about scratches then put masking tape around the tubing, not fool proof but can help!

Seeing as it's an old Harry Quinn I'll asumes it's a steel fixed cup your having trouble with. Some times this works, take lge hammer and give face of fixed cup a couple of good hard hits. This will sometimes release the seal of rust/contact between surfaces of the threads.

Oxford?
where are you guys at?
I need riding pals.
OCW will do it for you, it will take them sometime.
I also have a pretty extensive tool kit at home, so might be able to help, but chances are you're going to have to take it to OCW.
try a Tuesday evening- its members workshop night, which means you've got a workstand if you get there at 6:30pm and you get all their support and tools for that time.
many a stuck BB have been removed during that time...

I'm way too excitable. My college was just on TV for 2hrs.

hey there, i am apparently the mate from Oxford. I tried with OCW and what they told me is : "the BB cups are seized, we tried all the more conventional things, you can also try yourself but usually that's the end of the frame" - rather bold and disarming statement. I am rather new in the bike world and don't know many stuff but you can imagine my frustration.
Unfortunately my toolkit is very very limited and can't really try it myself alone. I was wondering eyebrows if you are willing to give a hand and have a try. That would be much appreciated.

First things first, put it in a bath of WD40 for the next 2 days minimum or that other stuff.
then try heat therapy, and then if its really fucked, its really fucked and its best to cut your losses at that point and get a new frame- I bet you I can find you one for less than you can possibly imagine- seeing as our college has loads that people have left (people I know have left!) and many other colleges do too.
When first building my first fix i was using a dumpstered raleigh, but it was fucked, and then a fucked pug I found at college, so that was the end of 10 days exhausting work with dremels, hammers and tongs.
If they haven't tried with the heat gun- sometimes they allow it on Tuesday evenings- as if you fuck up your own frame, they can't be blamed.
That is your best option, my tool kit isn't extensive enough to contain powertools.
BTW, I'm the guy on a small silver frame with green risers, and lots of card in my back wheel.
Henry

Worth a try: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tooltips/bbcups.html

However, if a workshop with a proper tool couldn't get it out, I'm not sure if this will help you.

Take it to a metal workshop and have them weld a big bar on to the cup. I did it last week and it was all done in under 10 mins.

Excellent idea from Andy. Any garage should do it for you. Just ask for a bit of angle to be welded on.Remember that the drive side is L.H thread though.

I've never failed with a hammer and chisel, but you do need a decent hammer (lump hammer) and decent sized chisel. Both can be bought for cheap.

[/angry rant]
I'm renovating my winter bike (hybrid). After stripping the frame I set about removing the cheapo shimano BB. It was a square taper with a plastic cup, which could'nt have been in the frame more than a couple of years. The plastic cup refused to come out, which was familiar, so I wondered across my work room to a Scott frame I had salvaged from the last winter bike I destroyed. There was the same type of BB which I had failed to remove then as well. Not this time matey, I've got a nice new BB and crankset to install.

After much sweat and swearing, I had managed to remove all the skin off my knuckles, but the bb had'nt moved. I check several manuals and yes I am trying to turn in the right direction. I decide this means it must be safe to employ a hammer. After trying sevel hammers I find myself standing on the BB tool, with the headtube of the frame trapped in the doorway, holding a sledge hammer. Several wacks and the spanner starts to turn.

Victory!

Nope the plastic splines have snapped off, feck!

Now I've saved myself from situations like this in the past by drilling small holes in seized bolts and screwing in small screws for leverage. I could'nt really see how this would help, but the idea of unleashing the 1000W hammer drill onto the b**tard, was just unresistable. Needless to say the BB and frame are now fecked.
the resulting confession to the mrs went something like....

"Its no good, I'm going to need a new frame as well"
"thought as much when you came in to check your books carrying a hammer in a blood covered hand. Will the warrantee cover it?"
"Should think so, I've embedded a couple of drill bits into it"
"Not really saving us money, or helping you relax, this bike hobby is it?"
"ermmmm..."

[/angry rant]

New frame ordered :)

@Smallfurry - we've all been there, mate. I'm a great believer in sleeping on problems when I encounter them in the workshop and tackling them afresh the next day.

What's the model name of that BB you had trouble with? Don't think I've seen one.

Its something like the one in the pic. To be honest I only bought the bike as I needed a winter commuter in a hurry, and it was the only thing I could afford at the time which had parts I would keep (handbuilt wheels and full Deore groupset). It was a bargin but was only made in medium (i'm a small).

I have now ordered a replacement, and the only thing remaining from the original bike is the groupset and wheels. Should be a really nice bike when I'm finished.

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Best method for removing a seized bottom bracket: you will need a bench vice, bb tool (one designed for use with an adjustable, eg Park BBT-2), graphite penetrating oil (wd40 if not) and a friend with a keen sense of balance.

1) spray penetrating oil liberally into bb shell. leave for an hour or so.
2) mount bb tool securely in bench vice so the spined section is facing upwards
3) place frame so that the seized bb cup aligns with the upright bb tool (eg so the frame is lying horizontal/parrallel to the ground)
4) Get friend to climb up and stand on the other side of the bb shell, thus applying the requisite downwards force to keep the frame in place.
5) Rotate the entire frame, this will give you a shedload of leverage to remove the cup. If this doesn't work nothing will.

If you don't have a lot of space around the bench vice you may need to just use half-turns and remount the frame several times, at least until if is free enough to use an adjustable.

Quality story! I spat tea all over my laptop.

So you've wrecked the plastic splines on one side - are there splines on the other side, and are they plastic as well?

Penetrating oil and a long half inch socket driver will normally do the job.

So I'm assuming all that was left was the plastic cup? Would a lot of heat not have helped?

This is whats left.
I'm a sad angry little man, and I'm ashamed :(

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I had this exact problem with this BB after the winter as well. SO frustrating. I had to take to the LBS, defeated.

I had this exact problem with this BB after the winter as well. SO frustrating. I had to take to the LBS, defeated.

I'm pretty sure its the winter use that caused the problem. 3 months of snow, slush and road salt. Although I cycle to work in the winter in anything from 0 to -15, and store my bike indoors at the very warm plant I work at. I was thinking that this might have been part of the problem.

I wonder if you could do something like this: [ame="http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=199130"]Old (New to me) 531 Paconi - Stuck Stem - Bike Forums[/ame] - if there's enough aluminum in a bottom bracket, I dont see why not.

Dremel and burr out the easier cup, smash the BB axle and bearings out that side, carefully cut through most of the cup/cups with a hacksaw (cut the cups into 2 or 3 sections) and then chisel them out. Easy!
Scherrit.

Unlucky, man. I had a similar thing with thos shimmy plastic cups and like scherrit says, a lot of careful chiselling / dremelling followed by some judicious whacking is one option. Thats what I did anyhoo.

Good luck

I had the same problem with one of those plastic cup shimano b.b. in a alu frame I found it worse to get out than a seized metal one as I could not resort to my usual methods. Luckily I was at my parents house and my dad has a Phd in removing stuck items. It took the best part of an hour but the best way was a series of very small holes close to the threads and eventually it came out. We did damage the threads a bit but II got my local guy at Perry's cycles to chace the threads out when he fitted a new b.b and all was fine.

I empathise with your problem.

It took the best part of an hour but the best way was a series of very small holes close to the threads and eventually it came out.

This is basically what I started doing with my drill. But after striking the threads a few times I got angry(er), and ended up embedding/braking a larger drill bit in the BB shell (see bottom left of pic). I pretty much gave in, when I first realised I'd damaged the BB threads, as I dont have a friendly LBS to re-chase the BB.

I like sherrits idea of using a dremel, especially as I can add it to my 'reasons I should buy a dremel list'.

No worries though, as this is now in the post :)

the euro bb is stuck in my (steel) bmx frame. i got the right hand side out fine, the left hand side is stuck.

1. i am to be turning it right, yes?
   
2. i used an adjustable spanner
   
3. i put it in a vice and used frame an lever.
   
4. the bb cup is now a little mashed
   
5. should i swallow my pride and take it to my lbs?
   

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