Mystery Mercian

Right, so no one told me I’d need a different size crank puller too..23.3mm! ..…Luckily I had an old Park one that worked. It’s been a while since I’d serviced a cup and cone bottom bracket but it all came flooding back to me. Non drive side came out fine…but then..how do you remove the fixed cup? 10 mins googling revealed I needed a VAR 30..which I am sure was in the box of workshop tools my uncle left me
Et viola…
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A good clean up and a dollop of super web grease and we were running lovely and smooth again.
Next was just a deep clean of the chainset to get a few years congealed oil of it…all fine except one of the small chainring bolts sheared off when I was removing it (wanted ad placed)
Whole process took a bit longer than expected but I learnt some new things..and the end result was good 😎
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I've got tool envy with that VAR30😍

We have an ancient Cyclo tool to clamp on that style of cup... often requires hammering!
...although usually the bb is destined for the recycling so there's no need for delicacy. The tool itself is bent, beaten and welded back together but sees little use now😪
 
I am literally just trying to sort through all of these. Some I still have no idea what they do 😱
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Clearly a complete kit for breaking into the vaults at the Bank of England.
Any very heavy canvas sacks tucked under the workbench?

More seriously though they look like frame prepping tools - for facing and reaming - but I don't see any cutting heads - although they may have been kept elsewhere as they would be more sensitive to moisture.
 
I'm no Mercian expert but I think that's a pretty rare model.

A lovely bike; what an irony that this is being resurrected in the week that the Company folded !
 
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