BB Lockring
 

I having a lot of trouble loosening the lockring on my bottom bracket. the lockring is a four notch ring which i dont know of any tools available for it. It is stuck on there pretty tight. What tools and tips can you guys suggest me to use?

You need a lockring spanner. Try Park or Pedro's Tool sites.
They are a bit rare now.
You can also try a brass punch and hammer if you're desperate.

I like my Hozan lockring spanner, but it will set you back $25.

I just replaced the bottom bracket with a cartridge when it needed adjustment. It cost less than the tools and is less hastle. I removed the lockring by hitting a flathead screw driver in the notch with a hammer; The adjustable cup by turning 2 nails in the holes; and the fixed cup by putting the whole bike on the workbench with the flats in the bench vice and turning the bike.

This may sound strange, but I once loosened a stubborn lockring by slightly tightening the BB cup it was attached to. The theory is, as you're tightening the BB cup, the lockring stays flush against the BB shell and backs off the threads a little bit. Worked for me. You could also spray some WD, tri-flow, or liquid wrench on there as well, just to facilitate the process. Though it wasn't necessary in my case.

Big ol screwdriver and a hammer works everytime, but may hurt the lockring in the process.

I use this but then I remove a lot of cup and cone Bottom Brackets.

http://www.billys.co.uk/english/group.php?prod=2hz-c203

Holy cow. 35 pounds for that thing. Don't you know that your poor cousins on this side of the Atlantic are suffering from a horrible exchange rate? :D That would be more than $70 plus shipping. :eek:

Thanks for the reply guys. I've tried the screwdriver and hammer technique but no good. The lock ring is pretty beat up from the screwdriver already. I sprayed it with WD40 and will give it another try tommorrow.

Stein lockring tool - also very good better than those pliers. Bascially it's a vice grip with the two notches like the hozan. Also very expensive (shop quality).

Here are a few: http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/tools/bottombracket.html Scroll down a bit.

I got a HCW-5 for my SS conversion. The one-pin side should work for you. I can't imagine trying to get the perfect tension with a hammer on reassembly.

Go at it with the hammer for a little longer, if you're patient it can be done. Maybe a screwdriver isn't quite sturdy enough--you have any old chisels lying around? Do you need that lockring again? A lot of bottom brackets sold these days don't have lock rings. It would be a waste of money to buy a separate tool that you will never need again.

Well you're going to need to buy a new screwdriver and chisel anyhow! The Hozan lockring wrench is a durable and useful tool. It can also be used on some headsets and for track cogs

I've often used the hammer and screwdriver method, but today I had a stubborn one that would not budge. I ended up clamping it in a big bench vise with serrated jaws and easily unscrewed the ring by turning the frame. I could also have tried a big pipe wrench, but was afraid of slipping and damaging the paint on the frame.