TIL a trick for stubborn bottom bracket cups from a race mechanic in Bend

I was helping out at the Cascade Cycling Classic last summer and saw a mechanic use a piece of old inner tube to get a grip on a really stuck aluminum cup. He just wrapped it tight around the cup and used his big adjustable wrench on the rubber. It worked way better than my old way of just cranking on it with a pin spanner and hoping. Has anyone else picked up a good field fix like that from watching another shop work?

3 comments

3 Comments

lopez.quinn21d ago

My buddy in Tucson showed me to put a long piece of PVC pipe over the handle of my wrench for extra leverage. You need a good two-foot section of one-inch pipe. It turns a regular wrench into a breaker bar and has saved me from rounding off so many stuck parts. The key is a slow, steady pull instead of a fast jerk. That trick lives in my work van now.

wesley18121d ago

PVC pipe on a wrench is one of those perfect cheap fixes. It shows how the best solutions are often just using simple stuff in a smart way. People get so used to buying a special tool for every single job. But half the time, you already have what you need if you just look at things a little differently. It’s about working smarter, not spending more money. That mindset fixes way more than just stuck bolts.

lindal1321d ago

Ever wonder how many good ideas get lost because someone didn't share them? That PVC trick from @lopez.quinn is solid, but it reminds me of the time I saw a guy use a leather belt in a pinch. He looped it around a freewheel because his tool broke, and just pulled on the belt with all his weight. It was such a weird thing to watch, but it actually worked. Makes you realize how much random stuff in a garage could be a tool if you're desperate enough.