Echo Bb Removal And Install Help!

[AndrewEH1]

Right,

When I was installing my cranks on my Echo BB (press fit type) I completely f**ked the inside thread on the spindle on one side.

Going to have to get a new one. How do I go about removing, and installing the new one without breaking it again.

From various YouTube videos it seems that most BMXers whack it with a hammer/mallet. Is this the best way?

[24martin]

have you tried putting a thread cleaner down the "f**ked" side of the spindle yet? this may save you £50

but yea if you don't have access to one, or if this fails, then you can just repeatedly whack the spindle and it will eventually pop out with one of the bearing's

i would suggest using a wooden mallet/hammer to do this so you don't damage the spindle but as it may already be ruined, feel free to whack away with the biggest hammer you can find

[AndrewEH1]

The thread in the spindle is ruined sadly no thread cleaner will fix stripped threads.

Went with the 'hit it as hard as you can' method to removed the spindle, worked a charm.

Probably not the best way to do it if you want to save the spindle.

I'll probably take it to my LBS to install the new BB.

[Sponge]

BMX Spanish & Mid BBs, from my experience are pretty simple... especially since axles are 'floating' inside the shell between the bearings. I don't know if it's as simple for the Echo ISIS ones as they have collars machined into them to sit the axle tight between the bearings.

Basically, with the axle out, you can just gently tap the bearings out with a thick enough wood pole/stick and a mallet without damaging the BB shell.

As for your new axle... lightly coat the inside threads AND the ISIS bolt threads in copper anti-seize and just tighten as normal. However, if you're using Echo's alu bolts then Mark W's advice comes in pretty handy, which I use:

When it comes to 'pressing' the cranks onto the axle splines, use a set of decent steel bolts (any M15 standard steel bolts from another ISIS BB) as the threads are more durable than aluminium ones. Just follow the same copper anti-seize routine for this. Then, once the cranks are sat on snug, remove the steel bolts and just screw in your alu ones. This process should prevent you from putting stress on the alu threads of the Echo CNC bolts during the 'pressing on' phase. Once the cranks are already seated tight, the alu bolts then screwed in just do the simple 'locking' job as any ISIS crankbolt would, but you skip out the stressing of threads by having steel ones press the cranks on for you first. I do this with my Trialtech Sport Lite BB: Just use the steel bolts as supplied with it to press cranks on, then remove them, and screw in my Echo CNC alu ones.

Bit long-winded for how simple the job is, but I hope the step-by-step detail makes it easier for you!