BB Tool, BB Grease, Chainset Degreaser

Secteur

Hi all,

I want to learn how to take off my cranks and remove the BB so I can clean it from time to time.

I dont know what my BB is (see photos below) but it's a Specialized Secteur Comp 2010.

So, my questions;

1) it says "do not dissassemble" - should I not be taking this apart?
2) is this the correct tool: http://www.parktool.com/product/bottom- ... tool-BBT-9
3) what grease should I be buying, and which bits do I put it on (and how much!)
4) what is the best degreaser for soaking the BB / chainset in?

Many thanks!

keef66

It's some form of Shimano Hollowtech II. The tool you link to is the right one. The little plastic wheel fits in the plastic end cap on the non drive side crank which you unscrew along with the 2 allen bolts to get the crank off. Then you can slide out the drive side complete (crank / chainrings / axle. The big end of the tool goes round the BB cups to unscrew them from the frame.

The 'Do not disassemble' refers to the internals of the bearing cups; although you can remove them from the frame, you're not meant to be able to get at the bearings themselves for cleaning / greasing (although some people do)

Reinstalling the bearing cups with liberal grease on the threads often cures a creaking BB, but when the bearings themselves are worn out Shimano want you to buy replacement cups complete.

sungod

1) "do not dissassemble" refers to that bearing assembly within the bb, you can still unscrew the bb from the frame

bb will be shimano hollowtech ii standard, there are several interchangeable models, differeing in quality/price/weight

2) looks like the right tool

3) grease depends on what it's for, the bb you have is sealed (hence the dnd) so you may not be able to grease the bearings, you just replace the bb once it gets worn/grindy, i use an skf lghp2 simply because sram's instructions specify it, but tbh any light grease is fine for bike bearings. for bits needing something lighter, i use syn lube, but again any medium weight oil is fine for chains etc. there are a few components that only need a really light lube, i use a silicone spray lube for these

4) park citrus degreaser is good, you can get equivalents cheaper, use google to look for citrus degreaser

btw degreasing and lubrication are subjects of great diversity and disagreement, i'm simply saying what i use - one grease, one oil, one light oil


have a look here for useful guides on how to do stuff...

http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help

btw, if you fit a new bb, clean out the bb shell carefully, and put some antiseize compound on the threads, it'll make future removal *much* easier - if this step was omitted on the current bb, as it often is, you may need to exert a lot of force to remove it

keef66

Oops! Didn't answer all the questions:

Don't degrease the BB cups.

Paraffin or white spirit are good / cheap degreasers for the chainset.

Any old multipurpose grease from a motor factor will do. Bike specific stuff is dearer (but often interesting colours)

desweller

You'll get it off in a few hours with a cold chisel and a lump hammer.

Secteur

Thanks for the excellent results (judgement reserved on the last comment!!)

:-)


PS, when I take the BB out, what do I do with it in terms of cleaning it? Do I just dunk the whole assembly in degreaser? When you say BB cups - is that the two silver bits that you can see in the photos?

desweller

Secteur wrote:

Thanks for the excellent results (judgement reserved on the last comment!!)

:-)


PS, when I take the BB out, what do I do with it in terms of cleaning it? Do I just dunk the whole assembly in degreaser? When you say BB cups - is that the two silver bits that you can see in the photos?

Definitely do not dunk it in degreaser!

Maybe give the threads and seals a wipe - that's about it.

God knows why it's called a bottom bracket; it should really be called the crankshaft bearing.

If you are not getting any creaking noises from the BB then you are far better off leaving it alone.

Secteur

Yes I'm not having any BB / crank issues, but I just thought I'd do a "deep clean" once every 6 months...

keef66

+1 If it's working / quiet, leave it alone. It's quite easy to mash up those alloy cups with that kind of BB tool.

Unless like me you cannot resist the urge to take things to bits. If that's the case then take the opportunity to regrease the threads when refitting the BB cups; it'll make them easier to remove when they are knackered and you really do need to get them out of the frame.

Definitely no dunking in degreaser. It will whip the grease out of the bearings and you have no way of getting fresh grease back in.

mattv

I like to regularly remove the cranks to give a good clean behind it and a good wipe near the bearing. To remove them (should be shimano 105) you loosen the 2 5mm bolts on the side ( sometimes you have to totally remove them as they hold a catch plate) then this releases the star bolt in the end which is undone with the plastic widget shown in your post. Then the crank arm slides off and the whole axle and right crank slides out as one piece with a tap from a mallet. Give a good clean, then refit. Be VERY careful tightening the 5mm bolts, as its really easy to round out the heads or strip the threads in the crank arm.