Replacing BB30a bearings

martinm4

I need to replace the bb bearings on my supersix evo. It looks to me like I’ve got BB30a bb but when I look at the bearing from the inside there is a lip behind the bearing that means I can’t push directly against the bearing. I think the bearing is sat in a cup.
Is it ok to remove both the cup and the bearing then re-install the cup and new bearing?

thistle_

martinm4 said:

I need to replace the bb bearings on my supersix evo. It looks to me like I’ve got BB30a bb but when I look at the bearing from the inside there is a lip behind the bearing that means I can’t push directly against the bearing. I think the bearing is sat in a cup.
Is it ok to remove both the cup and the bearing then re-install the cup and new bearing?

There is a circlip on the inside of the bearing, you need to remove this first.
You then need to push the bearing out from the inside - there are various tools for pushing/pulling the bearing out, this is one of the simplest: https://www.tredz.co.uk/.FSA-BB30-Bearing-Removal-Tool-E0019_106180.htm
You'll need a bearing press of some sort to get the new one back in.

sungod

if it is bb30/bb30a, the bearing mounts direct into the bb shell, the lip behind the bearing has to be there otherwise the bearing would just slide deeper into the shell

for that, you can use a tool like this, insert through the bearing, it rests on the inner race, then you gently tap the bearing out from the other side...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/FSA-BB30-Bearing-E0019-Removal/dp/B005C97U84

if the bearings are in cups, it's likely to be something like pf30, in which case you can either try a bb30 tool to drive the bearings out of the cups, or get a pf30 removal tool

with care you can often tap bearings out without a tool, but a tool helps keep the extraction force along the axis

when refitting, a bearing press is preferred as it avoids things going in at an angle and damaging the shell, you can also improvise with a long chunky bolt, nuts and some heavy washers that are a smidge smaller than the outer race

for instance...

https://wheelsmfg.com/presses-tools/presses-extractors.html

martinm4

Here are some pics of the inside. Defo not circlips (got those on an old caad10 and this is different)

Doesn’t pf30 have a tube connecting both sides as mine doesn’t.

There is literally millimetres of the bearing visible above that lip at the back.

sungod

the bb used in that model may have changed over time, if you know which year the frame is, you can check the spec.

for instance, see...
https://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=145081
...which doesn't look quite the same, though it's hard to be sure with the differences in angle/lighting

you can also measure the bb shell width, cup diameter etc. and see what matches pf30, pf30a, etc.

worst case, you can use a screwdriver/whatever and gently tap out the bearing from the rear, just be sure to keep moving around the circumference of the race so that the bearing stays as straight as possible on the way out

btw if retaining compound has been used on the cups (or bearings), this can considerably increase the force needed to remove them

martinm4

Ok finally got bearings out. What a pain in the backside that was. The bearings were so tight or seized into the cups that the whole thing came out. So now I’ve got a completely empty bb shell on the bike now

Getting the bearing out of the cup was a nightmare.

Question is how the hell do you get these cups back in do I just put the bearing inside it and press both in together?

wavefront

I now can’t recall what I did when building up my Evo - I vaguely think the bearings were already being in the cup and I pressed in the cup into the shell with a press. Could be wrong tho’

What I can say is that having a proper park tool press makes life so much easier than any other press I’ve used. They went in first time and perfectly straight. Also I’d thoroughly recommend against hammering out bearings as suggested above. I can’t say for sure but my old Evo’s bottom bracket disintegrated after only 50,000kms and with the force I had to tap out bearings over a few years, I wouldn’t be surprised if it led to the carbons untimely demise around the BB.

I have since used a specific tool for pressing out bearings gently. Works in the opposite way to a normal press. Saves hammering the bike , which can’t be doing it any good. Google BB30 pulling tool.

sungod

martinm4 said:

Ok finally got bearings out. What a pain in the backside that was. The bearings were so tight or seized into the cups that the whole thing came out. So now I’ve got a completely empty bb shell on the bike now

Getting the bearing out of the cup was a nightmare.

Question is how the hell do you get these cups back in do I just put the bearing inside it and press both in together?

best is a bearing press, with bb30 i grease them and press in, never had any issue

by design these are a tight fit, you can exploit the thermal coefficient of expansion to get a little extra clearance during assembly

for instance, i find getting the crank spindle back through the bearings extremely tight, using force can easily shift a bearing, so i use freezer spray on the spindle, that's enough to give a bit more clearance, the spindle goes through easily, then it tightens up as the metal warms, putting it in the deep freeze would do the same, but takes longer to chill down

check the manufacturer's instructions for your frame, see what they say about using grease or retaining compound for assembly

thistle_

sungod said:

martinm4 said:

Ok finally got bearings out. What a pain in the backside that was. The bearings were so tight or seized into the cups that the whole thing came out. So now I’ve got a completely empty bb shell on the bike now

Getting the bearing out of the cup was a nightmare.

Question is how the hell do you get these cups back in do I just put the bearing inside it and press both in together?

by design these are a tight fit, you can exploit the thermal coefficient of expansion to get a little extra clearance during assembly

Or stick them in the freezer overnight

trevor.hall12

To remove the bearing only its one click ,to remove the shell its 2 that's with park tool bbt 90.3 ( think that's the number .
I used this method when o went from PF 30 to 30a on my derosa SK Pinninfarina

trevor.hall12

If its all out now ,I'd recommend renewing the whole thing