I thought the Park Tool BBT-69 was just a fancy gimmick for bottom brackets

For years I just used a big adjustable wrench and a socket on my old Shimano BBs, and it worked okay, I guess. Then I had to do a full rebuild on a customer's Trek Checkpoint with a press-fit BB and it was a total mess, creaking like crazy after I put it back. A guy at the co-op told me to just buy the BBT-69 tool and torque it to spec, which felt like a waste of $45. I did it anyway, and the creak was gone in one try. It just seats everything perfectly straight. Has anyone else had a simple tool completely fix a problem you thought was way bigger?

2 comments

2 Comments

jessica_miller2d agoMost Upvoted

Honestly that BBT-69 story hits home. Tbh I fought buying a proper crank puller for way too long, using sketchy methods that almost stripped a spindle. @rose_grant78 is right, we always try to cheap out first. Makes you wonder how many creaks and loose parts are just from using the wrong tool and not some huge frame problem.

rose_grant782d ago

Man, why do we always fight buying the right tool? I did the same thing with a headset press on an old carbon fork, kept trying to tap it in with a mallet and a block of wood. Spent like twenty bucks on the real press and it went in smooth and quiet first try. Sometimes the fancy tool is just the right tool.