Need opinions on my bike's bottom bracket - is it loose?

[raleighnut]

I agree with you guys, £30 is steep. But I think maybe that's a flat minimum fee they charge their service, and the mechanic did tell me they could do a very 'thorough' job, probably other checks to make sure the bike is spruced up, honestly don't know. I don't fancy fixing this myself that's for sure, so I might look elsewhere to get a cheaper quote?

what bugs me is whether this sort of thing is covered under the bike's warranty, because it seems like a fault that was present when the bike was purchased from you're all saying about the bracket looking loose

Don't forget if the spindle is moved (which it will be) then the front mech needs to be re-indexed as well, I'd think you would be looking at the best part of an hours work to get everything set up correctly that is assuming that the BB was not 'cross threaded' when it was installed (it can happen as anyone who has worked on new Cars, Bikes or Washing machines etc will have seen, just because it is 'factory fresh' does not mean it's 'right')

 

[bikeman66]

I got my bike checked out after hearing some cranking noises coming from the bottom bracket. The noises occur occasionally whilst pedalling. Anyway the mechanic said the bracket has not been screwed tight enough, apparently not a wear and tear issue, it's something which the manufacturer didn't do, and this is what's causing the cranking noises. I've attached a photo here, apparently where the arrow is pointing, there shouldn't be a gap according to the mechanic.

What are your thoughts? Because I rang the online store where I bought the bike from, they looked at the photo and said that the gap is pretty normal for a tapered bottom bracket.

£30 to tighten up a square taper bottom bracket??? With the correct tools (which are not expensive) that is literally a five minute job. A cartridge B/B literally just screws in from the drive side and is then held by a screw in cup on the other. There is no fiddly adjustment required at all, so anyone who is charging £30 to do that is on to a good thing.

Are you sure the play is coming from between the B/B unit and the frame, or is it possibly that the axle itself is loose (indicating worn bearings)? If the latter, you'll need a complete new unit. I used Shimano UN55 cartridge b/b's on my bike. They're good quality, reliable units that cost about a tenner from Wiggle. I guarantee if you look around you'll get the unit, a crank removal tool and a Shimano compatible b/b cup tightening adaptor for under £30.

The unit is simple to fit, as long as you make sure you get the same shell width and axle length, and they'll be plenty of video's on YouTube or advice from the friendly folks on here if you get stuck.

I'm all for supporting the LBS, but not when they're asking £30 for 5-10 minutes work!