Bottom Bracket Replacement

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JeffBaines

New Member
Location
Manchester
Hi folks,

I'm a massive novice but I've been learning slowly over the past year how to look after my bike. Bare with me here, Imagine its your nan who's speaking so you understand where I've come from in terms of knowledge of bikes. So far I have:

  • Changed the pedals
  • Replaced the brake pads
  • Replaced the rear cassette after being quoted almost double the DIY price
  • Replaced the chain
  • Had a go at adjusting the gears but failed miserably
With that in mind, I got a puncture en route to work today and had to pit stop at Cycle Republic. The guy was really sound and explained a few things. He also mentioned that

  1. My drop bar/brake levers are bent massively (after I fell off quite spectacularly)
  2. My bottom bracket (inside the pedals) needs replacing as it whirrs at the same point in one full rotation
A few questions -
  • Is it easy to fix the bent handlebars/levers?
  • What bottom bracket will fit a Boardman CX team? The one on the spec doesn't appear to be in stock anywhere
 

Cycleops

Legendary Member
Location
Accra, Ghana
I shouldn't even bother to straighten the bars and levers, you might weaken the levers and handlebars are cheap enough. I'm assuming you mean the levers are bent rather than their position on bars.

Perhaps some CX owners can offer advise. on BBs, there are bound to be lots of alternatives.
 
It is a PF30 I'm afraid so you'll basically need one of THESE*

FWIW you might get away with a strip, clean, grease and refit. Press fit BB's are notoriously fickle when it comes to making annoying noises.

PF30.png

Instructions are HERE.

*other manufacturers and retailers are available.
 
OP
OP
J

JeffBaines

New Member
Location
Manchester
Thank you all for the replies. I'm going to leave the handle bars/brake levers alone for now because I'm really not noticing anything different.

For the BB I'll do as smokey has advised and give it a strip/clean. If nothing comes of it I'll replaced with the BB linked by smokey.

Thank you again!
 

Milkfloat

An Peanut
Location
Midlands
If the bars are significantly bent or cracked I would be replacing them sharpish - a fast decent is not a good place for a handlebar to fail. For the BB, before you decide take a look on you tube and see what you think. Press fit is not the easiest to work with and you need to make or buy a bearing press.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmOSu8JGJks
Gives you an idea of the process.
 

mmmmartin

Random geezer
Bad luck in buying, as I did, a bike with a press-fit bottom bracket. They seem easy to replace providing you have the expensive tools needed so I took it to my favourite local bike mechanic and paid him to replace the BB. I couldn't see any viable alternative.
I prefer the Shimano Hollowtech system that is on a couple of my bikes. It seems to last a reasonable time and is easy enough to replace yourself, with one tool that doesn't cost much. The BBs are about £25. You're unlikely to find one in Chile or Uzbekistan.......
As an aside, I have just stripped an old-fashioned bottom bracket called a "cup-and-cone". It has ball bearings inside, either nine in a race or 11 loose. The type with 11 loose ones is supposed to be better because the stress is taken through 11 ball bearings rather than nine. You need a cheapish spanner and a £10 crank extractor to do the business. Replacement races with nine bearings cost two or three quid, but changing it is more complicated than Hollowtech. This one failed after only 35 years in my bike for "leaving outside the pub". Buying a new one is about a tenner.
Thorn advised me that the Hollowtech system was a better one, stiffer and lighter, but if I was going round the world to remote places they'd advice fitting an old-fashioned standard BB as any bike shop in the world could fix it.
Hollowtech costs more but is easier to fix. I'd probably go for the simple old-fashioned system in future. But with press-fit I think you can't change.
 

J1888

Über Member
I really would replace the handlebars, if I were in your position.

Presumably they're the standard Boardman ones, can likely be replaced for as little as £40, which for peace of mind is a price worth paying IMO.
 
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