Not a single bike co-op in my city close to 900,000 people (I'm surprised). Will have to wipe my brows and buy the tools. No choice.

Will get the lockring tool and crank puller. Have the 15mm socket wrench. Do I need a pin spanner though, for my bike?

Without a side view of the adjustable cup no one can say for sure
Some are pin holes, some hex, some 2 flats

Check that your crank mounting bolts are actually 15mm (many are 14mm, and some, rarely, 16mm), and that your socket will fit into the crank arm. Many inexpensive sockets are too thick to fit into the arm.This is less likely to be an issue if your crank uses 14mm bolts.

Possibly. If the adjustable cup has pin holes for a pin spanner, then yes. Some adjustable cups have flats or slots instead of pin holes; for those the Park HCW-11 works well.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...03e291eac.jpeg

I doubt the adjustable cup has hex flats. The crank is very close to the cup on that side. Likely pin holes.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...88ec0c9_4k.jpgP1050698 on Flickr

Update on the temporary fix: I was able to tighten it as much as I can with a 10"/1-1/4" inch adjustable wrench. Due to the width of the adjustable wrench I could not turn it all the way in. I went for a test ride for half a mile and back just now. The rubbing noise is gone for now. I am off for a 70-mile ride, and will be back later tonight.

Thank you everyone for your time and help. 🙏

I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that even if the OP doesn’t have all the proper tools, based on what he does have or will be getting (crank extractor) he’ll probably be okay. Yes the proper tools made for the specific job are ideal but we’ve all been there.

Working on the Allez, I couldn’t find my round head pin spanner when getting out the BB, so I instead used a punch and gently tapped from the side to loosen it. Worked just fine.

I don’t think anyone should go on a 70mi ride with the BB half hanging out of the bike lol, but if he can get the cups tight, the bearings greased, and the spindle spinning smooth, he’ll be alright:thumb:

Get that bike to a bike shop ASAP.

It doesn't matter. The cages makes it more convenient to put the bearings in but they are not meant to be load bearing cages; put enough pressure because they are not kept in place by the cup and race and you can end up with a mangled mess.

Pro tip; doing away with the cage and adding an extra bearing gives you more bearing surface to distribute the load.

...you're welcome.

Any specific Park Tool or other name brand tool recommendations to remove the dust cap?

I can't get started with fixing the bottom bracket without removing the dust caps.



https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e66d37f857.jpg

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...dce5452843.jpg

I just use my biggest flat head screwdriver...it’s a big one. The park 14,15,16 crank wrench has one built in.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/26641591284...Bk9SR7SAiY7dYg

So you survived the bike ride? And the bike survived!? Some members were sure your bike was about to burst into flames:lol:

This is one of the very few instances where the vise grips can be recommended, clamp to a nickel or quarter and try to twist them out.

These look like replacement is in order so you could just use whatever to bust them out and then clean the threads well so the arm puller will thread in all the way and get them off if they are stubborn without causing any damage. ;)

Glad you're going all in as it will help you to wrangle many of these challenges as they come up.

Does anyone else have the impression that this is a troll?

I thought about that or AI but figured I'd go all in just for fun. :rolleyes:

Water under the bridge, but tightening it may have been a bad idea. You might actually have been saved by not being able to tighten it further. Here's why:
Look closely at the top of the pic below. Focus on the distance between the "head" of the fixed cup and the face of the shell on the frame, comparing the "aft" side (left side of photo) with the forward side (right side of photo). The aft side is closer, indicating that the cup is not in straight, i.e. cross-threaded. Threading it in further may well have damaged the threads, either on the cup or on the shell.

The reason the arm is so close is that the spindle is too far to the right. The adjustable cup was most likely turned way too far in, to compensate for the fact that the fixed cup is so far out. This shifts the spindle to the right. For this reason, it's entirely possible that the bearings are NOT extremely loose in the assembly as speculated/concerned above, so there may not be damage to the bearing surfaces. From what I can tell, the most likely damage will be to the threads on the drive side.

They did come up and even have a specific tool to remove the dust cap, specifically. :lol: And make no mistake there would be folks who would buy that thing for the sole purpose of removing the dust cap as well, for their own peace of mind, for preventing a catastrophe, and for a variety of other reasons. :lol:

The bike and the bike ride were great. I have paid attention to it just yesterday, and as I have mentioned earlier, I may have very well ridden the bike in the same condition for about an year now without even noticing it. I did tighten the cup 3/4th of the way, before the ride, so that the threads were not showing up any more (it was still out by 1/4th, but the adjustable wrench was too wide and hitting the frame). I was paying attention to it during the bike ride and carried the adjustable wrench with me, just in case................ I'm still alive.

I did not notice any damage to the threads as I felt that the cup went straight in as I tightened it. I will remove and repack the bottom bracket with new ball bearings and grease, as have had enough experiences to realize that a regular bike maintenance will make a big difference in how the bike rides.

Thank you for your comment, nevertheless. 🙏

While you're at it go ahead and clean that poor bike by hand with soapy water and old rags -- looking it over carefully while and after cleaning it you might find more "deferred" maintenance issues that should be addressed -- like the empty bottle boss holes pointed out earlier. You've proven that you CAN ride a bike which badly needs mechanical attention 70 miles (congratulations?), but your rides will be a lot better if the bike is in good mechanical condition, and the bike will last longer, too.

Most bottom bracket bearing retainers hold nine balls (Nervar retainers hold seven balls), although the race itself will hold eleven balls. You can either use eleven loose balls, or use an eleven ball retainer:
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c7e361d2fa.jpg

Will do.

FYI, this old bike was neglected, disregarded, abused, mistreated, and manhandled by its original and previous owner(s), and feels much better in my hands. When I acquired this bike, the front wheel was wobbling and shaking like a squirrel on a roller coaster and producing a squeaking noise that could rival the chorus of rubber ducks. However, I took matters into my own hands, disassembled the front wheel and bestowed upon it fresh bearings and generous slathering of grease, and the wheel now glides with the grace of a swan and emits a sound so melodious that birds on the side of the trials fly in envy................despite its appearance.

My
 

My brother is having a similar problem with the Italian threaded fixed cup on his Guerciotti.
He said the cup started unscrewing itself off the BB shell towards the end of two recent rides.
He said he thoroughly cleaned the threads of the BB shell and fixed cup and screwed it on as tight as possible with the proper tools, but the problem persists happening again in the next ride he took.
I suspect the bearings put enough rolling stress on the fixed cup to unscrew it when he pedaled.
would Locktite be the right thing to use to keep the fixed cup from unscrewing again??
Should he use blue or the stronger, red Locktite?

What is tight as possible with proper tools?

Wrench held in place with cheater to lean in?

I would use Super Glue and this,

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2c1d45dd41.jpg

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7cef47db09.jpg

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...9b22bf8b4f.jpg


;)

...I use blue Loctite on the drive side of Italian BB's with good results. I also have a Hozan fixed cup tool, though, so I get them in there pretty tight. Red Loctite will require some heat, by whomever is the next person to remove that cup. Im my situation, it's overkill.

No, don't use red Loctite unless you never want to remove that cup again. Blue Loctite is sufficient, and it helps if you have a shop-quality fixed-cup tool to install the cup, e.g. Campagnolo #793, VAR #30, or Hozan C-352 rather than the simple stamped fixed cup tools.

My favorite is the Stein Fixed Cup Wrench Clamp.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f76260f721.jpg