Help campag bearing service

The bearing should be a light
The bearing should be a light press fit in the cup, so that that the crank just needs to be “rocked” out gently.

On installation a high-quality waterproof grease should have been used as an anti-seize / anti-galling measure.

If it’s that firmly in there, it suggests that assembly was done without any grease and that the assembly has corroded together to some extent, or that the assembly was done with grease but the grease has been washed out over a very long period of time by water, or maybe as a result of exposure to a thinner lubricant (spray oils are one culprit we see often) or a degreaser / strong detergent (spray cleaners used around bearing assemblies – generally a bad idea).

A bearing puller is a better plan that BF & I with a drift etc, esp if the cup is still in the frame or if the cup is in fact a BB30 adapter or similar.

@blablablacksheep – The grade of LocTite used on the BB cup if it’s threaded should not be sufficient to prevent removal – it’s only there to prevent fretting. We recommend 222 which can be broken with firm spanner pressure. If LocTite isn’t available a tightening torque of 35nm is recommended – with the LocTite, you should find a parallel amount of spanner pressure is needed to break the LocTite. Best plan is to use the correct socket tool, UT-BB130 and a 3/8″ drive / 24mm spanner.

If the cup has been hugely over-torqued or bonded into the frame, put the tool in a bench vice and use the frame as leverage but do so with extreme care – at this level of torque, if the frame is carbon and has an insert bonded into the BB shell, you are in danger of breaking the bond between the alloy and the carbon. If you need to go to this extent, it is is probably a job for a shop with a really competent mechanic.

If you have had sufficient corrosion going on in the cups to give the issue described, I’d probably recommend replacement of the cups in any case – once the cup is clean, the fit of bearing to cup is going to be compromised as any corrosion will have damaged the surface, removing a small amount of material.

Servicing – DON’T forget the circlip that retains the RH bearing on the half-axle – remove it before trying to pull the gearside bearing.

Also, DON’T use a slide hammer to refit the new bearings to the cranks (unfortunately half the UT toolkits out there include a slide hammer for this job), use a press. Hammering a bearing, any bearing, is a really bad idea (esp in the case of Campag CULT system).

Refit the circlip onto the axle to retain the drive-side bearing – easy to forget.

We generally recommend a new “safety clip” and wavy washer on re-assembly too – IOE the ends of the safety clip that project through & into the cup get slightly worn and can make noise if there is any bearing movement (and there will always be a tiny bit). It sounds as if the wavy washer in this case will be foobarred anyway.

HTH
Graeme
Velotech Cycling Ltd – Campagnolo Main UK Service Centre

I’m in need of replacing my
I’m in need of replacing my centaut 2011 bearings too. Kjust going to takeine to the LBS, I hope they’re prepared to fork out for the tools. The campag bearings system seems to be poorly engineered on thw whole, completely beyond us mortals.