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Loose bottom bracket help!
Hey everyone, first post here!
I really hope I'm not beating a dead horse with this, but I haven't been able to find help with my exact situation yet. I bought a used 2016 Cervelo R2 frame on ebay. It arrived with a BBinfinite BBright Cervelo directfit Shimano bottom bracket installed. The bottom bracket is ever so slightly loose within the shell of the frame. I can move it side to side about 2mm with my fingers, as well as spin it a little within the shell. I cannot push it all the way through the shell, it seems to stop quite tight once move it about 2mm. Does this just need to be reinstalled with the correct Loctite, or is this frame damaged, perhaps even beyond repair? Would a different bottom bracket fix the problem? Here is a link to a video clip I put on youtube of me moving the bottom bracket around:
Any advice? Thanks in advance!
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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12 comments
I too am afraid of retaining compounds, so I’m hoping this works out. I didn’t use any loctite or any sort of retaining compound here, just 100% Teflon grease, per the instructions given by Wheels Mfg. I’ll post an update after I’ve put a few hundred miles in with it.
LOVE the pun by the way!
That doesn't appear to BBright! (Sorry!!)
I would suggest being careful what you put loctite on. Depending on exactly what type of loctite you are talking about, it may only be intended for metal on metal contact and I'm not sure whether that's what you have here. In addition, if it isn't the right type of retaining compound for the exact application it would definitely be a bodge. Thread locking compound is not intended for this kind of application.
Hope the tape bodge works ok!
Thought I should update with what ended up working for me. I used some foil tape from the hardware store (basically metal tape) on the cups of the wheels mfg bracket with lots of Teflon grease and it went in real nice and snug! No problems yet. Hoping this is a long term fix.
13E81204-D70B-4CEB-AF5B-1D7EB9C2E0F5.jpeg
Wheels mfg for no more problems ever. Just make sure you get the threadfit one.
srchar - Thanks, I've been looking for someone who had experienced this same issue and it sounds like you have, and have resolved it with the Wishbone. That is great news! I removed the BB and measured the shell. I obtained measurements anywhere from 45.96mm to 46.08mm. To me that seems like it's not too bad, and therefore I'll be trying a screw together type BB. I've contacted Wheels Manufacturing to get their suggestions, and they've said that with those tolerances, their BB should fit nicely, and he recommended an angular contact version of their BB. I hope it works! I'll update when I know if it does or not.
Not guessing here - speaking from experience. No amount of advice from Cervelo could resolve my issue with Campag PF cups in my R5 frame - and they were far more secure than the ones in the above video. Two types of Loctite were tried, multiple times, with activator. The driveside cup would always walk out over the first 100km or so, leading to clicking as the cups and spindle moved laterally in the shell. Fifty quid for a Wishbone BB later (which is less than I spent on Loctite, a cup removal tool and some big washers/threaded bar) and the BB has been trouble-free ever since.
My advice would be don't throw good money after bad; fix it once.
Rather than going on the guesses from here (no-one has professed to actually knowing that this is wrong, or incorrect), I strongly suggest taking it to your local LBS or contacting cervelo directly as you might be trying to solve a problem that doesn't need solving. The press fit SRAM Red BB30 BB in my cannondale moves side to side, but has a wavy washer on it to keep it in the correct place during use. I can say with some certainty that your BB moving that much during use will cause the front mech to be inaccurate and shift incorrectly. What can't be told from your video is whether or not the BB will move laterally during use.
Get someone with actual experience to check it before you start loctiting it etc
Thanks, I think that’s good advice. I’ll try calling a Cervelo dealer and/or Cervelo directly before doing anything I suppose. I’ve applied for membership at the Cervelo forum but they’ve taken over a week to approve my membership, so I’ll just call them.
Pressfit BB are quite easily serviced/replaced at home with very simple tools, costing a fraction of special bike tools
Thanks guys. I think I’ll try starting with the cheapest option (re-install with Loctite) then if that doesn’t work I’ll try a Wheels Manufacturing or Wishbone style bottom bracket. It would be quite disappointing if neither of those options work and I have to move towards more drastic measures such as frame repair. I’ll start out by having someone pull the bottom bracket out and look for damage and measure the internal diameter of the BB shell. Thanks again! I’ll let you know what happens.
That looks very loose indeed. I would remove it and measure the internal diameter of the shell to see if it's anywhere near spec. If it's not far out, Loctite may solve your issue, but you might want to just go for something like a Wishbone bottom bracket, which consists of two halves that thread together, instead of faffing around with Loctite and activator.
I don't think it should move like that. Take it to your LBS, pressfit generally isn't a home mechanic job, if they remove it, they can check for damage on either the frame shell or BB, they'll then be able to advise you what the best course of action is.
It's also maybe worth having a chat with the ebay seller. If the BB wasn't described as loose/broken, then if anything is wrong, you'll have grounds for a return and refund.