this is a French bike I rescued from my neighbour who was gonna take it to the dump. it's a manufactured by a company named Motobecane that I just haven't been able to find much info on. this cup is 36.5mm wide, I've not been able to find a wrench tool that would fit it anywhere online as they just had to be hipsters and add a half mm. I tried filing down a spare 36mm wrench but that didn't work obviously :(. Is there anywhere I'd have better luck finding a 36.5mm wrench? or another tool that could get the job done?
i know the shell is full of crap, this bike is older than me, and I wanna get all the parts off before I clean and rebuild/restore it. if I'm not able to remove this part, I can still clean it from within but that's not ideal.
by AlwaysQuotesEinstein
9 Comments
Looks like you could just use a large adjustable wrench
Put the Bb cup in a vice and turn the frame. When that fails, use the Sheldon brown nut bolt and washer method.
It’s likely a French thread bb so it’s got conventional threading on the drive side: lefty loosy, counterclockwise to remove.
I suspect Motobecane didn’t choose a 36.5mm hex for the bb cup. Possibly cleaning off the cup flats will remove 500 micrometers of grime.
However, I don’t see anything wrong with using an adjustable, ie crescent, wrench. You do not need a thin wrench here: you are not slipping the wrench in between the crankset and the frame.
https://preview.redd.it/dfqc32ewi8qg1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ffc2f4100b43c6bcf28b81ee9b8f739b8e55ea49
This M16 Allen screw and nut is the best fixed cup tool I’ve ever used and I’ve used a great many. Allen head goes inside the cup, tighten the Allen side for Italian or other clockwise threadings, tighten the nut for BSA anticlockwise threads. If this can’t get it out then something gets welded to the cup
Large adjustable wrench.
If that doesn’t do it, clamp the BB flats in a bench vise and turn the whole frame.
FWIW, that is 1 7/16″. You could try that or get a 6 sided socket or wrench that is close. Even if it’s a bit big there is no way that will round off with a 6 sided that is somewhat close.
(edit – ignore the 6 point comment as that is an eight sided cup)
Plumber wrench??
Axle nut sockets. 38 should do it. Or a similar atandard, like someone else said. You ain’t rounding that.
like some one else said the nut and bolt method is the way.
I have done a few french bike repairs and always go with a [velo orange BB ](https://velo-orange.com/products/grand-cru-bottom-brackets-hollow-axle-alloy-cups-1)to modernize it.
if you just want to re-use the old cranks/bb just leave it in the frame and pack new bearings from the other side.