stuck bottom bracket

pittsburgh

New member
I recently purchased a 90 team fat on ebay and found the bottom bracket spindle and bearings bound so tight I cannot get it out with a two pound sledge hitting a maple board and then the spindle. I have two other fats from 1989 and I know the bottom brackets get tight, but I was always able to get them out. The seatpost is in like state. I have practically soaked these in penetrating oil to no avail. Short of using heat does anybody have any ideas on how to free these items from the frame?:confused:
 

Butcher

New member
Yea, get yourself a ball joint press. I got one from Harbor Frieght tools for about $40. I got the idea from when I was messing with the Phil Wood bottom bracket set up that is WAY to tight a press fit to pound the spindle with a hammer. The tool looks like a big c-clamp and they have a serious pressing power. Use some big washers or similar for shims/spacers and press the old spindle out of the bearings. Once you press the spindle flush with the bearing you can use a 3/8 socket extender or a bolt to keep pressing the spindle out through the BB shell. Then you should be able to get the old bearings out with a punch & hammer.

You can use the same tool to press the spindle back into the new bearings (after sand blasting it) and also to press your new bearings into the frame.

What happens is the spindle rusts inside the BB shell and then it's a bitch to get back out.
 

Butcher

New member
Stuck seat posts are even more fun :(....

The late Sheldon Brown has some solutions for you here:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/stuck-seatposts.html

The last time I got a stuborn one loose I ran a 4 foot breaker bar through the seat rails and using it to twist. This was after about a week of soaking with penatrating oil and trying other things. It ruined the seat, but it did get the post out.
 

pittsburgh

New member
Thanks. I'll get one of those presses. Got the seat post loose with a large adjustable wrench. Good to here from CO. Lived in aurora in 93-94 and loved biking Mt. Falcon and the park to the immediate north of that just off I-70. Favorite ride was Argentine Pass right off Grunella Pass outside Georgetown. Made it up to the divide once and then rode that for a bit. I guess it drops down to Keystone, but I didn't want to get stuck on the wrong side so I went back the same way I came. Thanks for the tip.
 

bonsaii

New member
Hydraulic press

You could also go to a passenger vehicle work shop and ask if the mechanics will help you out, using the hydraulic press.

Good luck!

-bns
 

Butcher

New member
You could also go to a passenger vehicle work shop and ask if the mechanics will help you out, using the hydraulic press.

Good luck!

-bns

Bansaii, That's exactly where I got the ball joint press idea. I took Fat to an auto shop once and that's what the guy used to press the spindle out (a ball joint press). After that I just bought my own tool so I would not have to bug them again.
 

pittsburgh

New member
Got her done. The ball joint press worked great. What a pop. I doubt the bottom bracket bearings were ever changed on this 89 YO. It sure beats pounding the bike with a sledge hammer!
 

Butcher

New member
Got her done. The ball joint press worked great. What a pop. I doubt the bottom bracket bearings were ever changed on this 89 YO. It sure beats pounding the bike with a sledge hammer!

Sweet!

I tried a factory Klein bottom bracket kit from the early 90's that I borrowed from the shop and it pulls the spindle out vs pressing. I could see from the loose stuff in the bottom of the tool's box, that the bolt that threads in to the spindle had broken off before - obviously not getting the job done. The ball joint press is the superiour Fat Chance bottom bracket tool.

Funny you mentioned living in Colorado. I lived in New York from spring 92 to fall 94. Lived in Cold Spring and rode all the little state parks around there. Raced in the World Cup race that came to Vermont, did tons of small local races around in NY, Connecticut, New Jersey. I remember being able to race about every weekend I wanted to and well in the fall/winter too. I remember the People in that area really got into Halloween and there was a mountain bike race that decorated the course with halloween stuff and had lite jackolanterns in a tunnel that the course took you through.
 
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