Ultratorque Bottom Bracket

pblakeney

Good evening ladies and gentlemen,

I was fortunate to treat my self to a nice bicycle a few years ago and insisted that it just had to have Campagnolo throughout.
Now I am in a bit of a pickle as the bottom bracket would appear to have some play even though the cups are on tight.
Would I be correct in assuming that the bottom bracket needs to be replaced?

Although I would normally take such things to the shop in these times of uncertainty and austerity, I am trying to attain the skills to do all the work myself.

I have most of the usual tools already but I assume that some specialist tools are required. May I enquire as to what they may be?
Do I simply order new bearings or a complete new assembly?

Thank you very much in advance for your time.

PB

pinarellokid

all you need is new bearings new cups would be a good idea too

then a normal bottom bracket tool shimano one works.

the only issue i can see is knocking the bearings back onto the axle
i used an old quill stem, the bars hole fits over the axle perfectly,
and can then be used to drive the new bearing on

vanleapo

You will need new bearings and cups as said previously.
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... ampbtbr476
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... 0000000000
About £35 in total.
The problem is you will need a special bearing puller.
I have the Park one which is very good, but costs approx. £45
http://www.singletrackbikes.co.uk/m8b55 ... tAodmjAA9A
The cups can be changed out with the shimano tool.
Once you have the correct tools the job is pretty easy and can be done in 30 mins.

pinarellokid

ideally id buy one of them tools as i have 2x ultratorque now

may invest for the long term

Wirral_paul

I've got Campag Ultratorque myself and am going to have to invest in a bearing puller myself at some stage i'm sure. Do the cups actually wear though? I thought the wear would be limited to the bearings themselves, with the cups and outer edges of the bearing races not wearing at all.

pinarellokid

all depends how long you leave the bearing service i reckon, i have 2 sets of cups on the shelf which are knackered due to pitting and corrosion, they look a mess,

so bad i should throw the away really. as last time i changed the bearings i decided they were not good enough..

they wont be next time either lol

pblakeney

Thank you all for your kind help.
In for a penny, in for a pound. I gather that my requirements are:-
New bearings and cups.
A cup tool, a Park Tools bearing puller and I am all set.

I will keep the cups as spares should the original ones be in good condition.

This may strike you all as a silly question but, how do I remove the cranks?

Thank you very much in advance for your time.

PB

majormantra

Check Part Tool or Youtube or Campag's tech docs. But basically you just need to undo the bolt holding the Hirth joint together. IIRC it's a 10mm hex bit and you'll need an extender (as in a standard socket set) as it's right in the middle of the BB shell.

rowlers

Not strictly the correct method, but you can get the bearings off without a puller. Small flat blade, screwdriver, etc.. tapped around each bearing and it eventually lifts up and slides off. Pretty similar removing a crown race.

majormantra

You might also be able to bodge it with a cheapo gear puller from ebay, although I've not tried. I suspect you'd have to grind the jaws slightly to get the puller under the lip of the bearing.

(I used such a puller to remove a Power Torque crank recently, rather than shelling out for the proper tools, as it was for one time use.)

cycleclinic

The correct tools are not cheap and you may find the NDS bearing which has no circlip keeping it on the NDS axle, is left in the NDS bearing cup. This means scrap cups unless you have a good bearing puller to remove (good shops will). Even after that bearing is pulled you may find as I have found in the past the bearing is seized in place and fall apart on removal.

So for the DIY mechanic buy a set of cups and bearings.

rolf_f

I've been through two sets of bearings on my Ribble (well, 1.5 - see below). I bought the Park bearing puller and punch when I first needed it (which is always the right time to buy a tool!) and have no regrets - it's worth it if you do a decent mileage and don't plan on changing crankset hardware soon.

With the tools, the job is a doddle. £22 for the bearings (sadly a non standard size so cheap ones aren't an option). Last time (a few weeks back) I found the non drive side bearing still seemed to be fine so I left it in - hence only 1.5 sets. No sign of any bother on the cups despite a hard life so I left them in - but that said they aren't expensive and a spare in the drawer is worth more than one in the shop!

pblakeney

Thank you kind fellows for your help.

I believe that if you have to do a job, then you should do it right* so all the parts will be on order soon.

*Although I also believe in; make and do as best you can in restricted positions.