Hi all

Any help you can provide will be much appreciated.

I’ve got a fair bit of play in my bottom bracket (sram x9 crankset with pushfit 30)..when i wiggle the crank there’s about 1-2mm of movement horizontally and vertically (you can see the chainring cogs moving in relation to the front mech, and you can also see what i assume is the bottom bracket bearing housing move up and down a little in the frame).

I’m rather new to maintenance and haven’t done this before.

Could it just be something needs tightening (I don’t have 10mm hex), or does that sound like the BB needs replacing.

—Should I take it to my lbs, or get the tools I need and fit one myself?

Also should I replace like for like or is there something better I should fit/have fitted in place of the pushfit30?

Many thanks in advance!

Sounds like your BB is knackered, though it seems to have lasted well for a PF30. Std SRAM PF30 Bb are cheap enough, though aren’t well thought of. I definitely killed the original bearing in mine in 6months or less, managed to bodge in some replacements bearings into the plastic cups, but it was messy, & don’t believe the plastic sleeve will take another battering well. So instead I’ve got a Hope PF30 BB (replaceable bearings in a metal sleeve) on order for when it dies, but you need a tool & adapter to fit it, so either an expensive outlay or hope (no pun) your lbs have one.

It’s not an impossible home mechanic job to change the std bb though, take off the crankset, bash out the old cups with a drift (there are nice tools to do this but a drift worked round in a circular motion will do the same) & press in the new cups with a DIY headset press (plenty on ebay) with a large enough washer to press against the new cups outer edge

Your cranks were made for BB30 bearings and your frame accepts these in a PF30 shell, so you need to but the SRAM direct replacement. Wheels Manufacturing have a version but you’d probably only buy theirs if you wanted to go to angular contact or ceramic bearings.

PF30 bottom brackets can be easy but occasionally a complete pain to remove. I’ve had them almost fall out of the frame right through to one that was so stuck, it broke up and had to be drifted out in pieces. If you buy a replacement PF30, you’ll see how the cups fit together which will give you some indication of where to drift out the old one.

Superstar sell a BB30 installation tool that will press the new cups in. You can use a headset press but make sure it’s either pressing on the plastic cup or the bearing outer, not the inner race.

Thanks to you both.
That’s really helpful.

I’ll have a go myself I think.

Could you kindly post links to the best tools for the job.

Many thanks 🙂