Need Info On Tools For Replacing Bottom Bracket

[straightbangin]

Hi guys. I'm new to these boards. I learned how to fix / maintain my jetski and scooter on message boards so now I'm hoping to do the same with my bikes. I have a mountain bike

This one -

http://www.walmart.com/ip/26-Huffy-Trail-Runner-Women-s-Mountain-Bike/33396334

(Cheap bike but I like her)

I know that I need to replace the barrings in my bottom bracket. I want to just replace everything since I have all new parts under warranty - pedals, arms, sprocket gear looking thingee ( can you tell I don't know the proper names) I guess it's the crank itself, and Huffy is sending me the spindle horizontal bar thing as well as the barrings, and bolts or whatever it comes with. So ya I'm replacing the whole deal.

Anyway I've been watching youtube videos on how to do it and it doesn't seem very hard but I need help with something.

I understand there are one or two specialized tools needed for this ( aside from your regular wrenches etc. that I have plenty of) I also understand that these special tools come in different sizes so I don't know which ones to order / buy. I think a crank extractor is one of them. Also are these the same tools needed to remove a rear wheel cassette? or is that another tool. Not that I need to know now but I saw a video with a special tool for back there. I just put a new rim/cassette/plastic circle guard thingee on the back and it all went on pretty easily but wondered since I saw a special tool for taking it apart.

How can I tell what I need for my bike and also I know I'm supposed to grease the barrings. Is there a certain kind of bike grease that you recommend that I can use for other things on the bike too like the chain. I guess I'm wondering if there is a good all around bike grease. I have WD40 and liquid wrench as well as fluid film but I'm guessing I need something thicker and longer lasting for bike crank parts.

Thanks!!!

[Painkiller]

hello and welcome to the Tutor. I am not an expert on Walmart bikes but the ones I have seen in that price range still use a spindle/cup/bearing Bottom bracket vs. a cartridge style which is normally better nowadays. To provide better answers for you, clear close up pics of your spindle/Bottom bracket area both sides would help. Plus pics of what they sent you to install.
as for the removal of your rear cluster we need a clear close up shot of the drive side of that too, I have seen such low end freewheels that had no tool to take them off other than destroying them.
as far as as lube Wd-40 is a big no no as it is not a lube, nor is liquid wrench unless it is silicone spray brand liquid wrench. As far as grease for bearings many like to use boat trailer axle grease as it is cheap for the quantity, I use mostly Phil Wood green stuff. For chain and pivot points I use Tri-Flow, Lubeone by slick50, or liquid wrench silicone spray, or a dry lube for certain drivetrains and use.

[straightbangin]

Thanks.

I'm waiting on the other parts to arrive. When they do I will start taking it apart and take pics. (My main mode of transportation is my bike but I have a beach cruiser I can use in the mean time) I'm just trying to get back to my mountain bike for quick rides with less weight ( I have a massive bike basket for my 2 dogs ) and a rear rack on my cruiser so its quite heavy.

" As far as as lube Wd-40 is a big no no as it is not a lube, nor is liquid wrench unless it is silicone spray brand liquid wrench. " -----> ya the liquid wrench is silicone, I will stop spraying my chain with WD40.

As far as grease for bearings many like to use boat trailer axle grease as it is cheap for the quantity, I use mostly Phil Wood green stuff. For chain and pivot points I use Tri-Flow, Lubeone by slick50, or liquid wrench silicone spray, or a dry lube for certain drivetrains and use. ------------> Okay. Thanks.

I on the phone Huffy said " it comes with the spindle " so it may already be greased and ready.

I'll take pics when I have everything and the bike starting to come apart.

Thanks!

[Painkiller]

Sounds good young lady, we will get you going again and soon I hope. Wd has it's place in my arsenal because it is paint safe for the most part and works for de-griming
and sticker sticky removal and things like that. Mostly as a cleaner as far as bicycle's are concerned. I deal mainly with bikes 15+ years old and have to deal with grease that is old and dry and due to the rareness of some parts I try to save and refurbish as much as possible. Your job should be straight forward with the right tools. postt the pics and we can pick up from there.you can do it and have the right outlook and go for it Tude!

[straightbangin]

Huffy got back to me and linked me to the exact crank puller I'd need for the job ( $3.50 on Amazon ) so I think I'm all set. I'll post back if I need help. Thanks though!

[straightbangin]

Hello. I had called huffy for new ball barring rings they said they would send them along with the bottom bracket spindle piece thing. Well today they sent just that and forgot the barrings so I wrote to them for the missing pieces. I'm still waiting on the crank puller order to arrive but I think I may need to order an additional tool to get this other thing off. If so what's it called and is it a universal tool for bikes or do I need a specific one for my bike? It's the rusty circle thing with the divot in the top ( it may bee called the lock ring, I'm not sure ) Either way I sent huffy a diagram and circled what im missing, they said they will reorder it today. Thanks

[Painkiller]

hello again, I knew you would be back!
google park tool
hcw-11
hcw-5
alternative would be a pipe wrench for the lock ring and a large cresent for the cup
need to see the other side too as it may be different yet. you will need to secure the bike more than likely a 2 person job for you. I would start to soak it with wd-40 as it is paint safe, until you get your stuff in.

[straightbangin]

blah, cant believe I'll need to buy 3 new tools just to replace the bottom bracket. I guess its an investment you make if you plan on always having a bike and fixing it yourself.

Its going to have to be a one woman job. My friends don't live near me. If I moved my whole house including my king size bed and scooter in a uhaul myself I should be able to manage this.

Can't believe Huffy said I'd only need a crank removal tool.

It was raining out so I couldn't get that good of a pic but this is the top from the other side






I'm replacing the whole bottom part. I have warranty/new crank, crank arms, pedals, spindle and soon to be the ball barrings, lock ring, etc..

It's been soaking in WD-40


I know my front derailleur looks like it got burnt up on a BBQ but I never use it anyway.

So I could possibly use other tools to get the thing replaced? I have other wrenches but not the ones you said. Although the crescent wrench looks similar to my adjustable wrench.

I'm just a tiny bit frustrated because I've been replacing scooter parts left and right. Just sick of ordering parts and fixing things ( don't mind me ) Thanks for your help

[Painkiller]

hard to tell from the pic, but if it has two flat spots @ 36mm wide you need the hcw-4
or like I said a very large cresent. Just bat those baby blues and someone will come running to help!. Look for a bike co-op in your area, they have the tools to help you cheaply, most college towns have one

[straightbangin]

LoL. Thanks for the tip but I don't do the eye batting thing. I won't even let a guy buy me a drink. I live in Miami so IF I can find a bike shop with people that speak English its still going to cost $50 for this fix. I asked my bike friend who used to live here and he said there are no co-ops in Miami like they have where he moved to in San Fran.The tools are up to that price at this point for a $80 bike. Oh well. I guess I need to make the investment. Im sure my other bike will have issues down the road too. I'm going to start taking it apart when I get the crank removal tool and replacement parts in and if I can't get it off without buying more parts I'm calling Huffy since they said I'd only need one tool LOL! I'll see if I can get it off with other tools and if I can't I'll order more. saved the ones you mentioned in my amazon wish list.

For now this bike is just going to stay covered and locked up on the patio while I wait for parts and work on my scooter. At least my main beach cruiser is looking good after the full scrub down I gave it today.

Thanks.

[Painkiller]

Ur funny! we have something in common, I won't let guys buy me a drink either ( if I am alone). But would be flattered non the less. I know tools can be costly. Bike repair pretty much an "All in" choice. but if you like to tinker and I think you do, and the tools are about the same as shop labor, I opt for the tool every time. good luck and keep us posted

[straightbangin]

thanks. ya I like to tinker. I just have too many tinker projects on the to do list lol.

In the past 3 months 49cc chinese scooter went like this:

replace gas tank
replace fuel lines
replace carb
replace solenoid
replace battery
replace turning signal relay
replace headlight assembly
replace throttle control
replace trunk latch
replace valve stems on tires ( next )

so ya I'm a bit over tinkered LOL.
what is over tinkered and frustrated? Tinkerated?

Meh, oh well, lots of caffeine and one step at a time

Maybe I will be able to get it done with tools I have. I mean I did manage to open a soup can with a power drill the day before I moved and my can opener was packed away. I'm nuts I know. Also I cut a hole in the bottom of my scooter trunk so I could access than manual fuel shut off I installed by drilling a bunch of tiny holes and popping it out. It looks much better since I bought a jigsaw and cleaned it up

PS - they are baby greens



again, thanks for your help.

[Painkiller]

Thats great! baby greens even better! I have my eye out for around a 150cc scooter, I want to make a self propelled bicycle trailer. should be able to haul anything I need.

[straightbangin]

thats cool. down the road i may get my motorcycle license and upgrade to a bigger scooter. luckily in FL you take the course on your scooter. in NY where im from you have to on a motorcyle but i got kicked out of that course for almost running over the instructor several times. Letting go of the clutch is NOT like letting go of the emergency stop lever on a lawn mower and I just couldnt get having to use all four limbs to drive and stop ( i cant drive a standard ) so ya.... a bigger ( automatic ) scooter will be the way to go. If you get a chinese scooter check out the scooter doc pro boards for endless help fixing it when **** hits the fan around 50 miles LOL. You won't need any specialized tools other than a feeler guage and spark plug socket/wrench. A bike trailer sounds big.

If you were to go with this make sure you are very used to driving the scooter first.


In FL when you register something for the first time there is a $250 new wheels fee. So if I built a trailer it would cost more to register it than to build it.

I can carry a bunch in my wald 157 giant bike basket (including both dogs )
This shows why I'm trying to get my mountain bike back in working order for faster trips. The beach crusier is not light. Ya I over did it with the reflective tape.

[cny-man]

(10-22-2014, 07:00 PM)straightbangin Wrote:  I asked my bike friend who used to live here and he said there are no co-ops in Miami like they have where he moved to in San Fran.

You should have asked Google: http://magiccitybicyclecollective.com/. Opened in 2012.

[Painkiller]

(10-22-2014, 07:49 PM)cny-man Wrote:  

(10-22-2014, 07:00 PM)straightbangin Wrote:  I asked my bike friend who used to live here and he said there are no co-ops in Miami like they have where he moved to in San Fran.

You should have asked Google: http://magiccitybicyclecollective.com/. Opened in 2012.

Awesome cny, hope they are still there for her, thats what she needs maybe

[straightbangin]

Thanks Cny-man. I just looked it up and it sounds great but its in the worst neighborhood in Miami ( like a shooting every day ) I'd totally check it out if I wouldn't be fearing for my life. Its sad they dont put it in a better area since there are tons of bike people in Miami. I'm white so If I went over there I'm pretty sure I'd get jumped. There are some neighborhoods run by gangs and if you are a certain color you're not welcome. I guess every big city has a bad spot like that. I'm pretty street smart and tough but that area is a no no for me. Thanks for googling it and letting me know about it though. Its much appreciated.post

I'll post again once I get the parts in (if i get stuck ) thanks again

[cny-man]

You're welcome. I've never been to Miami, but I do live in an area of Syracuse that many think is "crime ridden" because it's on the south of downtown. Yet it's one of the safest areas in the city. The bad area is about a mile north of us, and our crime is people taking change out of unlocked cars. I looked at a crime map of Miami http://www.crimemapping.com/map/fl/miami and the nearest problem area to that location (North Miami ave and 11th) seems to be a mile away and across two freeways. Street View shows it to be a commercial area and pretty well-maintained, other than tagging on some of the buildings (some of it pretty well-done). I would think a daytime weekday visit would be pretty safe, but of course it's easier for me to say than for you to do.

[straightbangin]

You would think. There are several bad areas in Miami, a portion of North Miami Ave is one of them .People hide under the bridges and jump out at traffic coming off an exit screaming all drugged out. People get hit that way almost daily. There are tents all over the street that homeless and druggies live in. For some reason the city lets it go on. There are drive by shootings almost daily. On the news at night they will run down about five really bad crimes over a 3 min span. Its just every day news here really. Half of it doesn't even get reported. People don't call the cops because many here are wanted themselves or here illegally. I've been on the outskirts of the bad areas on my bike, waiting for a red light and have been told " i want your bike " I'd say, do you also want mase in your eyes? " I keep it clipped to my handle bars. People are just to out of their mind that they don't care if crime happens in day light or not. If they get arrested then they get meals and a cot indoors. The good looking graffiti is all over and often businesses either hire artists to do it or don't cover it up when it hits their building since it looks so good. I used to live in upstate NY and we had our bad areas too. I'd have to say being in certain parts of Miami and spanish harlem in NYC at night were the scariest though. Miami in general is beautiful and amazing but you learn quickly what areas to stay away from.

I'm going to try to get this done with the tools I have. I bought a multi-tool thing. Kinda like a swiss army knife on steroids looking jobber from walmart today since they didnt have any other bike tools or a bike mechanic on duty that spoke a lick of english. One of the tools that pops out of it has a little part on it that looks like it was made for dealing with a lock ring. If it doesnt rock my socks I'll just return it

[cny-man]

Given your knowledge of Miami and your experiences your caution is perfectly understandable, particularly if you would have to ride your bike there. Not sure I'd want to, and I've been some pretty sketchy places by bike. I wish you good luck in your efforts. If nobody else has mentioned it, an old screwdriver and a hammer do OK to loosen and tighten the lockring.