PhillB
GT Fan
Earlier this year I did a restoration of a pretty crusty 1990 Team Avalanche Blue Widow. My aim was to stop the corrosion and preserve the paint work and make into a rider. I managed that, and it came out better than I expected. I also learned a lot from doing it (and from feedback on here 
). as much as I love that bike, (one of) my unicorn bikes was a 1991 Team Avalanche in Midnight Aurora....and in August, I managed to pick one up.
It was 'well loved'. In better condition than my 1990 was when I got it, but had some surface and internal rust and clearly had not been serviced for a long time.
I stripped the bike right down... In a change from my recent restorations, the seat post and the stem came out easily.
The bottom bracket though, was a saga and took 3 weeks to remove. I tried all the familiar methods and I failed. I took it to my Local Bike Shop. 2 days later, they told me they couldn't get it out either !!!
So, I scoured the internet for ideas that would enable me to remove it, but that would not damage the frame or paint work.
I decided to drill it out. I drilled a series of holes in the face plate of the drive side of the bottom bracket using tungsten carbide drill bits... three of them! Then I emptied half a can of WD40 into the BB and left it for 24 hours.
The next day I used a metre long ratchet with the BB tool bolted in... after much wrenching, there was a crack. and it came loose... No damage to frame of BB threads! Result!
Delighted, as this meant I was going to be able to restore this bike...
). as much as I love that bike, (one of) my unicorn bikes was a 1991 Team Avalanche in Midnight Aurora....and in August, I managed to pick one up.It was 'well loved'. In better condition than my 1990 was when I got it, but had some surface and internal rust and clearly had not been serviced for a long time.
I stripped the bike right down... In a change from my recent restorations, the seat post and the stem came out easily.
The bottom bracket though, was a saga and took 3 weeks to remove. I tried all the familiar methods and I failed. I took it to my Local Bike Shop. 2 days later, they told me they couldn't get it out either !!!
So, I scoured the internet for ideas that would enable me to remove it, but that would not damage the frame or paint work.
I decided to drill it out. I drilled a series of holes in the face plate of the drive side of the bottom bracket using tungsten carbide drill bits... three of them! Then I emptied half a can of WD40 into the BB and left it for 24 hours.
The next day I used a metre long ratchet with the BB tool bolted in... after much wrenching, there was a crack. and it came loose... No damage to frame of BB threads! Result!
Delighted, as this meant I was going to be able to restore this bike...
Last edited:
when you see an old frame with the seatpost sitting that low, alarm bells inside my head always start to ring!
