Sorry for the basic post…

Is it usual to have to apply significant force on the wrench to get the new bb in? The threads are the right way round but it is not going in without a fight!

Or should it be more of a finger tight and then nip with the wrench?

Cheers

The latter mate. Just tightened mine by hand and then nipped up with spanner.

Paint in the threads?

Remove it, clean both sets of threads, apply a little grease – try again, good luck

If its really tight then you got a problem! Is this an int BB or ext BB system? My in BB always needed a bit more effort than my XT/Hope BB ext cups but a bit of copper grease and mild to mod force is reqired. I would like others say clean the threads on both….

Would say a bit more than finger tight but you should not be hanging off the end of the spanner.

what frame just out of interest?

Have the threads been chased out? like others said could be paint.

Thanks for the replies guys. It seemed to be a combination of three things: –

– me
– insufficient cleaning of the threads – much gunk had got in previously and I hadn't done a good enough job
– more significantly, the angle at which the bike was suspended from the bike stand i.e. not straight, meant that I was adding friction where none was needed! Turned the frame upside down and had it perfectly straight and the bb went straight in!

You live and learn!

The bb was an internal Shimano octalink and the frame was (and fortunately still is) a Handjob.