Crankset and Bottom Bracket Tools

It depends on the crank type. Square-taper, ISIS, and Octalink arms thread onto the spindle and need a crank puller, like the Square Taper & Splined Crank Puller w/Handle, which engages the M22 x 1.0 extractor cavity and backs the arm off. Hollowtech II and SRAM DUB cranks use a self-extracting cap instead: unthread the non-drive cap with the matching crank cap tool, loosen the two M5 pinch bolts, and the arm slides off. Check which interface your crank uses before buying a tool, because a puller does nothing on a self-extracting crank and vice versa.

The non-drive preload cap on Hollowtech II, SRAM DUB, and GXP cranks is right-hand threaded and loosens counter-clockwise when viewed from the non-drive side. The cap is a bearing-preload adjuster, not a structural fastener, so it sets the bearing tension while the two M5 pinch bolts on the non-drive arm carry the load. Tighten the cap to roughly 0.5 to 0.7 Nm, which is hand-tight plus a token finish, then torque the pinch bolts to the manufacturer's spec. The older 'left-hand thread on the drive side' rule refers to the bottom bracket cup, not the crank cap.

Match the wrench to the notch count and the cup outside diameter. The current Shimano and SRAM external standard is 16 notches at roughly 44 mm OD, which the 16 Notch External Bottom Bracket Wrench fits, covering Hollowtech II, SRAM GXP and DUB external cups, FSA Mega Exo, and Race Face Cinch. Praxis M30 cups use 12 notches at about 46.3 mm, and some other 30 mm-spindle cups use 12 notches at about 47.8 mm, which take separate wrenches. The wrong wrench rounds off the notches, so confirm the count and OD before applying force.

Hollowtech II external BB cups install at 35 to 50 Nm and SRAM DUB threaded cups at 34 to 41 Nm; use a 16 Notch External Bottom Bracket Wrench on a torque wrench. For cranks, a square-taper center bolt is 35 to 50 Nm and ISIS or Octalink bolts are 40 to 50 Nm. Hollowtech II non-drive pinch bolts are 12 to 14 Nm each and SRAM DUB pinch bolts are 8.5 to 10 Nm each. The preload cap on either system is set far lower, around 0.5 to 0.7 Nm, because it only tensions the bearings. Always defer to the component manufacturer's published number when one is printed on the part.

Yes. Press-fit shells such as BB30, PF30, BB86, and BB92 hold the bearings by interference fit, so they have to be pressed in square rather than threaded. A Bottom Bracket Bearing Press Kit drives the bearing home along the shell axis without cocking it, which is what prevents the creak and rough rotation that come from a bearing seated at an angle. Threaded bottom brackets like BSA, Italian, and T47 do not need a press; they thread in with the matching external cup wrench or socket instead. Knowing whether your shell is press-fit or threaded decides which tool you reach for.