nans

I was looking at some tools and some other threads about removing the lockring on older bottom brackets and many have mentioned different types of of lockring wrenches but considering this is an old 35mm french bottom bracket Im not quite sure if any of those tools would do the job. I was looking buying a Park H series bottom bracket wrench but it looks like the teeth might not match up well and some seem they are geared towards more standardized bottom brackets.

Any one have any experience removing one of these with a park tool? Im trying to avoid the large pipe wrench cause this thing is stuck on really hard and i dont want to shred the metal on this thing





The bike is an old Peugeot PL40 probably early 70's

southpawboston

Some French drive-side cups used 32mm flats, and I've successfully used my 32mm Park headset wrench on these. Are you sure the drive side cup is 35mm and not 32mm? I never remove the drive side cup before removing the adjustable cup first, and I use a bolt with large fender washers threaded through the drive-side cup to sandwich the wrench between the BB shell and the fender washer to prevent slipping. I've also had to soak the BB threads in PB blaster or other rust penetrant for days before actually loosening the cup.

nans

Yep the drive side is 35 I checked it with some calipers.. This bike got shipped here from the French market, still has the sticker from the bicycle shop in france that sold it. Yes im going to try and stay away from the drive side cup for now.... just thinking if there is a ready made tool for the lockring before i go buck wild on it. The spindle hardly hardly turns without the crankarms so im dying to crack it open and see whats going on in there. Theres no play in the bb but it looked like it has seen alot of dust and mud in its day.

randyjawa 

I have removed hundreds of old bottom brackets and only been stumped by a few, most of those being of Raleigh origin. This is how I go about rebuilding a bottom bracket, including how to remove those sometimes stubborn cups.

SteveSGP

For the really tough ones I have a giant channel locks but you have to be careful when you use them so you don't slip and tear up the lock ring.

nans

Is that a hozan ring wrench that you got there in the line up? looks like its a pretty universal tool since its just one tooth on either end

unworthy1

the Hozan is my choice: it's never failed on FR, BSC, or Ital lockrings. Sometimes you have to give it a helpful "tap' with a deadblow mallet.

Grand Bois

My VAR lock ring pliers have never failed me.

Daveyates

I've only ever used monkey pliers to remove bottom brackets.

SumoMuffin

I've never been able to not remove a bb lockring with this. No need to have the perfect tool, you just need to hook it.



https://www.parktool.com/product/fixe...-wrench-hcw-17

prettyshady

Do the french in paris call adjustable spanners - un cle anglaise?

Daveyates

Haha no idea , i don't even know if monkey pliers is the correct name in English.

JohnDThompson 

You should have no problem with the lockring. The official wrench for the adjustable cup is this:



Unless you're replacing the whole bottom bracket there's no compelling reason to remove the fixed cup.

indycycling

Extremely helpful reminder on the fixed cup today!

Salamandrine 

All that's required is a Hozan lockring tool and a good quality crescent wrench. The Park tool looks like a copy of the Hozan so I suppose it should work.

Yeah, it's nice to have the proper VAR tools, and the bike will certainly plane better if you use French VAR tools exclusively. Really though, it's just not necessary for a home mechanic.

Bill in VA

When I last removed the BB cups on my Peugeot UO-8, the cups were firmly stuck. A friend and I placed the adjustable cup with the hex in a bench vise facing down into the jaws. I kept the tension on the jaws and he slowly turned the entire frame. It finally broke loose and moved about a 8th turn. We stopped and put penetrating oil in the gap and let it sit overnight. We started the next day with me heating the BB with a hair dryer and then put it back in the bench vise. It came out smoothly.

I soaked the adjustable cup in white gas to remove what looked like thread locker. When clean, I threaded it in and out with plenty of machine oil and then recleaned the BB threads and the adjustable cup. I greased the threads with Phil Wood grease and cut a bearing shield out of an old aluminum can and reassembled it. I then added the lock ring. Never tried to remove the fixed cup on that bike.

If it is a cotterless crank, you can thread a correct metric screw into the BB axle and then using a small strip of wood with a hole cut for the BB axle put the wrench as shown above on the flats, place the board over it, then a large fender washer and use the metric (or other appropriate thread for your axle) bolt to LIGHTLY bolt it down. That prevents the wrench from slipping off the hex or flats and marking the frame, rounding the flats, or smashing your knuckles.

Salamandrine 

If the choice is between the Park HCW-5 and a Hozan dual sided lockring tool, go for the Hozan. I prefer the Park overall slightly, but it won't fit every BB. The Hozan is more versatile.

merziac

This program has never failed, never slips, never hurts.

Here are the tools,

BBR2.JPG

Here is the setup,

BBR5.JPG

BBR10.JPG

BBR9.JPG

merziac

This has been discussed many times before and I have been chastised for advocating the removal of the fixed cup when difficult as not being necessary. For me it is simple, the fixed cup needs to be removed so that we know it can be and that it has, period.

merziac

Also, the Sugino tool pictured is by far the best I have ever used, it seems that the hook is slightly undersized so that it conforms by tension to grab the lockring firmly around its circumference for better purchase during removal. Works like charm when handled correctly.

jj1091

I've removed a bunch of them without special tools. To keep from gouging up the metal, I have a thick piece of leather I wrap over the lockring, then use my largest channel-lock pliers on top of the leather.

pfaustus

I was recently surprised to discovery that the "nut" on the adjustable cup on an old Peugeot bottom bracket was 23mm. I was even more surprised to find out I had a wrench that size.

Removing the lock ring can be done lots of ways. There is a $2 tool on ebay from china that will probably work fine for home use. My old Sugino tool works fine. I have a pair of channelocks with the tips ground to fit bottom bracket lock rings. An adjustable spanner like this is great if you want to go fancy. https://www.amazon.com/Williams-474-...ding=UTF8&s=hi A Park HCW-5 should work too. The slight difference in size of a French lock ring shouldn't make a difference with any of these.

Whichever tool you use will probably require some light tapping on the end with a hammer to break it free. With that rust, penetrating oil should be the first step.

I don't know if any of the current Park tools will fit the fixed cup, but that is a job for a 12" crescent wrench and/or a Sheldon widget.

ryansu

I will say I have used the @randyjawa method and it worked for me!! and I am sure saved me more than a few busted knuckles

d_dutchison

The Sugino hook wrench has fit every lockring I've encountered in 40 years of wrenching, and I've never felt worried about it slipping

merziac

Exactly, because it never does if the operator does their job.