just replacing the chainrings on a mates anthem – just over a year old, never changed/touched a thing on it since new…..everything well greased and easy enough to undo – yet when i took the cranks off the drive side cup just came off with them….the opposite side was fine still tight, but easily undone with bb tool (i was worried it may have seized, but fairplay giant or pedalon had put plenty of grease in)….i thought it was strange, but didnt think to much, obviously when did the rings and put it all back together and put the bb back on it just spins, almost clicks in then just spins and doesnt tighten? is it likely to be a buggered cup or the actual thread on the frame? happened to any one before? it doesnt actually look to be damaged on the frame or the cup so im a bit baffled?

oh dear.. it has come loose and he has ridden it for a while and bith cup and frame threads are worn. you might get away with a new cup in it but it will more than likely need a trip to betd/goldtech for a heliocoil put in it. dont worry it will all be fine.

some cups have more thread than others.

Is it the whole cup, or has it just pulled the bearings out?

cheers nonk – well i kinda guessed it was a combo of it being loose and just stripping the threads – as i said hes not touched it from day one, so a bit disappointing i guess….good to know its not a complete write off – he has been riding it like that for god knows how long as hes not once done anything bb related until now…

jimc – its the whole cup – just fell out completely…

i had it happen to me on a bike i was riding in a 100k event it came loose and i just rode it anyway. it looked exactly like that, frame and cup threads still intact but it woudnt hold. helicoil repair has been in that bike for three years now with no bother.,

As with nonk then, hope you like nearish Newcastle Under Lyme

Race Face DH BB cups have got a longer thread than normal. If the thread in the frame’s damaged, they may still hold by catching on the good thread further in.
Unfortunately, I never got more than about 2 months use out of Race Face BBs. There must be others out there with long threads and better bearings.

betd can retrofit good bearings into raceface cups BUT the sleeve bb thread option would be a much more sound repair imho …

ive had it done on an old dh frame and it was a quality job – if i didnt tell you it had been done you wouldnt have known. think it was 100 quid including return postage back then !

Race Face DH BB cups have got a longer thread than normal

Saint cups are longer too, but maybe only driveside ?

Have you tried a new “ordinary” cup in there? – may be that it’s mostly the (soft alloy, probably) cup threads that have worn

cheers for the thoughts guys – ive told him to order a new xt bb anyways, as you said above, its quite soft so if it was loose chances are its squished abit some where! ill try that for him first – then failing that – he’ll have to try goldtec etc…

is he actually going to die by leaving it as it is? i assembled it back up as was before – hes not had a problem with it before, and its never attempted to let the cranks fly off etc….its not ideal but surely a few more rides will be ok as it could have been like this for a week, or a year