On Tue, 10 Jan 2017 15:18:30 -0600,
AMuzi wrote:
On 1/10/2017 2:24 PM, wrote:
On Tuesday, January 10, 2017 at 11:51:53 AM UTC-8, Theodore Heise wrote:

Yes, another "yikes!" on this. Getting beyond my
skill/comfort level...

Ted, these people have been inundating you with all of these
things that they've never actually done themselves. So they
are advice and not instructions. Andrew Muzi is the only
professional.

Usually the reason that a bottom bracket cup with not pull out
is because there was something in the threads when it was
inserted. Or they used the incorrect kind of Loctite.

Since your bike is polished aluminum I assume you've been
careful with it and not left it out in the weather.

Yes indeed, though my wife and I have ridden it the rain a time or
two when caught out.

As an aside, the finish has been a royal *pain* to keep looking
nice. The fellow I bought it from recommended steel wool to
polish it (yikes!), but I've found Simichrome to give the best
results. It looks really flashy when recently polished, but dulls
with time--especially in areas where sweat or sports drinks drip
onto it.


If you carefully work the adjustable cup back and forth and it
doesn't gradually start turning out take it to a COMPETENT
bike shop. Even if you force it out eventually there's the
chance that you can damage the frame's finish. A good shop
will have shop quality tools that made this a whole lot less
likely.

Yes, this is my current plan. I've got replacement pins on order
for the pin spanner, but it will be a few more days before they
arrive. In the meantime, I'm driping Blaster onto both cups at
least daily.


As I said before, in one case I removed the BB from the fixed
side and then sawed the adjustable cup down ALMOST to the
threads and then the cup would distort enough to allow it to
come out. But that was an awful job and I certainly wouldn't
recommend it.

Completely agree, too much trouble for me!


I NEVER use loctite that hasn't been applied to a new bottom
bracket by the manufacturer.

There is no need in English bottom brackets anyway. And the
new sealed units do not walk out anyway. But tandems are a
special case and I don't think you can get a sealed BB for
them. The spindle length on a tandem is peculiar to the
specific bike.

In fact there are not only tandem cartridge BB units in both
spline and square, those have been oem standard for 30 years.

p.s. Mr Slocumb's experience with airplanes and other equipment
makes him very qualified to comment about mechanical service
processes.

Thanks to you both for the great feedback!

--
Ted Heise Bloomington, IN, USA