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Campag Power Torque bearing removal

Before I start, NB I am referring to Campag Power Torque, not their Ultra Torque system.

Has anyone got experience of fully servicing a Campag power torque BB/chainset? I intend to get the Park CBP3 and CBP5 tools, and can see how to use them to remove the chainset and drive-side bearing. However, removing the non-drive side bearing from the cup seems a bit of a mystery! The only ref I have found so far is from the Park website:

"The left side bearing is pressed into the cup. It is Campagnolo's intention that this entire cup with bearing should be replaced when bearing is worn out."

If this is the case, it doesn't seem too helpful a design as I will need to buy more than just a pair of bearings...has anyone had experience of successfully replacing the bearing from the non-drive cup?

cheers
Jem

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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14 comments

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JamesHalford2k18 | 5 years ago
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I bet you don't know how important those little numbers are on the stem of your bike? Read this blog post and find out how these little numbers can change how you repair your bike!

 

https://www.probiketool.com/us/how-important-is-torque/

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AlanChiro | 5 years ago
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Interesting thread. Having read it I decided to have a go at replacing the bearings on both sides of mine as there was a little noise starting to be emitted after 5000 miles or so. I picked up two ABEC 5 bearings for £22 delivered. they're higher spec than the standard ones by some way. 

I was able to tap the bearing out of the non drive side cup easily and used the old bearing to tap the new one into place easily too. Drive side I did as mentioned above. The result, no more expense than a replacement cup with bearing and new drive side bearing, possibly a little cheaper, and the smoothest predalstroke I've felt in a long time

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antonio | 8 years ago
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Interesting, I had a cracking develop on my Centaur power torque bb, even though it had had little use. After a good deal of faff I took my bearing to a bearing specialist in order to match correctly. I was stunned to hear from the guy serving me that the bearings I was replacing were an inferior brand sourced from China.
As the cranks and bb were now removed I opted to replace with the latest Shimano Tiagra four bolt ring fastening offering. Fitting is a dream by comparison, no doubt replacing bb's in future will be easy even if bearings have a shorter life. I now have a nearly new Campag chainset with a new set of bearings with a decision hanging over me, fit or forget.

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Freddy56 | 9 years ago
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Did it twice using the campagnolo puller, but have also flushed out creaking bearings and dirt with wd40 and forced in new marine grease with a pointy grease gun. Works!

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hubba | 9 years ago
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Thanks for the recent posts on this...interesting to hear some people have successfully replaced the non-drive cup bearing. I got the Park tools a while ago and successfully removed the chainset. The bearings were fine but I reckon it's a good idea to pull off the LH crank now and again anyway to avoid it becoming stubborn one day.

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therevokid | 9 years ago
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ah yes, power torque .... getting the non drive side arm off can be
entertaining. The park tool version is a waste of time if the am is
"stubborn". i ended up getting the cyclus ones !
you can get the bearing out of the cup using a blind bearing puller
as well .....

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CACyclist | 9 years ago
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FYI

The PT bearings are 37x25x7mm if you want to upgrade the things.

In my experience the bearings are the biggest drawback in PT, my old cranks' (Red Centaur) bearings have always been stiff. I have a pair of Centaur UT that spin much smoother in comparison.

I used a cup removal tool and a dead blow hammer to pop the bearing out of the LH cup. Just follow the UT instructions for remove the crank bearing. Much easier to do with the cup in the frame BTW but not impossible.

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AyePea | 9 years ago
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I have just replaced the bearings on the 2012 Athena Powertorque chainset of my winter bike. It's quite involved but now done! After 2 winters, the drive-side bearing was quite gritty and needing replacement.

I did it using:
14mm allen key
Campag tool UT-FC-090
Machine mart 2 leg puller (see below)
Homemade protector shim
Flat-bladed screwriver
Wooden mallet

To avoid shelling out £70 for the Facom tool U.301 puller, I bought a Clarke CHT436 puller from Machine Mart (#040211436) for £8.39 and dremmelled the slots to make it open slightly wider. I made a crank protector from some 0.2mm thick plastic card to avoid denting or scratching the front, side and rear surfaces of the cranks during removal.

I followed the general theme on the Campag YouTube video:
http://youtu.be/L1_3smRyk-w

And once removed, I used a mallet and screwdriver to get the old bearings off the crank and off the shell on the non-drive side. I very carefully used the same tools to fit the new bearings, making sure to tap on the edge adjacent to the crank and shell rather than on the bearing side. You could use the Park tools in the video below, though.
http://youtu.be/hAWRjp0h8pU

It took me about an hour in total, although modifying the puller and making the shim took a lot longer, as did doing the research to find out how to do it!

As a design engineer by trade, I am surprised how involved this job is. The last cranks I worked on (Shimano 105) were an absolute doddle in comparison.

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cmeilandt | 9 years ago
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Hey Jem!
Did you manage to change the bearings without buying a new set of cups :-). If so, any tips and tricks?
Carsten.

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hubba replied to cmeilandt | 9 years ago
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Hi Carsten
I've not needed to replace the bearings yet, so can't be too much help. Did about 4000 miles on this bike last year including the Raid Pyrenean and the BB is still as smooth as the day I installed it...maybe it will last 10 years?!  4

I would be interested to know how you get on with replacing the bearings though...having been foolish enough to make the above statement the BB will probably pack up next ride  17

cheers
Jem

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hubba | 11 years ago
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Thanks for your comments Mike and Russ.

The installation was pretty straightforward Mike. I got a 14mm allen type sump drain plug socket to fit on my torque wrench for the big securing bolt and fitted the cups with a standard 16 notch BB tool. In retrospect I would have got the Campag socket, which from reviews is a really good fit, and allows you to torque the cups up properly (I was too impatient to get my new bike built!)

Good to know you are getting decent mileage out of your BB Russ. Mine has done around 1500 miles so the bearings don't need replacing yet...however I read somewhere else it is a good idea to pull the LH crank off now and again or it can seize on if left too long. I've got the carbon cranks so I will probably still get a purpose designed puller like the Park one, as I don't have an old one knocking around that I can butcher on the grinder. The Park tools also come with extra bits to make drive-side bearing removal/replacement look easy. With Crimbo looming I can at least give the missus a good pressie idea (lucky me!)

As far as I can tell the replacement Power Torque bearing set (FC-AT012) contains 2 bearings, which would imply you should be able to replace the RH and LH side. It would be annoying if you have to buy this at around £20 just to replace the one pressed onto the chainset, as well as get a pair of BB cups (£15 to £20 as you say) just for the pressed-in non-drive side. Oh well, it wouldn't be the first time the Campag way of doing things has annoyed me! I usually forgive them though as the end product of their labours is generally so good. In this case I will definitely forgive them if the bearings last me 10 years!

cheers, Jem

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mike the bike | 11 years ago
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Good thinking Russ. I've already figured out that my small puller ( bought years ago for car use ) will do the job if I grind the ends down to size.

But to be honest, I don't anticipate having to replace the bearings for at least ten years. This will be my new "best bike" and will lead a relatively sheltered life.

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russyparkin | 11 years ago
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erm i run power torque (veloce) from what i have gathered the one on the crank can be changed relatively easily. the one in the cup is a bin and buy affair. the bottom brackets can be had for £15/20 if you gave some effort you probably could remove it but i reckon you would only save £5-6 over buying new.

incidentally mine is on my winter bike and going strong! due to our 'summer' i my winter bike has done around 3500 miles since the campag went on and it runs perfectly so its up to the job.

tip for crank removal, buy a gear puller and stick 2 coins in where the massive bolt comes out (think i used 2 foreign coins) saves on pricey park/campag tools.

russ

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mike the bike | 11 years ago
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Can't help you but I've just bought, but not yet installed, a Centaur groupset, complete with Power Torque bottom bracket.

I'll be watching your thread with interest.

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