BB86 Over-tightened - Seeking Advice

[vince23]

Hello everyone,
I'm currently building a new carbon road bike from scratch and had a bit of a mishap. The frame is a Tideace, and the groupset is a Wheeltop EDS TX. The frame itself is almost two years old but has never been ridden, so it's brand new.

During the initial build, the chain wasn't running smoothly, hitting the front derailleur cage walls. In my troubleshooting, I mistakenly thought the BB86 bottom bracket wasn't pressed in enough. I stupidly used my BB installation tool and tightened it again until the frame made a cracking sound. The bottom bracket was already flush and pressed in completely before I overtightened it. It was just plain stupid. I immediately stopped and removed the bottom bracket to inspect the frame for any damage.
I couldn't find any cracks or other irregularities. However, I know you have to be careful with carbon frames and I'm really upset with myself for this.

My questions for you are:
 1. Given the situation, would you rebuild the bike and ride it?

 2. Are there any tests I can perform to check the integrity of the frame? (I already did the visual inspection and a "coin tap test" where the sound seemed normal.)

 3. If you would advise against riding this frame, what replacement frames would you recommend, considering I already have the Wheeltop EDS TX groupset?

 4. Is there a chance I could get a discounted replacement frame directly from Tideace? The handlebar, seatpost, and fork are all brand new, so I would only need the frame itself. I've tried contacting their AliExpress support, but they have been unhelpful.

Honestly I already accepted the loss and would like to move on and finally finish the bike. I don't want to risk my life riding this frame because I don't want to spend another 500€ on a new frame.

Any advice or similar experiences would be greatly appreciated!

[BeR]

Are your sure that the crack comes from the frame and not the friction of bottom bracket inside the shell ? Because if you don't apply grease and push the BB in a dry shell, It can make some noise.

You told us that the frame is 2 years old so maybe it is a explanation.

If you inspect carefully the frame (inside and outside), run the coin test and don't see anything, I think it is good.

But wait for answer from other people, I am not a carbon expert.

Do you have any pictures ?

Was it a alloy or plastic BB ?

[vince23]

The BB86 was already snug and tight in there. I simply overtightened it afterwards. It was just stupid. But the bb was no even able to move and make the crack sound.

The bb is plastic tho. Shimano dura ace.

[vince23]

Here are some pics

[SirBikealot]

I've done this mistake myself recently.

The result is attached.

[vince23]

I've done this mistake myself recently.

The result is attached.

Oh no! That looks bad. Was it like this instantly or did you ride it and it broke during riding? Were there visable scratches after pressing it in?

[bxcc]

Try pressing and squeezing the BB area to look for soft spots. If you don't feel anything alarming, and there's no evidence of cracking or delamination with the tap test, I would reassemble it and run it as it is. The overtightening of the BB could cause the frame to fail prematurely but the chances of catastrophic failure are extremely low. Just do a quick tap test and check for new soft spots or cracks after every ride. If all goes good after a few rides, I would relax on the inspection intervals and do them every couple hundred miles.

Be advised though that I am no carbon expert. However, I have done plenty of composite work on turbine powered helicopters so I am familiar with the process and the unintended consequences of my actions.

[bxcc]

I've done this mistake myself recently.

The result is attached.

What was the result from this failure? As in, did it cause a crash or any bodily damage? Was this failure catastrophic for the rider or just the bike?

[robinoco]

Here are some pics

Mate - these things can make some awfully worrying noises when being pressed in. Loud cracks & bangs can be 'normal' - check out some of Hambini's videos (watch here at 8:00+ ) - I realise this is different to what you fitted, but the noises can be the same.

Christ knows what @sirbikealot did to mash his so bad?

From your description & the pictures there is nothing there that would make me overly concerned.

[vince23]

Mate - these things can make some awfully worrying noises when being pressed in. Loud cracks & bangs can be 'normal' - check out some of Hambini's videos (watch here at 8:00+ ) - I realise this is different to what you fitted, but the noises can be the same.

Christ knows what @sirbikealot did to mash his so bad?

From your description & the pictures there is nothing there that would make me overly concerned.

You're right. But the thing is that I overtightened it even though it was completely in already. Don't ask me why. So I intentionally put more pressure on it than needed which resulted in the noise. So its definitely different than a noise coming from correctly pressing it in.

[bxcc]

You're right. But the thing is that I overtightened it even though it was completely in already. Don't ask me why. So I intentionally put more pressure on it than needed which resulted in the noise. So its definitely different than a noise coming from correctly pressing it in.

I'd still run it and inspect it periodically. The chances of the BB leaving the group chat and causing injury is extremely low.

[Chiyou]

It would help to understand how much force you were applying when you heard the sound. If you were using hand tools, without a breaker bar or anything like that, I wouldn't be overly worried. On the other hand, if you were wrenching at it with all your might, veins bulging while wearing your weightlifting belt, that's a different story.

A simple test you can do (with the bottom bracket, crank, pedals, wheels and handlebar installed) is to keep the bike stationary, put one pedal at the 6 o'clock position and then stand on that pedal. See whether it makes noise, feels squishy or otherwise doesn't seem right. Bounce around on the pedal a little bit. If you have (or can borrow) a trainer, put it on there and go for a few test spins to see how it behaves.

[gribs]

I'd personally just run it as catastrophic failure is unlikely. You'll likely find out if you've done any damage from reduced bearing life rather than anything more serious.

[cyruscycles]

Mate - these things can make some awfully worrying noises when being pressed in. Loud cracks & bangs can be 'normal' - check out some of Hambini's videos (watch here at 8:00+ ) - I realise this is different to what you fitted, but the noises can be the same.

Christ knows what @sirbikealot did to mash his so bad?

From your description & the pictures there is nothing there that would make me overly concerned.

Keep in mind Hambini BBs are true to size and not just nominally sized. It's not normal for BBs to creak that violently. BBs are almost always slightly undersized to tolerate variability in frame diameter