1. Buy a bb tool with 1/2″ square drive e.g. Icetoolz Bottom Bracket Tool

2. Take your bike and bb tool to your friendly local tyre fitters

3. Ask them nicely to use their air gun to remove your bb (make sure you make it clear which way to undo each side!)

Took 5 seconds each side. Easy.

Took 5 seconds each side

I use a 24″ adjustable spanner with similar results 🙂

I found when using a long lever I couldn’t keep the tool properly seated in the splines, and it kept twisting out.

The bb had been in the frame for 15 years!

3. Ask them nicely to use their air gun to remove your bb (make sure you make it clear which way to undo each side!)

What’s wrong with using your own air impact wrench ?

some people use one of the crank/bb bolts and a big washer to hold the tool on – can certainly help.

but if your local kwiktyres are happy to help then whjy not use them 🙂

I have two snap on electric impact guns and a bambi silent air compressor with a snap on air gun. How long did it take you to get to the tyre fitters and back?

About 5 minutes.
And it only cost me about 20p in petrol.

However, I am in danger of getting ‘tool envy’…

Method I’ve used to great affect is BB tool into BB, hold in place with crank arm bolt as wwaswas mentioned, then hold the tool in a bench vice and use the whole bike as leverage. Don’t forget to loosen the crank bolt as you go.

that sounds like a recipe for the tool stripping the BB splines.

I would use something to hold the tool secure and then using a nice long wrench.

why? the bike is a nice long wrench.

some people use one of the crank/bb bolts and a big washer to hold the tool on…

Yep, never failed me…..

fourbanger – if you have a vice yes. But as your post wasnt there when I was writing mine I didn’t see your post and was not saying anything about said method 😀

I found when using a long lever I couldn’t keep the tool properly seated in the splines, and it kept twisting out.

hold the tool on with a wheel QR

use a bench vice

They do come off with a massive hammer………. thats if you dont want to keep your granny ring 😆

I would have thought that steady even pressure would be less likely to rip out the BB threads than a sudden blast of POWAH from an air gun.

Impact wrench is the way to go IMO. A lot of short sharp shocks as opposed to loadsa leverage on breaker bar. LBS uses a Makita electric impact wrench. Works a treat 8)

Another vote for holding the tool onto the BB using a spare wheel QR