Originally Posted by
HillRider
1. Octalink V1 109.5 mm, English threaded as noted. BB-5500 is good and relatively cheap. BB-6500 is out of production and difficult to find even NOS. BB-7700/7710 is pricey and requires routine maintainence. Any of these will work.
2. Yes
3a. All require the same Shimano or Park Octalink/ISIS bb tool. Park's newest versions are the BBT-22 and BBT-32 Both work but the BBT-22 is a bit heavier and more versatile.
3b. The 6500-series cranks have auto-extractors built into the crank bolts so, in theory, you don't need a separate crank extractor at all.
You can use a small pin spanner to remove the autoextractor collar to clean everything inside before reinstalling the crank and to be able to look and see the splines are aligned correctly before torquing the crank bolts down. A pair of needle nose pliers with small tips will work as a substitute.
4. No.
I just wanted to correct you on the 7710 - that unit is not the same as the 7700, which does require periodic frequent maintenance (essentially a looseball octalink bb) The 7710 unit is like any other standard shimano cartridge (e.g square taper or the 105 octalink), there is nothing to service and it is much better for road use.
This is the 7710 unit.
And the 7700.
