Cup and cone bottom bracket

[tom_e]

So we have a cheap bike for short rides and leaving at the station.  Nothing very impressive, so I want to keep it running but don't really want to spend a lot on tools and bits for it.  The BB has become stiff; it looks like this:



I've tried to read Sheldon's page on this, but it sounds like a bit of a nightmare (bearing in mind it's over ten years old and hasn't been touched).  It looks like I need a C spanner and unknown tools to apply a lot of torque to the small flats.  How much do I need to spend on tools just for this, and can I replace it with an ordinary cartridge square taper unit which I already have all the tools for?

Thanks in advance.  I get the feeling this should be obvious to anyone who started playing with bikes 5 years before I did.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

If it is a crappy bike, just use a hammer and punch in place of a C-spanner and a 16mm open end spanner for the flats.

Yes, you can replace the BB with a cartridge BB (mind the axle length) but really, just open it up and have a look in it first.

[Brucey]

that is often known as a 'three piece BB'.  You can keep those BBs running for ages by adjusting occasionally, and by chucking oil down the seat tube or by fitting a grease nipple to the BB.

If you do open it up (using a hammer and punch, if necessary for all BB parts)  and the bearings are fitted in clips, it is best to remove the clips and to fit (more) loose balls instead.

cheers

[Torslanda]

Given that it's already stiff and a decade old my suggestion would be to treat it with extreme prejudice. The chances are that the axle has a 'bearing' surface that looks like the moon.

Remove the cranks. Punch - or old QR axle - and hammer to undo the lockring (leftie loosie). Try a 16 or 17mm spanner to undo the cup but if it won't use a cold chisel to drive it round. Do the same with the drive side cup (clockwise to undo). Measure the axle and get a cartridge BB the same length.

All you need then is a splined BB tool and screw it home with lots of grease, then reassemble. Keep it clean and you'll get another decade out of it.

[giropaul]

Once the old one is out, confirm what thread and width it is before sourcing a new one. Most will be English, but Raleigh used their own on some bikes, and it could even be French.

[The French Tandem]

It looks like I need a C spanner and unknown tools to apply a lot of torque to the small flats. 

C spanners,  IMHO, are useless on those rings made of soft steel (soft cheese?). You will probably ruin the notches on the ring before anything moves. A big pipe wrench will do a better job.

[tom_e]

Thanks all.  You've confirmed my temptation not to spend money on tools for this.  I shall get it apart by the careful application of violence and cross my fingers for the threading.

[mzjo]

Raleigh shells are 70mm wide. I seem to remember something about no shoulder on the rh cup but I could be wrong.

[mzjo]

Given that it's already stiff and a decade old my suggestion would be to treat it with extreme prejudice. The chances are that the axle has a 'bearing' surface that looks like the moon.

Remove the cranks. Punch - or old QR axle - and hammer to undo the lockring (leftie loosie). Try a 16 or 17mm spanner to undo the cup but if it won't use a cold chisel to drive it round. Do the same with the drive side cup (clockwise to undo). Measure the axle and get a cartridge BB the same length.

All you need then is a splined BB tool and screw it home with lots of grease, then reassemble. Keep it clean and you'll get another decade out of it.

I may have misread that but the lockring is rh thread (as is the lh cup). The rh cup is lh thread (unless it's french, which it won't be).
Edit I did misread it!

[tom_e]

Came apart fine with a fairly gentle application of chisel and hammer.  Bit of rust, one cage broken, dried out grease.  Shell is English thread, 68mm.  Replacement Shimano UN55 ordered because I'm lazy.

[The French Tandem]

How is the chisel now?

Seriously, UN55 bottom brackets are probably the best value  for money of all the bike industry. I paid ours 12€ each some 5 years ago, they survived LEL 2013, and they still run smoothly now.

[zigzag]

lel is a mere 1400k, these bottom brackets can "survive" 20-30 lel's