Obviously my original SRAM bearings failed (after a year, so I was probably lucky there!); replaced with Wheels MFG cups with angular contact bearings which cost about £50, now those bearings have become a bit rough. I bought some replacement bearings and a Wheels MFG bearing puller, however when I tried to extract one of the bearings, the whole cup released from the BB shell.

Has anyone managed to extract bearings from PF30 cups?

I’m now faced with the dilemma of what to replace it with next, presuming I get nowhere trying to extract the bearings. Chris King’s cost £145 but has a 5 year warranty with fully serviceable bearings. Wheels MFG do a ceramic bearing version for about £80, would this last any longer than my ACB one? Hope’s costs £85 and you have to need a special tool for over £30 to fit it. Or should I just buy one of the cheaper ones and expect to replace it once a year?

Cheers

I got the bearings out of a E-13 BB cup, assuming the bearings hasn’t broken up, just bash away with a hammer at the internal race, with the cup positioned on a solid surface..
Have you got a vice? Might still be possible to use the puller with the vice clamping the cups.
I went for a normal 30mm axled crankset after the e-13 and after several std SRAM BB’s died I bought a Hope one… it’s been solid ever since, even ignoring the bike for another for 6 months (new bouncy bike to use instead), I’ve just run it through the winter without a sign of wear. I did buy the Hope tool (which has lounged around unused ever since), but if your local shop stock Hope kit, I’d hope expect them to carry the tool.

Ime Ceramic bbs are nice to have and do show noticeable smooth frictionless movement, whether or not they stand the test of time in a pressfit lord knows.

Hijack alert # – can one fit BB30 bearings into Pressfit 30 cups?

Thanks z1ppy, I have a vice and considered it but assumed that the pressure I’d need to secure the cups would squeeze them out of round given the serious amount of force I applied to the punch trying to remove the bearings. I guess I could use the puller from the other side and place the cup on a flat surface. Why didn’t I think of that yesterday when I had the cup out of the frame?! D’oh!

BB30 and PF30 bearings are the same.

Planet X have tripeak ceramic bearings for £30

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/BBTP3030/tripeak-bb30–pf30-bearing-kit

can’t vouch it as mine is sat in my spares box waiting for the inevitable mid-CX season BB collapse.

I’m not sure if the bearings are the same as BB30 ones but I’d guess they would be. The replacement ones I bought were 6806 and this seems to be advertised for BB30 and PF30.

same bearing used in BB30/PF30. unless its a conversion BB.

on Tuesday I removed a rough non-driveside BB30 bearing from a wheels manufacturing PF30 with cup still in frame

used this “rocket” with hammer and carefully tapped the inside race of the bearing:

cup did not even budge, bearing popped out with a couple of well aimed taps.

Cleaned the cup surfaces, smear of marine grease and pressed a new bearing in using the adapters and headset press. Checked the cup itself was still flush with the bb shell.

2 minute job 🙂

Thanks esher, it’s good to know they are removable and replaceable. I really don’t want to buy another full set of cups!

I tried the drive side with this tool:

6806 tool

I didn’t attempt the NDS.

Where did you get your rocket tool?

Hope

Hope that helps. 🙂

If the cup is aluminium, dunk it in a pan of boiling water for a couple of minutes before trying to remove the bearing, differing expansion rates will expand the cup more, making the bearing a looser fit.

@davros

its a Park tool BBT-90.3

http://www.parktool.com/product/press-fit-bottom-bracket-bearing-tool-set-bbt-90-3?category=Crank%20&%20Bottom%20Bracket

driveside and non driveside cups/bearings are identical.

If you remove each cup with bearing from the frame (park make a tool but you can easily punch the cup out with dowel/socket extender bar), it’s very easy to lay the cup face down on an open vice (soft jaws,card or tape will stop scratches) and punch the bearing out. The vice is a solid lump and will provide a solid support whilst using specific tool or large flat blade screwdriver working round inside face of bearing.

Just adjust the width of the jaws to support the cup flange whilst giving clearance for bearing to drop through.

Thanks all, I’ll have another try this week.