Help with removing Yo Eddy ‘91 press fit BB

[PanoIgano]

Hi all, newbie to this forum and to restoring old MTBs so I hope that’s the right place to post this question.

I would like to paint the Yo Eddy I recently acquired but I am not sure I can remove the original press fit BB in a way that doesn’t damage the frame and the BB itself. Any ideas of how to do this would be helpful!

Ideally, I would like to refit the same BB after repainting. If that’s not possible what Press Fit BB currently in the market I could use?

Also, 2nd question, Would it be possible to paint the frame without removing the BB itself or the results would be too modest to try that?

Considering that the frame has to undergo sand blasting I would think this to not be a great idea as pieces of sand might make it inside the BB shell. But I would be interested to know if anyone has tried this and the results.

Thanks in advance for your help with this issue!

Here are some pictures of the bike. As I did not take a picture of the BB I am sending you one I found online.

 

[Splatter Paint]

Looking at that photo, is it not just a ordinary sealed bearing pressed into the frame? If so this is very common in modern bikes (eg BB30) and there are lots of videos on-line for this type of bearing removal. There appears to be a collet between the bearing and crank which looks like it has grub screws to enable removal prior to tackling the bearings.

Perhaps on closer inspection this is a cup pressed into the frame, with a bearing pressed in the cup though? However, again this is similar to modern (PF30). Once the cranks are off you can read the bearing number off the side for a replacement. SKF have a good reputation for quality.

Powder coaters won’t want the BB in as the grease may melt during the baking process.

More knowledgeable folk with specific Yo experience will confirm the above as I’m just speculating here, but I would suggest removing the bearings to prep and paint the frame.

 

[Dr Dremel]

Paint looks to be in reasonable condition, why bother with a repaint? It´s only original once! If you must have it repainted I would advice against sandblasting and go for chemical paint removal. Much less abrasive for the thin steel tubes. Either way does require removal of the BB.

Bearings are press fit into the frame, spindle is somewhat less tightly press fit into the bearings. Spindle positioning works via the collars, take notes how far the ends stick out! To remove the bearings you loosen and remove the collars. I recommed to use penetrating oil overnight on the grub screws! I´ve also seen split collars, so handle with care. You can then draw the spindle out with a stack of washers/pipe off cuts/old bearings and your crank bolt, like so:


Then either tap the bearings out from the opposing side. Heat from a hairdryer&penetrating oil does help. But this method risks damage to them as you will likely be tapping on the inner race, at least on the first one. Hammer away if the bearings are shot anyway. A tool with a slight bent might reach the outer bearing race, but be careful not to damage the seating surface of the BB shell. Tap slowly on opposing sides.

You can also try to draw the bearings out with a threaded rod/stack-o-washers/pipe offcut. But you´ll have to find a pipe/washer etc that exactly matches the diameter of the BB shell / is slighly larger than the bearing OD to give the bearing the space to come out of the shell. And you´ll have to fabricate a steel tab to go over the rod and inside the BB shell behind the bearing,obviously secured by a nut behind it:


Third method would be with a bearing puller. I´d prefer one that works like the DIY solution above:

But the problem is the part that pulls the (first) bearing has to be narrower than the ID of the bearing to fit behind it. No idea if there are any.
Other pullers pull just from the inner race, risking damage to the bearings:

https://www.amazon.com/Motorcycle-Internal-0-35inch-0-91inch-Diameter/dp/B07BS84XQM

But new bearings (with instructions) and collars are available here:

FAT CITY Cycles press-in bottom bracket bearings – Specialty Retro Products

specialtyretroproducts.com

However there is no description what brand they are. If your old ones are good I´d try and reuse them after cleaning them out and repacking with grease. Otherwise I´d search for fitting bearings from a high quality brand (NTN was the OEM).

Quite a bit of rambling, but as I seem to have a preference for bikes that accidentally only have press fit bearings I might as well feed the algoriddim as googling for a solution always came up short. Might be helpful for the next guy.

 

[PanoIgano]

Hi Dr Dremel and thank you very much for the extensive explanations! A lot to go through!

Trust me there are too many scratches on the frame and also I would rather have it in grellow! : )

The SRP bearings and collars look quite decent TBH. They are certainly in better condition than the ones I currently have! Mine have a little bit of play and they must be too dry inside as the spindle doesn't turn easily (see pic).

Would it make sense to press fit a new standard bottom bracket like PF30 as suggested already or it won't fit? I know this is a modification that will change the originality of the bike but the thing is that I would also like to fit some newer XT cranks (mid 90s) with much wider Q factor. This means a smaller spindle would be needed to get the same Q factor I have now with the original crankset.

Anyways, thanks again for your taking the time to explain the removal in such a detail!

In case of follow-up questions I will reach out to you by DM if you don't mind! Tx!

 

[Dr Dremel]

I´m still seeing no scratches I guess it´s the fate of lightly used Yo Eddies to get resprayed in Grello, like Ferraris have to be red ... a bit boring IMHO and will do you no favour if you want to sell the frame again sometime.

Is the play really in the bearings or is it side to side? If the latter then I would guess the locking collars have moved. And if they just turn stiff and not rough you can repack them with fresh grease. You just have to remove the outer seals, flush them with WD40 or similar, add new grease and push back the seal.

Re the modern BB: Fat Chance bearing dimensions are 5/8"x 1 3/8"(IDxOD) so no, a PF30 will not fit. Mid 90ies cranks- do they still have a square taper? You can sometimes find shorter spindles, but they´re not exactly plentiful. If they have something other than square taper you´re out of luck with this frame. Then the easiest solution would be to search for a later mid 90ies Fat Chance with standard threaded BB.

 

[M-Power]

Dr D is correct. The press fit bearings can be removed with different techniques outlined above. I just gently tapped mine out, aiming for little taps around the outer edges of the bearings - not the inner race as you will damage the bearing, using a thin hard wood dowel from B&Q and from the others side ‘inside’ the bottom bracket after axle removal. You can spray some WD40 around the edges of the bearing leave for a few hours to make them come out easier but mine have always been easily removed. FATs are precision made frames and tooling was top notch, so unless rust or glue has bound the bearings in situ, they should come out quite easily.

I would fit period correct XT M732 on it with a 122.5mm axle or if you like bling Cook Bros RSRs with a 127mm axle.

 

[Prodigal Son]

If you want grellow look for an original grellow. It is a very, very hard color to pull even for high end paint shops.
You can go 3 ways here: a high quality job done expensively, do it on the cheap and ruin the bike OR keep it original and have a much more valuable, attractive machine in your hands.
No one wants a repaint.
Yeah... it´s your bike but you should not do whatever you want w/it since those are not being made anymore and however you keep it is of concern of all bike collectors. Not cool to repaint that bike.

 

[PanoIgano]

Again guys, I am ever so humbled to have your replies! As I am a newbie and you are much much longer in the game than I am I will do as you say. I will leave the frame alone with its original paint.
I got the bike from eBay a month ago for 1500 euros (including postage). It was a German seller really very nice who got the bike new in 91 directly from FAT. From what he told me he use the bike a lot at the beginning but removed very early on the fork and installed a suspension (Rock Shox). Then at some point in mid to end 90s he passed it on to his wife who she didn’t ride it much. Only weekend rides and so on. The shifters broke down and remained unused since late 2000 and practically since then the bike has been in his garage. It has all the period correct parts mainly XTR and XT and I was able to fix both shifters. I can’t make up what the cracks are as the decals has been rubbed off. I only see a Deore barely visible.
Overall, the condition is indeed quite decent. He added a yellow tape on the top tube as the brake levers scratched this point a few times. Then there is chainsuck and the odd scratch here and there.

I think it’s a pretty good find so I will enjoy it as it is and respect it’s original specs. I have ridden it already once. I used to race in Greece from 94 to 98 and these bikes were virtually unattainable. We were always a year or two back on the latest MTB trends from US, UK and rest of Europe at that point but even so there was no way any of my teammates could afford to have such a bike or a Yeti or a Klein or a Ritchey for that matter. I was lucky enough to have my father travelling for work abroad (Italy, Germany and UK) so he would bring me MTB magazines and Yo Eddys were standing out for me.
Anyways, I have only ridden 26inchers since with the exception of a Marin Pine mountain 27.5 I own. I am probably biased but the ride feel of this bike is immediately noticeable as more responsive especially in non technical single tracks that we have a lot here in Belgium.
Since the decals are quite scratched off would it make sense to replace them? I mean this should be a very minor intervention, no?

 

[Prodigal Son]

You have the fork! Excellent. I believe the yellow tape is protecting the top tube from handlebar hits. If you take the tape off you will probably find some dings. In my opinion, battle scars are nice on vintage bike (untill it looks too ugly) but the yellow tape should go. If you like the feel from those bars, keep it. That´s a very cool bike.

 

[Dr Dremel]

I got the bike from eBay a month ago for 1500 euros (including postage). - snip -
Since the decals are quite scratched off would it make sense to replace them? I mean this should be a very minor intervention, no?

Good deal on this original bike, wait till you try it with the original fork! I find the handling with this fork really makes these bikes special, the term "telepathic" is often used and rightfully so.

Re decals: Mine are quite cracked also (far worse than yours), it just comes with the age. But repros, while design wise accurate, are quite easy to spot, at least to my eyes. Originals were screen printed and are very thin, you can barely see they are on top of the paint. Repros are digitally printed on comparatively thick vinyl. For some it´s just a minor detail, but once I´ve seen the difference, I preferred to leave mine alone.