Can we talk about the old school way of facing a bottom bracket shell?

Last week, a young mechanic at the shop in Boulder tried to install a press fit bottom bracket without facing the shell first. He said the frame was new and the shell looked clean. I had to stop him. Three years ago, I built up a custom steel frame from a well known builder. I skipped the facing step because the shell looked perfect. After 500 miles, the creak started. I pulled it all apart, faced it properly with the old Park BTS-1, and the creak was gone for good. That tool cost me $150 back then, but it saved a $3000 frame build. Smooth faces mean even pressure, period. It's not about how it looks, it's about how it seats. Does anyone still keep a facing tool in their main box, or am I just old?

4 comments

4 Comments

reese_hayes712mo ago

That's a hard lesson to learn. My facing tool is still in the main box, right next to the headset tools. You're not old, you're right.

-1

beth2762mo agoTop Commenter

Wait, you keep your facing tool in the main box?

amy_craig282mo ago

Nah, I keep mine in the bearing kit. Just makes sense to me. Different systems, I guess.

the_olivia1mo ago

Used to throw mine in the main box with everything else. Kept grabbing the wrong tool or losing it in the clutter. Swapped it to the bearing kit last month after a job went long and I couldn't find it. Makes way more sense now, saves a lot of digging.