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I've got a PF30 Bottom Bracket currently installed and it is creaking. It is not effecting performance but it does make the bike "feel" cheap so I want to stop it.
I watched a video that said I need to remove the BB and clean it, to stop the creaking.
I looked into the tools needed to do this, and from what I could gather, I need a £30 tool to remove the BB and another £30 tool for installation !
£60 in tools just to work with Press Fit Bottom Brackets ?! Is this right ?
I've already got the tools to remove the cranks and chain rings.
They're easy to replace with no special tools, but taking it out / cleaning / putting it back in again is more challenging, as blasting it out with a screwdriver will likely damage the plastic housing. You basically need something cylindrical shaped that you can improvise as a drift, and can find the lip of the plastic cup to get purchase. Then some gentle taps should see it out in one piece.
I've got one of these which tends to remove the cups rather than just the bearing. You can then use a vice and the tool to pop the bearings out if they need replacing.
I'd recommend the threaded wheels manufacturing pf30, although you need to buy an oversize bb wrench to fit it. The advantage once fitted is that you can just replace the bearings when required without removing the cups. I think hope have a similar solution but more expensive of course.
Depends on what type of PF30 is in there. For example..
My original SRAM plastic one came out easily with a mallet and gentle application of a "drift" (probably a screwdriver).
The nice Hope one in there now definitely merits the spend on the specific installation tool (in fact I don't think it could be fitted without it) but if I'd had another plastic SRAM one to put in I'm sure my cheapo headset press would have done the honours without too much trauma.
but it does make the bike “feel” cheap so I want to stop it.
and I wish manufacturers would stop it too and go back to threaded instead of being cheap on expensive bikes.
Anyway I'd consider a Praxis or similar BB for push fit, where drive side threads into the other.