My Sister's mountain bike had about 0.5" in play vertically when checking the BB for wear...I literally pissed myself laughing at how bad it was. I checked the cranks, lock ring....then the BB cups??? Nope all we're very tight and WELL torqued. I successfully pulled the drive-side cup and yanked the BB only to find the bearing on the non-drive side plopping themselves on the ground. "That's odd isn't there supposed to be a bearing cage...and the bearings are supposed to face the cup?" I said to myself.
That's when sticking my finger into the frame, I discovered what a chewed bearing cage looks like...rather a suicidal bearing cage from China looks like (too soon?).
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Alright, so that's what we're dealing with. At this point I'm still curious as to why this would ever happen to a bike. I have an IT BB tool for ISIS, Shimano and so on so I used that but every time I really started to get it going it would slip. Thinking that this is just a matter of laying on the penetrating fluid I soak the area with what amounts to half a can of Amsoil MP which normally does the job (later I find that the fluid did what it could
).
I purchase the Park Tools BB which holds on for about 10 ft-lbs more torque but slips off as well. I saw a few DIY tools and decided to try my hand at that...failed because I had everything except for a nut to fit the bolt that is literally perfect for the job. UGHHHH! "Wait a sec! I recall seeing big bertha hanging around...AH-HA!" I grab Big Bertha (A large C-Clamp) and a junk piece of wood and crank it down to hold the tool in place. I find a 1" open-ended spanner in my Dad's tool box from his Trans-Am days and begin jumping on the end of the wrench. I weigh 137...great for hill climbing but I suck at jobs exactly like this in spite of any 'strength for my size'.
"I'll spray some more Amsoil MP thinking that will still help and proceed to lay on the leverage. Oh my, that tool is turning...now that is a good thing! I'll keep giving her..". Ten minutes later...and the bloody thing is pulled out.
Apparatus:
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Who's the 8itch noooow!??!:
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The BB cup was EXTREMELY distorted and the threads weren't anything resembling a thread. My hypothesis is that the threads were never reamed on the frame and the well-built chinese POS that it is, allowed the robot to torque like a MAD MAN. Lesson: Spend the extra money and get something that is built WELL. As far as I'm concerned, I'm lucky that VP Components didn't cheap out on the steel because that BB Cup could've ripped apart (like Shimano bolts) after being over torqued.