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Watching a frame builder in Portland fix a stripped bottom bracket shell with a helicoil changed how I approach those repairs.
Now I keep a helicoil kit in my toolbox and have saved four frames this year that would have been junked, so what's your go-to method for a stripped BB shell that doesn't involve a shop press?
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gonzalez.grant3mo ago
Oh man, my first attempt at that was a total hack job! I tried using epoxy and a ton of threadlocker on an old beater frame, basically gluing the BB in. It worked for about a week until the whole thing just spun free again. That's when I finally broke down and got the proper tap set. Helicoils are a lifesaver, I just wish I hadn't wasted time and money on my messy shortcut first.
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gavinw533mo ago
My first shortcut cost me three tubes of epoxy.
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dylanh971mo ago
Three frames saved this year? You're making a lot of work for yourself. I still just tap them and use a bit of green Loctite on the cups, and I've had zero issues on about a dozen bikes over the last five years. @gavinw53 probably went through three tubes of epoxy for the same reason most people do - they reach for the helicoil way too fast when a little prep and patience would do the trick.
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