# Can you replace Campy Ultra Torque bearings?



## dwaharvey (Jun 1, 2006)

I am considering upgrading to the new Campy ultra torque cranks and external BB. Unlike the Shimano/FSA/SRAM/Truvativ designs, the Campy bearings are shipped press fit onto the crank spindle(s), rather than press fit into the bottom bracket cups. With the shimano et al design, you can just buy another $40 bb when the bearings wear out, but what happens if/when that happens with the Campy ones (record cranks are a little more that $40  - can these be replaced by a home mechanic, or by an LBS, or do the cranks need to go back to Campy to get new bearings installed? Do Campy or Park sell a tool to remove and reinstall an ultra-torque bearing?


----------



## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

To my knowledge, neither Campagnolo nor Park sells an Ultra-Torque bearing removal tool. I know of one component seller (Competitive Cyclist) who will pull the original bearings and replace them with ceramic bearings on request. Their sales copy, of course, implies it's a tough job.

A few seconds of googling got me this ebay offer from an internet dealer. Perhaps it's just the bad photo, but the tool pictured doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in me—it looks like a low-quality automotive gear puller, slightly modified. Note that the seller more than once urges the potential bidder to ask questions.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...STORE:HTMLBUILDER:SIMPLEITEM#ebayphotohosting


----------



## HammerTime-TheOriginal (Mar 29, 2006)

That ebay seller is Chicagoland Bicycle, which is a major operation, and lists the item at the same price (not worrying about S/H) at http://cbike.com/tools.htm .


----------



## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

> _That ebay seller is Chicagoland Bicycle, which is a major operation_


While Chicagoland is a reputable shop, I'm not so sure about the quality of the tool in question. The text you linked makes it fairly clear that this is not a Campagnolo tool, and it more than once limits the tool's function to extraction. However, the bad-English ebay ad copy below isn't quite as up-front. "OEM model" and "works wonderfully when installing" could even be construed as misleading by people who read such ad copy with a critical eye.

FOR CAMPAGNOLO
07 CRANK BEARING PULLER
OEM MODEL 34658
NEW
THIS TOOL DESIGNED TO REMOVED THE BEARING ON THE NEW CAMPAGNOLO ULTRA TORQUE CRANKSET.
ANY QUESTION PLEASE CONTACT US. 
WORKS WONDERFULLY WHEN INSTALLING THE CERAMICSPEED CRANK BEARINGS.

For all I know, the Chicagoland tool might work fine. Getting back to the originl post: with Campagnolo components generally lasting tens of thousands of miles, I'd just enjoy my new Ultra-Torque cranks and not think about bearing replacement until the time comes. I would think that by then it will all have been been sorted out by Campagnolo, Park Tool, and the LBSs.


----------



## Grasschopper (Jan 6, 2006)

Pulling a bearing is not rocket science here guys...and your not going to be putting that same bearing back on so even if it kills the bearing in the process (I am not saying it will) it doesn't matter...your pulling the bearings to install new ones.


----------



## curlybike (Jan 23, 2002)

Grasschopper said:


> Pulling a bearing is not rocket science here guys...and your not going to be putting that same bearing back on so even if it kills the bearing in the process (I am not saying it will) it doesn't matter...your pulling the bearings to install new ones.


But you will be installing some bearing, and they would probably do well if heated to 150 degrees in an oven and dropped onto the spindle. You could probably go to 200 F and not damage the grease. They would fall into place without pounding.


----------



## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

> _even if it kills the bearing in the process (I am not saying it will) it doesn't matter...your pulling the bearings to install new ones._


True enough. But the problem with makeshift removal procedures or inferior tools is that they often damage the component you're removing as well as the component you don't even want to scratch.


----------



## dwaharvey (Jun 1, 2006)

I emailed cbike about how to install a new bearing. They got back to me really quickly saying that they install the new bearings with a slide hammer (headset crown race installer). I hope they have an adaptor that fits pretty well so that the outer race isn't taking the impact (and side loading the bearing)...
Either way, it doesn't sound like this will be impossible. And of course, as Wim said, the bearings will probably last long enough that this won't be an issue for a while.


----------



## velmingrafter (Feb 24, 2006)

My drive side bearing is shot after only 4 months of use. I think this external BB thing is a scam. I guess I will be looking for some replacement bearings.


----------



## Grasschopper (Jan 6, 2006)

velmingrafter said:


> My drive side bearing is shot after only 4 months of use. I think this external BB thing is a scam. I guess I will be looking for some replacement bearings.


I would contact your dealer or Campy for a replacement if the crank/BB was installed properly. My guess is that the BB shell wasn't faced and the bearing was forced to be misaligned thus causing early failure.


----------



## velmingrafter (Feb 24, 2006)

That would make sense, but it was installed properly, and the BB shell was faced. The frame is a Seven. I think that those tiny bearings are just not adequate for a bottom bracket.


----------



## drewmcg (Sep 19, 2005)

*same story . . .*

. . . those tiny bearings they put on the drive side of the Record/Chorus square tape (internal bearing) bottom brackets had the same problem . .. .


----------



## tjcoogan (Mar 4, 2008)

I recently manufactured my own bearing separator for removing the campy ultra torque bearings. It is simple to make and is painless to remove bearings and does not put any stress on the carbon crank arms at all. Unlike most bearing pullers it doesn't rely on levering off the crank spindle, it forces the bearing up the face of the separator as it is tightened between the bearing seat an the bearing inner and outer race. Once the bearing has been displaced about 3mm it can be pulled by hand. No damage to bearings, seals, spindle or carbon. 

To replace the bearings I manufactured two nylon formers one that fits inside the crank arm spindle and allows all setting force to be applied only to the metal crank spindle not the carbon arm. The other drift fits over the spindle arm to force the bearing onto its seat when used with a bearing press or vice. I wouldn't recommend using heat on the bearings or using dead blow force like a hammer a constant force is a better proposition.

Update; the version pictured is suitable for standard cranks only as the separator section that fits into the spider arm would require a slight modification to fit the recess of compact crank arm.

ciao tjcoogan


----------



## C-40 (Feb 4, 2004)

*info..*

http://rouesartisanales.over-blog.com/article-6862530.html


----------



## curlybike (Jan 23, 2002)

tjcoogan said:


> I recently manufactured my own bearing separator for removing the campy ultra torque bearings. It is simple to make and is painless to remove bearings and does not put any stress on the carbon crank arms at all. Unlike most bearing pullers it doesn't rely on levering off the crank spindle, it forces the bearing up the face of the separator as it is tightened between the bearing seat an the bearing inner and outer race. Once the bearing has been displaced about 3mm it can be pulled by hand. No damage to bearings, seals, spindle or carbon.
> 
> To replace the bearings I manufactured two nylon formers one that fits inside the crank arm spindle and allows all setting force to be applied only to the metal crank spindle not the carbon arm. The other drift fits over the spindle arm to force the bearing onto its seat when used with a bearing press or vice. I wouldn't recommend using heat on the bearings or using dead blow force like a hammer a constant force is a better proposition.
> 
> ...



Nice work, it looks great. Heating to a low temp between 150 and 220 DEG F is generally accepted in machine repair. Bearing manfacturers actually sell heaters for that. Now if you heat them until the seal smokes, the grease runs out or the races turn blue, you will likely have trouble.
Further info
http://www.vsm.skf.com/Files/Files/PDF/Tools/029_031_E.pdf


----------



## RoyIII (Feb 24, 2007)

This really makes me appreciate my old fashioned bottom brackets.


----------



## Noupy (Aug 25, 2003)

*Ditto !!!*

UT seems to be a little fragile.


----------



## drewmcg (Sep 19, 2005)

Noupy said:


> UT seems to be a little fragile.


huh??

Ever rebuild a Record sealed bottom bracket? Its great that they're serviceable (unlike Shimano), but they're no less "fragile" . . . .


----------



## Forrest Root (Dec 22, 2006)

Noupy said:


> UT seems to be a little fragile.


Which part is fragile? Campy UT cranks are very robust.


----------



## McTyke (Sep 8, 2005)

After contemplating different options for replacing the drive side bearing of my Campag Centaur Ultra-Torque crankset (LBS - £20 labour plus £27 parts; buying the Park Tool CBP-3 tool for £50) I borrowed a bog standard 3-leg bearing puller from work, bought the Campag bearing kit for £23 on-line, and did the job myself in about 30 minutes. The old bearing came off easily and the new one went on easily - I used an old seatpost (31.6mm) as a makeshift drift which was a pretty good fit and interfaced with the inner part of the bearing. Light blows with a mallet were all that was needed to knock the new bearing fully home.

The non-drive side bearing seemed fine, so I've kept the second new bearing in the kit and will use it to replace whichever one fails next.

Having done this job, I like the fact that the UT cranks are easy to remove (one hex bolt to undo and no crank puller required) and the bearings are replaceable separately. I think it's a good system.


----------



## BlueMasi1 (Oct 9, 2002)

*A couple of options*

Park Tools.

Park Tool Co. » CBP-3 : Campagnolo Bearing Puller and Installation Set : Bottom Bracket

Cyclus Tools:

Click on the catalog icon on the right and go to page 26. Cyclus tools are available form several UK online retailers. 

.: RA-CO GmbH*•*IHR RADSPORT GROSSHANDEL*•*Cyclus Tools*:.


----------



## SL06 (Aug 3, 2011)

I just used an inexpensive puller bought at the local hardware store (plumbing section) , and a piece of pipe that fit on the axle to gently tap on the inner portion of the bearing. It work just fine.


----------



## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

SL06 said:


> I just used an inexpensive puller bought at the local hardware store (plumbing section) , and a piece of pipe that fit on the axle to gently tap on the inner portion of the bearing. It work just fine.


The Park Tool kit for replacing a UT bearing is $60. How cheap do you want to go on a $600 crankset?


----------



## Pirx (Aug 9, 2009)

velmingrafter said:


> With the shimano et al design, you can just buy another $40 bb when the bearings wear out, but what happens if/when that happens with the Campy ones (record cranks are a little more that $40  - can these be replaced by a home mechanic, or by an LBS, or do the cranks need to go back to Campy to get new bearings installed? Do Campy or Park sell a tool to remove and reinstall an ultra-torque bearing?


No idea, really. What I do know, however, is that it is _extremely_ unlikely that you'll ever have to worry about this, assuming the parts have been installed properly, of course.



velmingrafter said:


> I think that those tiny bearings are just not adequate for a bottom bracket.


Where did you get that idea? Those "tiny bearings" have been installed in hundreds of thousands of bicycles, and each and every one of them does just fine, for tens of thousands of miles. So, pray tell, what do you think is wrong with them?



drewmcg said:


> . . . those tiny bearings they put on the drive side of the Record/Chorus square tape (internal bearing) bottom brackets had the same problem . .. .


What "problem"?



Noupy said:


> UT seems to be a little fragile.


Huh? By all means, feel free to let us know what kind of statistics you have that would give you that idea.


----------



## Jwiffle (Mar 18, 2005)

Pirx said:


> No idea, really. What I do know, however, is that it is _extremely_ unlikely that you'll ever have to worry about this, assuming the parts have been installed properly, of course.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You realize this discussion is 7 years old?


----------



## Pirx (Aug 9, 2009)

Jwiffle said:


> You realize this discussion is 7 years old?


Uhmm, now I do... :blush2:


----------



## SL06 (Aug 3, 2011)

bigbill said:


> The Park Tool kit for replacing a UT bearing is $60. How cheap do you want to go on a $600 crankset?


Pretty cheap. Those bearing don't require extreme force to get out. As long as the puller fit and pull straight, your fine. Mine require to put a big washer on the crank spindle to sit the puller screw, and protect the spindle. I also had to grind slightly the fingers of the puller so it grab the bearing correctly - a 2 min. job.

The only thing at risk is the bearing itself, not the crank. The bearing might get damage during the pull process, but that is true with every puller. The goal of the job, most of the time, is to change them anyway. Note that I have remove 6 bearings on 2 crank without damaging the bearings. Most of the time, the tension is not high enough to damage them. One of the crank (Record 2012), the bearing was a bit difficult to get moving at first, but the process went fine. The seal under the bearing if any, might get damage by the puller finger, if you are not carefull. But you will get new one with the new bearing.

The reinstall new bearing, you just need a tube the proper diameter that will push in the inner ring of the new bearing. I use a piece of plumbing steel pipe. Grease the axle. Put the pipe on the bearing and make shure that it seat flat. Put a piece of wood on the top of the pipe and gentle tap with an hammer slowly to make shure bearing goes down evenly.
Absolutely not difficult. 

Of coarse, the Park tool look a lot better and probably is, but I already had the puller at home and the pipe, and they do the job very well. And the end results is the same...

Just forget to mention that the process was to install new Cult bearing, the expensive one... Nothing to be scared off. And after 8000 km, the bearing are still great. They dont rust like the original UT.


----------

