Hollowtech 2 Crack Set Query

jedi_master

I may be building a bike for my dad using my old carrera frame and if i do i will be getting the Shimano Deore Chainset HollowTech II M532 cranks for it which i will fit myself but what i need to know is apart from the tools do the hollowtech II cracks come with everything need ?? bottom bracket cups and bearings etc... as the description doesn't say.

Would it also be wise to get the bottom bracket shell faced for when i fit the cranks and cups ? is it a must to get the frame faced or can i get away with not facing it ? i mean is the a test i can do to check to see if it needs facing ?

Will Snow

yeah, you get all the cups and everything included. you will need to bb spanner and preloading tool, i reccomend park tools one, coz its got both, and is just good.

now the facing part, i didnt, im ok bout a year down the line. but am guessing sum people will disagree with me there...

ps, erm when you install, there should be NO GAP inbetweeen the crank and the bottom bracket. if there is, you can screw up the threads and kill the crank arm...like i did. hope this helps bud.

jedi_master

Ok cool everything is included, sweet. I was going to go with the pedros bb spanner myself as its open ended, a buyer review on crc for the park one mentioned that is easy to adjust the bearing cups if they loosen with a open end spanner as you don't need to take the cranks off.

Will Snow

if the bb cups become loose (not likely if you do they up tight enough) i wouldnt touch them with a spanner... and i would certainly tighten up th e crank arms again

chilledsandwich

Also, when you are putting the BB in, make sure you check that you have put the spacers on and in the right place. I didn't on my first set and crushed the plastic sleeve. Not sure how important it is, but I had to order a new one and that was just annoying.

Facing-wise, have a look at the BB on the frame and see what sort of state the edges are like. If there is a lump of paint or something, that can affect the weight distribution onto the bearings becaue the cups won't be right up flush with the frame. Not essential, but it only costs a few quid to get it done just so that you know that the whole job has been done perfectly

dave_hill

The genuine Shimano tools are only about £15 for the spanner and the bearing pre-load widget (they come as a set).

As for the shell facing, I didn't bother and that's about 2 years ago. No creaking, no worn bearings, nowt. I actually removed the cranks the other day to give the thing a good old cleaning and the bearings are still as smooth as a freshly buttered sheep.