BB Overhaul: Cup 'Misaligned'?

[Apprentice]

Hi all, I'm new to this forum. I need to overhaul my adjustable cup/cone bottom bracket. It is an inexpensive shop bike (Halfords Apollo). To be honest I have noticed it has been badly adjusted for a while now (i.e. axel movement), but I have only just learned how to adjust / overhaul it with Alex's excellent video. Also, it has just started making intermittent creaking noises and intermittent resistance too. I was about to buy all the tools to remove the cranks and cups, to take a look at the parts inside and see what needed to be replaced, but have just noticed another problem. It appears that the drive side cup is 'misaligned' - see photos. I'm not sure if it has always been like this or it has moved over time.

[attachment=2054]

Does anyone know how to correct this? I wanted to try to avoid buying all the tools to find that it couldn't be fixed. I would be grateful for any advice. Thanks.

[cyclerUK]

Strip out the chainset and have a look at the BB.
The threads may have gone if the bike was manufactured poorly.
After removing the cups etc, clean up the threads and see if the cup will install properly.
Make sure you turn the cups the correct way as they are "handed".
Double check the video.
The threads are very fine and it is possible to get the cups in the wrong sides.
If in doubt I would take the frame to a bike shop and ask them to inspect the threads.
They should have a tool for cleaning out and re-cutting the BB shell threads if needed.
.

[Darrenjs92ni]

I wonder how that would have happen because the cup won’t loosen at that angle. Whoever assembled the bike would have had to of done that I think. It’s probably badly cross threaded judging by the angle of it. I have read that the service in Halfords is bad but that’s ridiculous, with that much of an angle it would have been extremely hard to screw it in, tearing the threads as they go. If I were you I would go to Halfords and change them about this.

[Bill]

Eeeeck!!! Yeah I agree it looks like it was severely cross threaded and then forced in upon maintenance or assembly!

[trevgbb]

Yes, def cross threaded and/or thread failure.
1/ return to Halfords and complain loudly,(even if out of warranty) I find this works best standing in the middle of the sales floor. They may suggest tapping out the thread, this may work or not, depending on amount of damage, so make sure they promise to replace frame if not successful, or ask them to fit a threadless sealed unit which does not rely on the BB thread.
You can get a LBS to do this, but you will have to pay.

[Apprentice]

All, thanks very much for the advice. I called my local Halfords and spoke to the bike mechanic and booked it in next weekend. He said they plan to replace the BB with a sealed unit, which sounds like a good idea to me. He said he may use this part http://www.cyclebasket.com/products.php?plid=m9b14s305p249, but he needs to have a look to determine the correct part for sure. The bike is a Halfords Apollo XC26.

He said that if it is a manufacturing/assembly fault then they will cover the cost, which I think would be quite good considering it is well out of warranty. However, he did say that this kind of fault can sometimes be caused if the cup and therefore the spindle becomes very loose and then body weight on the pedal is transferred to the cup via the spindle - and can move it. Basically, I think he's saying that it might not be their fault! He said he will make an assessment when he sees it.

Admittedly, the axle is now very loose, but it does not appear to move enough to touch the cup. Also, if this was the cause it seems surprising that the gap has appeared in the position it has i.e. the rear/bottom...

Anyway, I'll let you know how it goes next weekend... Thanks again.

[JohnV]

Hmmm! I'm not a bike mechanic but I have certainly worked on lots of mechanical items, light/heavy equipment and automobiles in the past. The explanation he gave is a new one on me. Unless we are talking two or three thread rings, I've never seen anything threaded get cross-threaded from something becoming loose or from some external pressure being applied. If it's external pressure, its always something else on the threaded object that gets stressed or broken. If it is cross-threaded, its because it was screwed in crooked. The face of the cup appears to be straight, so that leaves out any prying to one side, which would also bend the cup where the gap appears.

I know that they will try to put blame on something other than an improper assembly to save them from eating the cost of the repair, but don't just take their word for it. Get another professional opinion if needed.

[DaveM]

I've seen this happen before caused by riding the BB loose. But it has to be very loose and ridden hard. Yes, they are trying to find an explanation to avoid warranty, but they may be right. One indicator is that if the BB used to ride smoothly with no play, the cup was probably installed correctly. With a cup installed at that angle, I doubt you would have ever have been able to adjust the BB to rotate smooth without play.

If they chase the threads and put in a cartridge BB, you should (hopefully) be fine.

[Bill]

Something else I noticed, while having my head tilted almost upside down lol, was the placement of where the chainring side of the crankset is. Did it look like it wobbled? Hope I am using the right word.

EDIT: Nevermind you just said what I was wandering lol. Late night = tiredness!

[trevgbb]

would not look like this due to riding loose, cup would be slopping about in the shell and threads hammered away.

[Apprentice]

(04-01-2011, 07:34 AM)trevgbb Wrote:  would not look like this due to riding loose, cup would be slopping about in the shell and threads hammered away.

I haven't had the cranks off (don't have the tool), but cup seems to be fast.

[Apprentice]

I just wanted to let everyone know what happened. Halfords replaced the bike, which I thought was excellent considering it was well out of warranty - Actually I put some more money to it and got a new Carerra Subway II which I have had for a few months now and has been excellent. I did have problem with Carerra early on (before it's 6 week service), when one of the cranks fell off while I was riding :O Once again Halfords were excellent - They took a look and said it was a factory assembly fault and they needed to replace the entire crankset! - which they covered the cost for. As I wanted a few more teeth on the front they agreed to replace it with a bigger crankset.

The work Halfords did was excellent and I can't fault their customer service - or the Carerra for it's price. I read many stories where people have not had this kind of experience with Halfords, so I thought it only fair to publicise my very positive customer service experience.

[Painkiller]

Thank you for the update and I am glad it all worked out!

[bobtravers]

Don't want to change for another make or model with two huge problems like that??? Lack of quality control for sure!!!