So I’m rebuilding this old bike (my highschool bike) that had a bunch of cheap parts on it from the ground up. I removed everything so far until I got to the bb. First pic is left side & second is right side that just won’t budge. Cranking left, as per parktool video but the teeth kept slipping when it got hard (hence the stripping began). What are my options? (I don’t care about the bb, I just want it off).
by ronaldos_right_leg
8 Comments
The driveside should be turned clockwise. Your description indicates you tried counterclockwise?
What brand is the frame? Could be Italian threading, which is reverse, meaning you’ve been tightening it. Italian is rare these days, but if it’s old enough, it’s a possibility.
Umm, usually (if the bb-standard is BSA) the drive side comes loose by turning clockwise, not counterclockwise.
The teeth look horrible though, i’m not sure the tool will still engage enough to loosen it.
Drive side you remove clockwise. Sounds like you are tightening it.
If drive side is seized use some solvent like MPPL or Mo94 or any seized part lubricant inside the non drive side hole and let it cook or take a hairdryer to the bb shell to heat it up a bit.
Get a Pedro’s BB Socket Holder II to secure the tool in place. Then use a large wrench on the outside of the tool to turn it (and the bb) clockwise and out of the frame.
https://pedros.com/products/bb-socket-holder-ii
I agree that the drive side should be turning clockwise to loosen. It’s opposite of what you would think. Moreover, if it’s really tight in there get rid of the ratchet. Go to a hardware store and get a longer metric bolt to fit in those threads that will hold the tool in place, then put the tool into the bottom bracket and screw the bolt through the ratchet end of the tool. Hold the other side of the bottom bracket Square taper to tighten the bolt. You would then use a large long adjustable wrench on the tool to turn it instead of the ratchet.
Lastly, you may need heat from a heat gun if it is stuck in there. You would heat the frame itself not the bottom bracket parts.
Had a similar thing happen when replacing cheap decathlon bike’s bottom bracket with plastic cups. So eventually I cut off the plastic cup to expose the threads and then just shoved a screwdriver in between the threads and the remains of the cup to pry it out. It works with rotten decathlon plastic bb cups, but if yours is made out of stronger material, then it could seriously damage the bottom bracket shell. Also bb shell the threads should be chased for them to be smooth again. It seems that non drive side already has no cup so maybe you can just hammer the axle out from the drive side and find a way to deal with the other side.
I always use a long bolt and some washers to hold the removal bit tightly to the bb