bottom bracket issue

Were you making sure they went in straight? A press can still cause the bearing to go in at a slight angle which would make it hard to press in and could even start shedding some metal shavings

So you could try it again and carefully press it in making sure it goes in straight and not cocked at an angle, or just take it to a shop. It's not that hard to install though but if metal shavings are coming out, something's not going in right.


Also make sure you did in fact buy the correct sized bearings

sundaybmxRR wrote:

Were you making sure they went in straight? A press can still cause the bearing to go in at a slight angle which would make it hard to press in and could even start shedding some metal shavings

So you could try it again and carefully press it in making sure it goes in straight and not cocked at an angle, or just take it to a shop. It's not that hard to install though but if metal shavings are coming out, something's not going in right.


Also make sure you did in fact buy the correct sized bearings

I assume mid bearings are all the same besides 19mm or 22mm. they definitely didn't want to go in straight but i finally got them in past half way but would budge after that and actually destroyed the washer. a metal hammer and wood block and it still didn't budge.

even if my LBS can install it i think it will be a pain the replace it down the road. I had a similar issue with a stem but that was an easier fix.just tried
again and its not budging.

Hey, you should have started with a drop of oil or grease of whatever before you started, man.

Normally, when things are stuck and don't budge at all, then you have a problem and need to stop as soon as possible. Metal on metal and raw energy doesn't do anything good.

Take a break first and approach the problem from another angle instead of cursing and banging on the stuff. It's not because you are the Hulk that you can fix a bike. The skinnier you are, the smarter you are. THats why nerds are skinny.

Calm down and take the bike to the bike shop. Tell them the truth , say you screwed up and ''please could you fix my bike I would kiss your ass thank you so much".

Or, if you don't want to go, look on the internet. Or youtube. or more. That's what the internet is for.

Reading from what you said above, you are definitely stuck. You have passed the point of no return... Thats why thinking before always fix the problem.

Good luck. Try your friend google and come back if you can't fix that bugger.

I watched over 5 bb videos. used a ton of Phil woods grease and nothing. I screwed up? as a 45 year old college graduate and a construction manger who has built over 60 homes I am confident in watching and learning something. I am on the internet now so what makes you think i didn't go to YouTube first? anyway my methods did not work so I am asking to see if anyone else had a similar issue.

Calm down and take the bike to the bike shop. Tell them the truth , say you screwed up and ''please could you fix my bike I would kiss your ass thank you so much".

that comment tells me you cant be older than 20.

Over the years I've noticed some frames just tend to have tighter tolerances than others. As long as you didn't ovalize that bottom bracket tubing you'll be fine. Shaving the metal isn't good but as long as the tube's still round it really won't be a huge deal.

That being said, I'd be more worried about the stress of running it in slightly crooked ruining the bearings. Bearing like this tend not to enjoy lateral loads.

I've had issues getting BB's in frames every now and then. I've done everything from straight tapping them in with a hammer to using a hydraulic press. Some frames just enjoy being a bitch. I've had some frames that you literally could just slide the bearing into also.

I've made presses before in a pinch and what I've found to work best if you're using something like that is to build up washers starting small against the nut and work up to larger washers against the bearing. This allows the force to be spread more evenly through the stack of washers and not just at the center of what is most likely something like a fender washer and is much more stout than a single washer or two.

If you can get the bearings back out I would start there. If you want to re-engineer your homemade press a little you can try that. Grease the fuck out of everything. Get the bearing started by tapping them in as straight as possible and try to clamp it together with the press.

If you're over the homemade setup, take the frame to a shop, buy another bb and have them install it. The extra couple bucks is worth spending to save the headache.

the average age on here is under 20, I believe. FWIW.

If you used grease and it wouldn't budge, call the bike shop and see if they can ream out bottom bracket shell. Some have tools to do that, some don't. It's worth a call to see. Keep in mind some bike shops have no clue about bmx bikes too.

Often the bottom bracket shell can get warped/ out of round during the welding process. Causing the bearings to be very tight.

A vise works well for pressing bearings in as does a "C" clamp.

I'm old school though. I use a hammer. :0

Sounds like a manufacturing fault. You should've taken it back sooner, but now they might not take it back as you've used excessive force on it. Which is classed as misuse and voids warranty

Flexte wrote:

I watched over 5 bb videos. used a ton of Phil woods grease and nothing. I screwed up? as a 45 year old college graduate and a construction manger who has built over 60 homes I am confident in watching and learning something. I am on the internet now so what makes you think i didn't go to YouTube first? anyway my methods did not work so I am asking to see if anyone else had a similar issue.

Calm down and take the bike to the bike shop. Tell them the truth , say you screwed up and ''please could you fix my bike I would kiss your ass thank you so much".

that comment tells me you cant be older than 20.

Hey, calm down.

Or rather, I shouldn't have said that.

Sorry.

I do know that 90% of the people on here are under 20, which is why I used that style of writing, assuming that I would end up with a 12 year old kid who thinks that scooters are gay.

My advice for you now, if you managed to get the bearings out, is to grind up the bearing cups and try fitting it that way. other than that, well, a workbench vice works great too. Screw it, your experience fat outweigh mine.

Again, sorry, and I do apologize sincerely- I love telling kids to tell people that they want to kiss their asses-.

I'm under 20 -actually 16 turning 17-, and heck, vital is where I evacuate my kiddy impulsions.

Thank for the advice guys. This was a slow build so I bought the frame first and other parts over time. I spent over $900 in the past 3 months to build this thing. Even though I opened and inspected the frame when it came in it has been sitting int eh box for over 2 months. Yesterday my final parts came in so i decided to start building it. There is no visible damage from my homemade press or the rubber hammer. the small metal shavings that I saw were from the frames BB. I thinking worse case scenario take it to a bmx shop (there are 3 in my area). if they cant get it in then its a manufacturing issue and should be covered under the frames warranty. I already have a bike I paid $1800 for my shop to build. This bike was more of a hobby so I can practice servicing my bike while still having one to ride also saving money by buying the parts myself. First thing Monday I am taking to to a shop and getting their advice. My concern would still that even if they do manage to press them in the bb bore size is just too small and may cause issues down the road. Thanks again for the advice I this is the exact reason I decided to have 2 bikes so at least I have one the ride while the other is being worked on.

Pop the bearings in as far as you can w/ your hand, then tighten your cranks down, works better than a home made press. Make sure you put the cone spacers on next to the bearings.

EatMyButt wrote:

Pop the bearings in as far as you can w/ your hand, then tighten your cranks down, works better than a home made press. Make sure you put the cone spacers on next to the bearings.

They wont go in at all my hand. That's what everyone says at the beginning of all bb videos. The most I could do by hand is get it in crooked. i tried both sides numerous times. I am thinking it similar to the issue I have with my stem. the stem bolts were so tight that the made noise while I rode. I had to screw in and unscreww the stem bolts 4 times to actually loosen up the fit. turn out they were just bored too small. bore tools get worn down over time and manufactures trying to save money don't replace them as often as they should causing these types of issues.

Did you grease the stem bolts?

Do you have a set of calipers? You could check the actual size of the outer bearing race and the inside of your BB shell.

What stem is it?

pnj wrote:

Did you grease the stem bolts?

Do you have a set of calipers? You could check the actual size of the outer bearing race and the inside of your BB shell.

What stem is it?

I fixed the stem issue a few weeks ago and that was on my other bike. I am waiting on a friend who has calipers to take the actual measurements. I am about to head to a LBS that has a press.

If the bearings are that hard to press in, they'll probably bind when/if you can actually get them in.

Let us know how it goes.

Thanks for the suggestions. My LBS had a press and they were able to get them in. the bb spacer was too short so i told them to add washers so I will see how it works out once i get my wheels next week. for a total of only $16 they installed the BB and cranks. Lesson learned have the right tools for the job.

EatMyButt wrote:

Pop the bearings in as far as you can w/ your hand, then tighten your cranks down, works better than a home made press. Make sure you put the cone spacers on next to the bearings.

That's the best way of blowing bearings before you've even pedalled. The whole point of a press is that all the lateral force goes through the outer race.

Flexte wrote:

Thanks for the suggestions. My LBS had a press and they were able to get them in. the bb spacer was too short so i told them to add washers so I will see how it works out once i get my wheels next week. for a total of only $16 they installed the BB and cranks. Lesson learned have the right tools for the job.

Those bb spacers are almost always too short! I've had 4 frames that I've had to add 2 extra washers to stop the bb binding up (2 cult osv3's, a federal lacey, and a bsd trailorpark). My s&m with profile bb works solidly though

lmao this is my struggles

Fuck with something until you fuck it up and get mad just to take it in the shop and have it done faster and better than 1/4th of the time you spent messing with it lol

Take some sandpaper to the inside of the BB where the bearings would rest, and MAKE SURE THERE IS NO PAINT OR POWDERCOATING in there. Then grease it up. Grease the bearings, and try again. GO SLOW. If you are hammering the bearing in, tap gently in 4 places around the bearing to try to keep it even.

Failing that, go to a shop and see if they can ream out the BB and get it installed.

My LBS got it in with a press. Hammering didn't work.