Road Cycling

Soldato
Joined
25 Oct 2006
Posts
5,386
One for our resident bike mechanic.

Are the Chinese copy pullers fine to use, I see no reason why not. I want to remove BBRight press fit from cervelo, measures 50mm OD at the cup. Well firstly I want to pull the bearing from the cup then either press new bearing in, or remove the cup from the frame totally and replace both.

Bicycle Bearing Press Tool Bottom Bracket Shell Fast Install Removal Kit - as described, Professional https://amzn.eu/d/4Lrw03N
Interested in answer to this too.

I used a PRO tool before to remove mine and a lifeline press however it required hitting very hard with a metal hammer to remove. I was very scared to miss and write off the frame :D

I've since got my BB replaced by a mobile bike repair guy but unsure he's done it properly. The cranks still wobble a little despite repeated attempts to tighten them. Quite annoying :(
 
Soldato
Joined
22 May 2003
Posts
10,855
Location
Wigan
Also, I would be interested in as to why/who said that it’s fine to push on the frame in this manner using a bearing puller….

You’re putting the stress on the frame outside of the tubes cylinder if you have a BB which has cups, as the cups sit on the tubes cylinder ends which means you’re actually pressing more at risk of pressing onto hollower sections of tube..

Using the hammer method I am perfectly fine with, I have a deadblow hammer so all the energy will be transmitted into the bearing through the tool, not into making noise and the frame and also no risk of the hammer bouncing off the tool.
 
Associate
Joined
15 Feb 2017
Posts
2,146
Location
the ghetto
i don't think it's a huge problem if you do it right but i think they say a rubber mallet in case you miss the bb remover then hit the frame. Might not be pretty if its with a standard hammer :D

changed my bb90's last week, one side came out first hit the other took about 12 gentle taps but came out, it was a bit of a mess though.
 
Soldato
Joined
22 May 2003
Posts
10,855
Location
Wigan
Stripped down without any fancy tools this morning just using the strike through method. Use the park tool and deadblow hammer, not a drama at all. I place the frame ontop of towels/clothes on the floor to support it fully. I’ve removed the Rotor cranks at least a dozen times over the years now so know the process, so it only takes me 10 minutes or so.

A rubber mallet just coverts all your energy into bouncing off the tool or whatever you are hitting. Not the right tool for the job, you end up hitting a lot harder than needed and having it rebound everywhere!

NDS bearing no good, I knew this in March but a clean up and it went away. Removed it, took the seals off blew it out and cleaned it all up, felt average to good, regressed and pressed it back in, but then it felt quite poor, must just pinch the bearing slightly smaller in the frame/cup. Oh well, I ordered new ones so should be here middle of the week.

I’ll look a bit strange riding with full guards tomorrow on my winter bike but needs must!

I wouldn’t be able to get the DS bearing out without being a bit rougher, the C Bear BB has a flange on the inside which is larger on the drive side and would prevent the tool being used. A deep sided socket on an extension bar would work perhaps.
 
Last edited:
Soldato
Joined
25 Oct 2006
Posts
5,386
please tell me you didn't do that on a press fit BB on a carbon frame ?
Yep :eek: It was going absolutely nowhere with the bumping hammer. I can't imagine it would have been pretty hitting the bumping hammer against the downtube either!
This was in 2020 when the bike shops were all crazy backlogged. This Cube frame has done 60k miles. I figured if I accidentally write it off it would be a shame but the frame has done well.

The fear of missing with the hammer is why I got someone else to change it this time.. but it's wobbly already (weeks later..). Sigh.
 

fez

fez

Caporegime
Joined
22 Aug 2008
Posts
25,023
Location
Tunbridge Wells
If you want to know why your press fit BB is awful go and watch some of Hambinis videos. The quality control on a lot of frames is quite frankly unacceptable especially considering the price of many of them.
 
Soldato
Joined
22 May 2003
Posts
10,855
Location
Wigan
Whose to say that a threaded BB is going to be any better…

The tap which cuts the threads still needs to be correctly aligned by the factory otherwise the crankset will permanently be crooked.

I have two other bikes, both with threaded BSA BB.

Same as disc brake mounting tabs/facing. The industry just needs higher manufacturing standards, not more standards.

The theory/mechanics behind press fit are excellent just the manufacturing needs to match. The tolerance and machining in my case isn’t the cause of the failure/noise.

My BB is worn due to water ingress/dirt. The DS is fine still as it’s a little more protected. Ridden it 19200km since I built it over about 2.5 years which I think is a fair innings.
 
Soldato
Joined
27 Feb 2003
Posts
7,171
Location
Shropshire
I had a big day out on the bike yesterday - took part in the Royal British Legion Poppy Ride. Went for the longest route option of 148km but cycled from home rather than take the car and finished on 213km (130 miles).

About 130km in I rode over some innocuous looking gravel on the road and got rewarded with an immediate puncture.

No problem I thought, just keep going and let the sealant plug the hole...
There still seems to be a lot of hissing out back and no sealant spraying anywhere...
It's starting to feel a bit lumpy on the back wheel now, must be a big 'un
Oh, I'm riding on the rim now, will have to stop

Schoolboy error. The only thing I didn't check when prepping my bike on Saturday afternoon was when I last topped up the sealant :rolleyes: I have an Excel spreadsheet for maintenance tasks but never even thought about topping up, so I think I hadn't put any more sealant in the back tyre for 10 months! I'd done the front wheel when I changed the tyres back in February. So I jabbed a Dynoplug into the tyre which seemed to seal after a wiggle and pumped what seemed enough air in to ride again. I was only 10km or so from the next feed station, so thought they might have a track pump to finish it off. They didn't. Gah. I deliberated adding fresh sealant (I had a small bottle with me) and/or more air. I decided the bike was riding okay, so elected to carry on and see what happened...

Well, I got home on my original minimal pumping effort and couldn't notice much difference in handling / speed, even on some fast descents or when I was desperately trying to hold the wheels of two faster riders that caught me. I grabbed my pressure gauge to see what I'd stuck in and was surprised to see just 23 PSI - yikes!
 

fez

fez

Caporegime
Joined
22 Aug 2008
Posts
25,023
Location
Tunbridge Wells
@#Chri5# are you a small child? I would be on the rim with that little pressure :p

Had my first utterly ridiculous pass today. Guy in his 60s with either his wife or mother in the car next to him came past me about 2mph faster than I was going and was so close I could have banged on the side of the car with a bent elbow. Must have been less than 6 inches from my bars.

About 300m further on he stopped in the road to the left of the lane without indicating and then turned across the road causing general carnage. Just an awful, dangerous driver but I didn’t get the impression there was any malice in his driving.

Those people just scare me.

Also had the first “witty banter” from a guy walking down the road shouting “your back wheels fallen off mate”.
 
Soldato
Joined
28 Apr 2011
Posts
14,761
Location
Barnet, London
@#Chri5# are you a small child? I would be on the rim with that little pressure :p
It is interesting. When I got my tyre pressure monitors, people in this thread claimed they would tell the difference between 75psi and 90psi by squeezing the tyre. The number of times I've told experienced cyclists, 'I've got a flat, this is down to 75' (or something similar) and they're kinda confused as the tyre feels so firm still.

Also, I rode home on 33psi when I have my side wall rip last week and I'm 97kg! :cry: As I say, you'd be surprised :)
 

fez

fez

Caporegime
Joined
22 Aug 2008
Posts
25,023
Location
Tunbridge Wells
It is interesting. When I got my tyre pressure monitors, people in this thread claimed they would tell the difference between 75psi and 90psi by squeezing the tyre. The number of times I've told experienced cyclists, 'I've got a flat, this is down to 75' (or something similar) and they're kinda confused as the tyre feels so firm still.

Also, I rode home on 33psi when I have my side wall rip last week and I'm 97kg! :cry: As I say, you'd be surprised :)

I cut a ride short because the tyres felt so spongy a month or so back after I forgot to pump them up before a ride. They felt slow and far too plush :p. I think they were mid to late 20s and I was very nervous about my fancy carbon hoops so I turned around after about 5k. I'm 84kg and the rims are quite wide and the tyres were 28s.

What tyres are you riding and what rims?
 
Soldato
Joined
28 Apr 2011
Posts
14,761
Location
Barnet, London
You see, it took them getting down into their 20's before you noticed :eek: :p The difference between 70 and 90 isn't noticeable until maybe you hit a pothole and get a pinch flat. This used to happen to me loads until I got the sensors. Now, I never leave home at less than 90psi on the rear. (Well, maybe as low as 88 in the wet)

I'm currently on Vredestein Fortezza Senso Higher All Weather Road Tyre which, tempting fate here, have been really good for me since my trip to Mallorca. Wheels are Reynold 41AR carbon, aero.
 
Associate
Joined
15 Feb 2017
Posts
2,146
Location
the ghetto
Yep :eek: It was going absolutely nowhere with the bumping hammer. I can't imagine it would have been pretty hitting the bumping hammer against the downtube either!
This was in 2020 when the bike shops were all crazy backlogged. This Cube frame has done 60k miles. I figured if I accidentally write it off it would be a shame but the frame has done well.

The fear of missing with the hammer is why I got someone else to change it this time.. but it's wobbly already (weeks later..). Sigh.

must admit as much as i love my bike i dread the changing of the BB, normally have a few beers for a bit of courage first :D
 

fez

fez

Caporegime
Joined
22 Aug 2008
Posts
25,023
Location
Tunbridge Wells
You see, it took them getting down into their 20's before you noticed :eek: :p The difference between 70 and 90 isn't noticeable until maybe you hit a pothole and get a pinch flat. This used to happen to me loads until I got the sensors. Now, I never leave home at less than 90psi on the rear. (Well, maybe as low as 88 in the wet)

I'm currently on Vredestein Fortezza Senso Higher All Weather Road Tyre which, tempting fate here, have been really good for me since my trip to Mallorca. Wheels are Reynold 41AR carbon, aero.

Oh I noticed quite quickly but on smooth roads and with weak legs I just thought I was tired and not used to the new wheels. Until you are on the rims I think you can explain away why it feels a bit off. But yes, I get your point that its not as catastrophic as some would make out. I noticed when it got a bit choppier and there was far too smooth a ride along with the usual squish you get from soft tyres. I then looked at the wheel and you could see the tyre bulging quite a lot as it contacted the road.

My tyres seem to have sealed themselves better now after a few weeks of riding so they aren't losing 10psi/day like when I first fitted them. I'm tempted by the tyrewiz but dear lord is it expensive!
 
Soldato
Joined
11 Jun 2015
Posts
11,088
Location
Bristol
Went ahead and ordered those Pirelli tyres you recommended @Roady Even better as I found they had them in tan walls also!
Think I now have everything I need to get going... apart from the wheels themselves
 
Back
Top Bottom