Removing BB30 bearings without specialist tools

[Lordbenny]

Is it possible to pop the bearings out and fit new ones without the special, expensive tools?

[Some Gump]

Yes.

Remove circlips.
Use a long socket and a hammer, go slow and gentle, top, bottom, left, right style and they pop out.

[Lordbenny]

Thanks for that, Just to confirm…my bike has the bottom bracket pictured below. Can I extract the bearings from this or do I need to replace the whole thing?

[andySC]

You’ll need a BB press to install the replacement bearings. I use a Lifeline press (Wiggle), it was about £30. I’ve used it lots of times so money well spent.

[Lordbenny]

Looking at it it looks like the bearings don’t come out of this bracket and you have to replace the whole thing….or am I wrong?

[andySC]

That’s a PF30 bottom bracket, you’d be best swapping the whole lot. Not worth the faff of trying to get the bearings out & finding suitable replacements.

[Lordbenny]

andySC said:

That’s a PF30 bottom bracket, you’d be best swapping the whole lot. Not worth the faff of trying to get the bearings out & finding suitable replacements.

Found one on Tredz (they look like the Eurocar parts of the bicycle world!)…£33 delivered…that’s cheap as chips! Also found a local bike shop that will fit it for £20 so happy with that as if I had to buy specialist removal/press tool it would be costing closer to £100!

[Bilkob]

It’ll be creaking again in a few months. Press fit BBs are now correctly recognised as an industry scandal. So much so that some of the big players have gone back to screw in BBs. I’d not bother replacing like for like and instead investigate an alternative system such as C-Bear or Praxis Works or Wheels Manufacturing.

[nickfrog]

For me the best long term solution was to fit an adapter.

£25 after the usual £5 discount. And then you can use whatever threaded BB you fancy.

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.FSA-BB30-English-Adapter-...

[ChocolateFrog]

Yes but you can buy the tool for about a tenner on ebay.

I've done it both ways, it's worth buying the tool because it takes the stress out of it.

[Locoduck]

Made my own bearing press for a couple of quid, works well enough. Use a special flared tube to remove bearings efficiently, the less hammer strikes the better!

[Lordbenny]

nickfrog said:

For me the best long term solution was to fit an adapter.

£25 after the usual £5 discount. And then you can use whatever threaded BB you fancy.

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.FSA-BB30-English-Adapter-...

Will I still be able to used my existing SRAM GX crank/spindle?

[nickfrog]

Lordbenny said:

Will I still be able to used my existing SRAM GX crank/spindle?

I think so but others may be able to confirm.

[andySC]

nickfrog said:

Lordbenny said:

Will I still be able to used my existing SRAM GX crank/spindle?

I think so but others may be able to confirm.

You’d need to swap the bottom bracket to a threaded GXP type once the bb adapter had been pressed in & then you could use your existing chainset.

[Lordbenny]

Only way of using a threaded BB30 with an adaptor is to change to a 24mm spindle so, although one of you, doesn't recommend it, I’ve ordered a press fit.

[HardtopManual]

I've used Wishbone BBs on a couple of bikes (Cervelo and Bianchi) to remedy creaks caused by press-fit BBs (Bright and PF30).

Rather than bonding in using Loctite, they consist of two halves that thread together in the middle.

I believe for your application you would need this one: https://wishbonetw.com/product/view?product_catego...

[uncinqsix]

Bilkob said:

It’ll be creaking again in a few months. Press fit BBs are now correctly recognised as an industry scandal. So much so that some of the big players have gone back to screw in BBs. I’d not bother replacing like for like and instead investigate an alternative system such as C-Bear or Praxis Works or Wheels Manufacturing.

Switching to a Rotor BB30 to 24mm adapter was the only way to shut up my CAADX. Had to replace the crankset with a Shimano one, but well worth it to be shot of the abomination that is BB30.