Originally Posted by shants
sounds like your adjustable cup might be loosening, causing the bearings to not be held in as tightly. retighten and see if that helps. if that's the problem, use some mid-grade (blue or some such) loctite next time you tighten it down. also make sure that your bottom bracket lock ring is really tight.
if it's not that, "crap" is probably getting into the races. do you have a plastic "accordion"-style sheath over the bottom bracket when you install it? also, are you using a LOT of grease? if the bearing area is saturated with grease, then it can help keep things (mainly moisture) from getting in.
and, of course, there is always the possibility that your bottom bracket races are pitted/indexed.
The last time that the BB was repacked, the grease (some sort of clear grease) was clear as the day it was applied before. So, not grit, grime, or dirt was getting in. The mechanic didn't use an accordian sheath. Yes, there was lots of grease used. The last time it was repacked (Wednesday) the races were smooth and not pitted. One did have a bit of corrosion, but no pits.
Do you think I can do a hot fix by just tightening the adjustable cup without removing the entire BB between cleanings?
C