Re: [CR]Stuck bottom bracket cup... help

(Example: Humor)

Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2007 17:25:21 -0500
To: Julius Naim <julius.naim@gmail.com>
From: "Mark Stonich" <bikesmith@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: [CR]Stuck bottom bracket cup... help
In-Reply-To: <57056BCD-A607-4C51-991B-F76E0FDB769E@gmail.com>
References: <MONKEYFOODyoOxg2elK00000181@monkeyfood.nt.phred.org>
cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org

Park used to make a light duty tool for these. Because they were handy for adjusting the adjustable cup, without removing the crank arm., I've been watching on Ebay for months and haven't seen one come up.

If it isn't stuck too badly, Sheldon Brown's Big Bolt method will work. Go to http://sheldonbrown.com/tooltips/bbcups.html and scroll down.

But friction has it's limits. Because the Raleigh type cup has so little surface area on the outside, if you start to apply too much force you can damage the brittle flats and still not get the cup off. http://www.bikesmithdesign.com/BBTool/damage.jpg

When this happened to me I tracked down a Kingsbridge tool. This also works by friction but has a finer thread pitch, so pressure is greater.

When even this wouldn't do the job, I made my own tool that bolts snugly to the cup and can't come off the flats. It worked so well I had more made and they have been selling rather well. http://www.bikesmithdesign.com/BBTool/damage.jpg I've sold 40+ in a few months and many customers say they'd tried every other method first.

So far I know of only one cup the tool couldn't remove. They stuck the tool in a vice and two stout lads tried to unscrew the frame from the cup. That one was so thoroughly stuck, the frame bent from the force applied. Even then neither the tool nor the flats on the cup were damaged.

At 7/27/2007 09:15 PM +0100, Julius Naim wrote:
>Hi
>
>Can anyone help. I have a bottom bracket cup I need to remove that's
>stuck and I can't get it to unscrew. It's the type often found on
>Raleigh bikes with what I think is called a wrench flat (a strip
>across the middle), it's too flat to get enough grip with an
>adjustable wrench and I don't have a workbench that I could use a
>vise to try and get more grip with.
>
>Can anyone tell me what park tool would fit. if they do one that is?
>Or is there an easier way to tackle it?
>
>Thanks for any help.
>
>Julius Naim
>London UK

Mark Stonich;
     BikeSmith Design & Fabrication
       5349 Elliot Ave S. - Minneapolis. MN 55417
            Ph. (612) 824-2372 http://bikesmithdesign.com
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