replacing bottom bracket

atomic fox

just wondering how difficult it is to replace a bottom bracket and what tools required. i have a 2007 claud butler cape wrath and pretty sure its a truvativ square taper bb. i try to do my own maintance where possible and its good to learn new stuff.halfords did quote me £15 if i supplied bb so not to bad but any links for tools and stuff i need will be appreciated.

delcol

like anything if you have the correct tools it is easy and straight forward..

you will need a crank puller to remove the cranks and a bb tool to remove the bottombracket.. and some kind of big wrench/adjutable spanner...

park tools ,,,, sheldonbrown have some good info and youtube is awash with tutorial videos showing you how to do things like this.

parktools

it will cost you around 12-£15 for a crank puller tool.
and around £8-£15 for the bb tool.

were abouts are you based? if you local to me i have all the tools required and may be able to help you out.

atomic fox

hi delcol,thanks for that info, very helpfull. just looking on chainreaction at bbs and tools.don t seem a bad price. i m leicestershire based btw.

delcol

ah i ooooooooooooooop north in manchester...

is it just the bb that need replacing or the whole crank?? if you replacing the whole crank you could go for an external bb style one like shimano deore slx etc.. imo they better you dont need a crank puller to remove them..

delcol

i should of said to..

how old is the current drivetrain.. ????

if it'sdone a few miles then it could be showing signs of ware if it is worn and you replace the crank(whole unit chainrings etc) then it could cause the chain to skip and jump.. ideally you would need to change the whole drive train. crank, cassette and chain.. as they all wear togeather..

if you only need the bb then it should not effect the rest of the drive train..

atomic fox

i think its just the bb needs replacing, there is no signs of any chain slip at the mo but i guess the drivetrain will need relacing in time.by then it could mean new bike time

oxocube1

Replacing the BB is very easy it just may need a bit of leverage if it has never been serviced/replaced before. Rather than buying all the tools separately, and as you like to do your own maintenance you are probably best getting an entire toolset like this one:

http://www.wheelies.co.uk/p41164/Bike-H ... imano.aspx

I have that very one and has everything you need to change a BB. The only thing you may need that would make things easier would be a long/extension socket arm for extra leverage. You just need some degreaser to clean it out, then some grease to get it running smoothly and you will be set .

Also kind of obvious but just make sure you have the correct length BB, it usually says the size on the BB shell.

delcol

does that tool kit have a squaretaper crank puller??

oxocube1

I assume that's the same thing as a crank extractor? because if so yes it comes with one, it uses the long allen key wrench you also get to wind it in/out.

The Rookie

That's a nice kit at that price, and yes you can clearly see a crank extractor in the picture (bottom left, not quite in the corner - looks like it has an ISIS adaptor with it as well).