Originally Posted by
Hermitude
I read all of this three times. These are great leads, thank you. I was planning to buy myself a few bike tools (chain removal etc). But after looking at the BB assembly I know I'll reach a hard stop trying to do a full cleaning myself. If the tool is similar to the Shimano line then my local bike shop should be able to do a replacement.
Kudos also to the people that pointed out that the noise might be coming from a different source. It isn't however. And the loudness of it is proportionate to the amount of force I apply to the left pedal.
Letting the local shop replace the bottom bracket with a new one (a cartridge bottom bracket generally is not user-serviceable) might be the way to go. That job can be a pain.
However: be forewarned that if your crankset uses a Power Drive bottom bracket, your local shop may well have to order one. They're still available; FSA's website still offers them for sale, and they're available from other online sources also. But I think they're fairly uncommon, and I'd guess your local shop won't have them in stock. (If your crankset turns out to be square taper, you might be in luck; those are more common, and your local shop may have them in stock.) In either case, the correct spindle length for your crankset will be required.
FWIW: if you have your local shop replace the bottom bracket, you might want to ask the local shop to keep the old cartridge they removed and give it to you when you pick up the bike. The info necessary to order another one (model number, spindle type, shell width, spindle length, etc . . . ) should be printed on/embossed into the cartridge shell or otherwise visually apparent. That info would enable you to order a spare. IMO that's not a bad idea if you can spare the cash, since cartridge bottom brackets eventually do wear out.