Bottom Bracket Bearings 2 bikes Kaput Now

[knucklebuste]

peeps, my bearings for my on-one cranks are already messed up. No matter what I do, my on-one 3 piece cranks freeze up when I tighten them. I'm about ready to throw in the towel with these things. Anyhow, do you guys know where I might find a 61804-2rs bearing, or 4 of them? I called some bearing supply co's locally and the phuckin things are $42.00 a piece. For that price, I might as well order a set of profiles. Anyhow I'm about ready to give up on getting these phucking things to work. The problem was my chainline with my evil guide. The chain kept skipping down a gear when backpedalling cause of the ridiculous chainline so I decided to take off the chainguide and just run the bash ring. I wanted to move in the chainline a little by taking off the boomerang, but just like before when I install the cranks they freeze up when I tighten the arms. Is there a shop in Massachusetts that can handle fixing these cranks? I don't think the shops in my area have ever seen 3 piece cranks. I'm about ready to throw in the towel. I'd order a new set of profiles like everyone recommended in the first place, but I already got these so I might as well get them fixed. They are a nice crank, it's the BB and chainline that is my problem. Besides if I ordered a set of profiles, I'd phuck them up too.
knuck

[JimmyTwoTimes]

Besides if I ordered a set of profiles, I'd phuck them up too.
knuck


Especially if you keep crashing on the table top like you did last night. nyuk nyuk nyuk. ;D

[CouchingTiger]

IMHO (from experience) those 3-piece cranks/BB things are JUNK! If they are locking up even though the bearings are free, you probably overtightened them. You should only tighten them so that there is no side->side slop. Too much puts side load on the bearings and causes them to lock up.

Step one, throw them away (or sell to some fool who thinks they are the cats-a$$). Step 2, buy a RaceFace NorthShore Extreme crank and FR Evolve BB.

-Couch

[knucklebuste]

IMHO (from experience) those 3-piece cranks/BB things are JUNK! If they are locking up even though the bearings are free, you probably overtightened them. You should only tighten them so that there is no side->side slop. Too much puts side load on the bearings and causes them to lock up.

Step one, throw them away (or sell to some fool who thinks they are the cats-a$$). Step 2, buy a RaceFace NorthShore Extreme crank and FR Evolve BB.

-Couch

Thanks for the info buddy. There are some guys on BS that swear by the 3-piece cranks, not to discredit your advice or experience. One question though, I have a Evolve FR BB, but it looks to be too short. I think on my gack frame, I have clearance issues with the cranks. What do you suggest for a width for the BB? I think I might have a 113? Is that standard? Also if you arent using a boomerang do you have to add the 5mm spacer? Jesus I wish I never bought those 3 piece cranks. I followed the instructions to the letter and I still have problems. If I tighten the crank arms too much, the bearings freeze. If I don't tighten them enough, the cranks come loose, I can't win.
I think I'm gonna do this. What do you think about this idea couch. I have a set of Kona cromo isis cranks on my kona with a truvativ giga ISIS BB. That seems to work on my kona, my gack has a 68mm shell, so I'm thinking that would work. You the man, tell me what I should do. Talk me out of this 3 piece crank nightmare please. Knuck

[CouchingTiger]

I agree with the solution (Kona ISIS cranks/BB). The Truvativ use a ~3mm spacer on the fiixed cup side of the BB to go from 68mm -> 73mm BB shell width with one BB size. If you have a 68mm shell you need to run the spacer. A 73mm doesn't need it, or if you run a chain guide w/ a 68mm you don't need it.

Yes, 113mm is standard for ISIS. They don't make different lengths save the ones that are designed for chain guides. I think that is just in the BB shell width spacing though (so is in the width of the BB cups). If no guide (or E-type shimano ft derail) you will need the spacer or else you may have trouble w/ive crank arm hitting chainstay.

If you are running a chain guide on 68mm shell you don't wanna use the spacer. Doing so will put the cup too far out on one side (drive side) and not far enough on non and thus you will likely have issues w/ the non-drive crank arm clearing the chainstay.

-Couch

[knucklebuste]

Thanks for the advice couch. Don't you mean 5mm spacer, and not 3 though? knuck

[gungywump]

Also if you arent using a boomerang do you have to add the 5mm spacer?
Knuck


BINGO!!
Without the spacer your cups are likely overtensioning the bearings.

I put something called an ENVY Plate on the inside of my rings as a chain guide Knuck. Its a piece of aluminum that is thin enough to fit between the ring and frame. It bolts onto the little ring mounts, you can run whatever bash guard you like on the outside, no chain tensioner, and I have yet to throw a chain. Although my riding style isn't as extreme as others.
Any LBS that sells BMX bikes should know how to service a 3-piece crank.
The guys at BS are mostly doing HUGE drops, DHing, and riding SkateParks. This is very heavy on equipment and they can not only justify having 3-piece CroMo cranks they can probably feel the difference in stiffness. No offence Knuck but, I'm not sure the riding you are doing warrants such overbuilt equipment even though the riding you invision may. ;)

[knucklebuste]

Also if you arent using a boomerang do you have to add the 5mm spacer?
Knuck


BINGO!!
Without the spacer your cups are likely overtensioning the bearings.

I put something called an ENVY Plate on the inside of my rings as a chain guide Knuck. Its a piece of aluminum that is thin enough to fit between the ring and frame. It bolts onto the little ring mounts, you can run whatever bash guard you like on the outside, no chain tensioner, and I have yet to throw a chain. Although my riding style isn't as extreme as others.
Any LBS that sells BMX bikes should know how to service a 3-piece crank.
The guys at BS are mostly doing HUGE drops, DHing, and riding SkateParks. This is very heavy on equipment and they can not only justify having 3-piece CroMo cranks they can probably feel the difference in stiffness. No offence Knuck but, I'm not sure the riding you are doing warrants such overbuilt equipment even though the riding you invision may. ;)


I put something called an ENVY Plate on the inside of my rings as a chain guide Knuck. Its a piece of aluminum that is thin enough to fit between the ring and frame. It bolts onto the little ring mounts, you can run whatever bash guard you like on the outside, no chain tensioner, and I have yet to throw a chain. Although my riding style isn't as extreme as others.

Gunge, I'm not sure what you mean by ENVY plate on inside of your rings. What do you mean rings, chainrings? The problem I have is when I have the evil guide on and pedal backwards the chain jumps from the largest cog down 1 or 2. If I look at the chainline, it's way off, but as far in as it can go. The evil guide is only like 1 or 2mm thick, so maybee the bearing problem was that I needed an additional 3mm spacer. Does that sound right? But I'm not sure how to fix the chainline problem. Is it possible to take off the smallest cog and move the whole cogset towards the derailleur and put a spacer in the back behind the largest one and then adjust the derailleur accordingly? I wish this shite wasn't so complicated and or I wasn't such an idiot. Could your shop fix this thing Gunge? I'm about ready to throw in the towel. Yeah I know I probably don't need the beefiness as I'm definitely an amateur, I figured go with the beefieness as to not have stuff break. Can you believe I use to work at a bike shop? That was 15 years ago though. ;D
Throw me a bone man. What should I do? Toss the 3-piece and evil guide and go with something else? Can you believe I actually had to shave like 3/4 of an inch off the plasic evil guide just to keep it from hitting the frame. I should have bought a sinister to begin with instead of messing with something non-standard like a GACK, I think there is something funky about the chainstays on that bike. I'm always having clearance issues when trying to set up the cranks and when the cranks were on, they only go 1/2 way onto the spindles. If I space them in anymore they'll hit the chainstays. I think the spindle is too short too, 145mm.
Thanks so much for the help man.
Knuck (constantly perplexed with bike problems)

[gungywump]

Knuck,

It does kinda sound like you are having serious frame clearance issues.
In order to properly understand the problem I would need to see some pictures if possible. You are trying to get the chainline closer to the frame, correct?

I can't find a photo of the ENVY Plate. I will try to get a photo of the one on my bike, although if you had to grind the Evil to clear the frame I doubt it will work. Think of it as an inner bash ring, but thinner.

[knucklebuste]

Well 1 of the problems with my cranks was that I was not spacing the drive cup out 5mm. I added 3mm of spacers plus the evil boomerang and got my 5mm. As for the bearings locking up the problem was that the spacers I was using on the spindle to space out the crank were too thick theby pinching the seals on the bearings instead of the inner race. I used thinner spacers that only contacted the inner race (round inner part that spins) and all is well. So I got 2 bikes all set in one day. I'm pimped. Thanks for the help guys.
Knuck