Bottom bracket issue fix myself or send to shop?

How Soon Is Now

In the last week the bottom bracket is crunching and twisting like crazy when I'm cycling. I've had a similar issue before but its a lot louder this time around it literally sounds like the bike is about to crack ha. I got it serviced last time and everything was fixed in a few minutes so I was thinking would it be worth trying to sort myself? Or should I leave it to the pros?

magicbastarder

you almost certainly would need tools you don't possess to do it, and those tools could end up costing more than what you will pay in shop labour. so unless you've good experience with bike maintenance, i'd say leave it in to the shop.

worth asking - when it was serviced, was it replaced? i.e. how old is the current BB?

10-10-20

Not being funny, but- given that you're asking - I'd leave it to a shop. There are around 15 different types of BB's these days and they come as a kit and need a specific tool, so I'd drop it in and let them torque the replacement up right and take any concerns away from you around whether it's done right or not. Others may disagree! :)

How Soon Is Now

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121070634#Comment_121070634

Cheers! From what I can remember it would of been done around February or March. I recently changed the cassette after the front of it broke other than that its just been flat tubes and that was about it. I don't think the bottom bracket was ever changed its as old as the bike which is about two years.

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058312344/bottom-bracket-issue-fix-myself-or-send-to-shop

First of all, without any other info, if it is the BB, stop cycling it in case you do any damage to something other than the BB. You will need the tools to remove which are BB dependent, possibly clean and then insert a new BB. Another tool to preload the cranks, a torque wrench most likely at some point.

A bike shop would be best but if you have the time and money, it is satisfying to be able to fix it yourself, throw up a few photos and someone here will tell you what you need.

magicbastarder

that's a run of bad luck for a two year old bike - a broken cassette and a BB?

How Soon Is Now

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121070661#Comment_121070661

Might be just best to go drop it into someone so! I wont have time this week to go pulling it apart if its gonna be an awkward job. Water wouldn't cause any issues would it? Washed the bike Sunday and gave it a fairly good clean to say the least!

How Soon Is Now

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121070679#Comment_121070679

I've had a few niggly annoying issues with it to be honest. I put it down to the state of the roads etc but I don't know. The bike is well looked after most people seem to think its new whenever they see it apart from a few scratch's here and there from one or two falls. One of the front rings on the original cassette bent and broke and got caught in the derailleur on the way into work one morning. I had to just pull it off and ride home in a middle gear. Changing the cassette fixed it grand but I don't know what caused it in the first place!

How Soon Is Now

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121070636#Comment_121070636

Yeah I was just curious how much of a job it was more than anything. I like being able to fix things meself if I can but yeah id rather the bike stayed in one piece and myself haha :-)

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121070680#Comment_121070680

It would but not that quickly. I see MB said it's only 2 years old. A BB should last a few thousand km, even the plasticy pressfit ones get 5000km for me, the old school UN Shimano ones get north of 15k.

Wanderer78

decided to change my own press fit bb a few months ago, decided shur i ll make my own pressing tool, shur what could go wrong!!!! the rest is history.... bring it to the shop, theres a reason for the specialised bb tool!!!

How Soon Is Now

I don't think will make any difference but I've greased around the seal of the area just encase water washed it away see if it makes a difference later. If not ill get onto someone about having it looked at.

magicbastarder

if it's 'crunching and twisting like crazy' you're wasting your time. there should be ample grease inside (which your grease won't have penetrated to), and your bearings could be disintegrating which no amount of grease can fix.

How Soon Is Now

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121071685#Comment_121071685

Figured but try it anyway ha. I didn't notice it being as bad last week or the week before so its strange that its so noticeable all of a sudden. My mudguards make a certain amount of noise so it can be hard to tell sometimes but this seems to be different.

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121071738#Comment_121071738

Can your cranks move in ways they shouldn't (as in can you move them side to side), the BB may just have disintegrated. My first pressfit BB I rode until it fell apart and you could still technically cycle it but the BB was effectively gone.

How Soon Is Now

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121072470#Comment_121072470

No, they seem normal nothing seems to be loose that I can tell. I even checked the pedals on Sunday when I was cleaning the bike there not loose either in fact I couldn't get them off when I tried! Have the bike booked in to be looked at next Tuesday morning I can almost guarantee it will be something stupid. Seems like every time I get a really annoying problem that seems like something that needs to be sorted ASAP it takes someone who knows what there doing ten minutes and everything is perfect again ha.

Explosive_Cornflake

Are you power washing this bike? Don't do that anywhere there is grease on it.

Wanderer78

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121075390#Comment_121075390

use to do this to an older bike, probably done some long term damage, havent done it in years, only use the hose nowadays, the elbow grease is worth it....

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121075390#Comment_121075390

Everyone says this but I disagree. I see riders power housing after CX races and use the same bikes week in, week out without issue. Done it myself without issue, they deal with Irish commutes all the time and are fine. I regularly powerhouse my bike after events and "interesting" commutes without issue. Unless you are targeting the greased areas, doing it within a foot away, and holding it there for a few minutes. A quick blast from a few feet away for a few seconds is not going to do anything IMO.

Paddigol

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121075600#Comment_121075600

Same. Just adjust the nozzle setting from 'Crowd Control Water Cannon' and don't hold it an inch from the likes of bottom bracket. For me it makes cleaning/ maintaining MTB, CX bike and winter commuter a hell of a lot less painful. The 'good' summer bike doesn't really need it at all as it will rarely pick up any filth so a soapy wash and hose rinse is fine.

Explosive_Cornflake

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121075600#Comment_121075600

That's the difference, you're doing it with control. Some people just go mad and do blast all the grease out. I'll power wash my motorbike, but I do it similar to how you do your bicycle.

Weepsie

If it's a threaded bottom bracket it's pretty easy and cheap to just replace. Press fit , even with the right tools (thanks cram) I fecked one up and went to lbs

ARX

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121076649#Comment_121076649

Yep, I had a colleague whose bike was spotless but rode like a bag of spanners. Every bearing in it was destroyed. He'd been blasting it with a pressure washer. Apparently you can damage car tyres with a pressure washer if you're being sufficiently enthusiastic with it.

How Soon Is Now

No pressure washer either a bucket and sponge or use the hose every now and again when im arsed to take it out!

Paddigol

Lads, there are plenty of variations in pressure washers, from ones you hook up to the back of a tractor, industrial petrol versions, high power home-use ones, all the way down to bike-specific ones. It's not hugely helpful to lump them all in the same category. I have a garden hose than can direct more pressure on a certain setting than my small pressure washer on it's low power setting.

Each to their own, but I don't think its hugely helpful to propagate the myth that using a pressure washer is going to destroy your bike any more than it is saying using degreaser will destroy your bike.

Explosive_Cornflake

I don't think anyone said a pressure washer would destroy a bike. What was said it's they need to be used with care.

Paddigol

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121084672#Comment_121084672

I read "I had a colleague whose bike was spotless but rode like a bag of spanners" differently to you so.

How Soon Is Now

Soooo I didn't wash the bike over the weekend as it was grand cause of the dry weather last week so it sat in the shed over the last few days. Headed out this morning and soon as it hit the wet roads there wasn't a sound out of it!

Yeah I got the usual noise from the mudguards but that was it. No crunching or twisting not even when I got heavy on the pedals going uphill. So did something dry out and that caused the issue last week? I wont bother dropping it into the shop today and ill see what happens if it dry's out later.

fiacha

Just get it serviced. If there are issues with water ingress / loss of grease etc then it'll only get worse over time. A simple bit of maintenance now might save you time and money over the wet winter.

How Soon Is Now

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121100436#Comment_121100436

Yeah do no harm! Curious see how it will be now heading home later and tomorrow when its dry ill go from there then and get it sorted before weather changes.