Torqing down left hand BB cup.

[Wasatch5k]

Hey,

When installing left hand(non drive) cup on cartridge bb on my MTB, how
hard do you torque it down? Do you snug it? Or do you really lean on it?
I'm using a pretty heavy duty 12" adjustable wrench, so I'm kind of
afraid of getting it too snug.

I find that when I really lean on it, the spindle had quite a bit more
resistance when spinning it with my fingers. Is this too tight, should I
lay off a bit?

What I really need is Sheldon Brown 's Tork-Grip

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tork-grip.html

NC
--

Let the bridges I burn light my way...

 

[Dan Lenski]

The best way I have learned to put in a cartridge bottom bracket
(suggested to me on bikeforums.net):
(1) clean the bottom bracket threads and the frame threads with solvent
and a rag, making sure to remove dirt or debris
(2) put a layer of grease on all the threads
(3) put the bottom bracket in by hand. It should go so smoothly that
you don't need a tool even. When you get to the end of the threads,
you'll feel it abruptly.

If you do this right, the bottom bracket should be very secure and
noise free, and there's no risk of overtightening it.

It doesn't make sense to me that the spindle resistance is affected by
how much you torque the left-side cup, because tightening the "cup"
doesn't actually compress the bearings in a cartridge bracket (at least
not the Shimano-style bottom brackets I've owned!)