Can anyone save my MCM1 from the skip?

[ChrisR369]

I have a 1996 Giant Cadex MCM1 ex-team frame which I got hold of in 1998 and raced for the following few years.

It still gets used now and then for off road rides but the bottom bracket has now failed.

It has a cartridge type BB so this should not have been a problem but it is stuck solid. So solid in fact that when I used a bit of force it sheared the splines that the BB tool fits into off the BB.

So is there anyway of saving the frame? or I am I best off binning the frame and selling the parts?

Grateful for any help.

Chris

 

[poweredbypies]

You should be able to finnd a half decent lbs by you take it to them they should be able to see you right.

 

[legrandefromage]

have you tried this method?

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewto ... sc&start=0

 

[02gf74]

err, you are turning it the right way? The RH side of the BB with the splines has left hand thread so it undone by turning it anti-clockwise.

 

[foz]

a couple of hours with a dremel, a drill and some files should get it out!

 

[ChrisR369]

Many thanks for the link to that thread there is lots of useful advice there, however it was doing something similar to that which caused the problem I now have.

I bolted the tool into the axle, I put a socket on the tool, I got my 24 inch breaker bar from amongst the Landrover stuff and applied my body weight while someone else held the bike down.

The result was that the tool turned but the bottom bracket stayed still, the tool came away in one piece but the splines on the bottom bracket are broken.

Most of the linked thread focuses on applying more torque, this is not really my problem, my problem is how to connect any torque applying device to the bottom bracket now that the splines that the tool fits into are broken.

There is one mention on that thread of a bottom bracket tool which is over sized and cuts its way in, I will look into that some more as burning it out is clearly not an option for a composite frame.

 

[ChrisR369]

Failing that it will be the dremel and drill, but I think it might take more like a couple of days to do that.

 

[foz]

Earlier this year I took a campag record BB out of a carbon/aluminium trek frame with the dremel method. I had the same problem as you - splines on the non drive side BB cup were gone, and the drive side wouldn't shift with the other cup in there. first I drilled several holes into the cup, then used a cutting disc to cut lumps of bb cup away. more drilling, more cutting, some strategic filing, and the cup finally came out in pieces. I could then just unscrew the driveside cup with the usual tool. The while process took about 2 hours (and several dremel cutting discs!)

just be careful not to drill or cut into the bb threads of the frame!

 

[legrandefromage]

Sounds odd that the BB splines broke. Without pictures, it sounds like you've ripped out the plastic/ aluminium cup that holds the BB in place?

 

[thecannibal]

err, you are turning it the right way? The RH side of the BB with the splines has left hand thread so it undone by turning it anti-clockwise.

WRONG

Clockwise.