Dropped a bearing into the chainstay
 

Hello-
I'm just doing a basic BB overhaul on my friend's 90s mountainbike. I gooped up the fixed cup and started slipping bearings in there, and as I got 6-8 bearings in, I decided I was going to run the bearing up the side of the BB and settle it in, when it suddenly disappeared on me. I hadn't closely inspected the inside and I was working by feel, so this came as a total shock, but I almost immediately realized how much of a doofus I was.

Long story short: I dropped a bearing into the chainstay. It's all gooped up, so I can't hear it, but it's in there. Eventually it's going to start rolling around, so to avoid the "what's this noise" question later, I want to get it out.

1)is there anything bad that can come from a greased up bearing in the chainstay?
2)any ideas to get it out?

I already put a bent brad on the end of a pretty strong magnet and tried to fish it out with no luck. I think the next thing I'm going to try is to turn the bike onto its front wheel and shake the hell out of it. Any other ideas?

1) No, aside from noise.

2) Try spraying in some WD-40 to loosen up the grease.

You're certain it's in there and didn't end up on the ground?

I would try a magnet to draw it to an opening. I would place a thin piece of paper between
the magnet and the chainstay to act as a buffer. Helps in not scratching the paint and to help with the sliding motion. Best of luck!

That's what I'd do, tilt the back end way up and blast away with the nozzle straw inside the chainstay. OP can also use starting fluid, carb cleaner or brake cleaner, though the last two might dull the paint.

Re magnets: they don't work too well on stainless bearings, or if the frame is steel.

That was my problem - the brad kept getting stuck on the frame, and I'm not sure that it would even lift a 1/4" bearing under those circumstances. I'm gonna try to coax it out of the hole with good ol' gravity

Magnet tape it to a hard wire and feed it into the stay

Find a strong magnet and run it long the outside of the chainstay. It should pull the bearing along.

Nd magnet should suck that out no problem.

Leave it! It's escaped the torment of the BB and deserves to be left in peace!

If you can't get it out, and it starts a-rattlin' and a-rollin' when the grease dries , pour some white glue or carpenter's wood glue into the chain stay. Eventually the ball will get stuck in the hardening glue and stay put.

This made me cringe a little.

This won't work on a steel chainstay.

Turn the chainstay vertical and rap the sides with the heel of your hand, If that doesn't dislodge it, tap the frame down against a hard but padded surface like a carpeted floor, or the top of your show.

BTW- don't go crazy trying. If you don't hear it and tapping doesn't move it, there's a good chance it's not where you think it is, and fell out already without you hearing it.

Shake the frame and see if it falls out, if not, forget it. Later, if it starts to roll around and make noise, it should be easy to get out.

If you stand the frame on its rear wheel and fill the chainstay with mercury, it'll float to the top.

Seriously, if you can't get it out, don't worry about it. You can use a glob of grease to block the opening it fell into to catch & hold it should it start rolling.

+1....best idea.....or shove a wad of paper in the tube and forget it; until it rattles.......

I'm glad this generated so many good ideas. My problem was that the hole where the chainstay meets the BB is smaller then the diameter of the stay itself. Any attempt to draw out with a magnet was thwarted when trying to fish it out of that little hole.

In the end, I turned the bike 90 degrees in the stand and shook the mighty hell out of it until the bearing found the hole. It was a lot like trying to get a pick out of the body of a guitar. I agree with a previous poster that if that hadn't worked, I would just leave it. Seems like not a big deal, but when I'm trying to get everything dialed in on my buddy's bike, it just nags at me.

Thanks!