[Qman]

Finally discovered my BB bearings (M960) a little crunchy after 4 years and as I started looking around at options, the Phil Wood bearings sounded like the best ones and at a reasonable price of ~$23. The issue comes in that it appears that the job is most easily and safely done using a "bearing removal tool" and I see one made by Phil and one made by Enduro. This tool is ~$115.
A new set of Shimano cups with bearings is $65. No brainer on which one to buy since the cups seemingly have to be removed to use this tool anyhow and apparently I'm not "core" enough to burn through the Shimano bearings as fast as some people have.

The questions:
**Anyone have enough experience with this tool to know whether or not it can be used wthout removing the cups? tricks or tips?
**Anyone made their own and/or have some measurements/drawings/CAD files of the parts for one of these tools they'd like to pass along to me?

 

[JRogers]

So I don't have answers to your questions exactly...but, why does it matter if you have the remove the cups? That takes all of 5 minutes to do. Just curious. I looked at the instructions for the Enduro puller and it looks like it could be done without removing the cups, but would be a lot easier if they were taken out (you have to get a hex wrench to the back of the cup to use the tool, etc).

Also, I have not used the press tools, but the bearings can be removed using hand tools (I think I used a rubber mallet and a screwdriver or something to tap them out and a socket to press them in; didn't damage the bearings going in or the cups). It took some time, but since I'm only doing it infrequently, I didn't mind. I installed standard Enduro bearings and they have been fine over the past few months.

 

[Qman]

I've used your method on enough cars and boat trailers to know it's a hack way to do things. Given the lack of robustness I've seen in bike components, I wouldn't walk a bearing out/in of those cups and expect the new one to be truly straight in there.
I think I was just frustrated that the tool is $115 and 3 days away when 30 minutes on a lathe would have given me what I needed without the $$ or the wait.
For $65 and 3 days, I'll have the new bearings, new cups and a reasonable spare without the press tool.
I just hope the wanker that installed the cups did it right.

 

[Jettj45]

Why don't you just put a whole new BB on there, truvativ ones are like $30 and last......

 

[bnelson]

where did you find phil bearings?

 

[w00dy]

If you have a cylinder that is just the right diameter you can press the bearing out with that.

That's how I did it, but I had access to a lathe and press.