Wheels Manufacturing PRESS-7 Bearing Installation Press with Drifts [Rider Review]

Our "Rider Review" article series features the honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for. 

Working on your own bike can get annoying with the amount of tools you need for a simple job. Wheels Manufacturing makes it easier on ya by having a Bearing press with 7 different size drifts all in one. Our friend, David has been wrenching with it. See what they think!

Overview

I’m a big fan of turning my own wrenches when I can. The more I could learn to do, the better. I’d always leave press fit bottom brackets to the local shop. But one day I asked them if they could remove one bottom bracket and install another, they replied “Yes. It should be done by the middle of next week”. So... that's 5-6 days without a bike, mostly while it sits in the shop? That was the tipping point for me.

I then started my search for a remover and press. Let’s face it… the Park Tool press is very nice! But it’s also $179. If money is no object, I'd go for it. But I'd much rather put money into parts on the bike. I looked around some more and found the Wheels Manufacturing Press-7 for all of $45. I thought, “What’s the catch? What is it missing?”. For my use case as well as many others, the answer is nothing! It has sizing for 24mm and 30mm bottom bracket diameters, as well as five more I've never even heard of! I found nothing but good reviews. So I ordered it up, along with the Park tool BBT-90.3 press fit BB removal tool. I received the items fast (Thanks, WWC!). The Wheels Manufacturing press looks nice! Looking at the way the cups are stepped in sizing, this thing is idiot proof. No adjusting, no fuss. Everything stays together and there's no worry about keeping track of extra parts.

So the process began. I pounded out the old BB with the Park PF BB removal tool (which by the way is a work of art). I cleaned out the bottom bracket shell with a rag and some alcohol. Then made sure the ends were greased after. The sizes are very clearly marked on the press. Just make sure the right size is facing the bottom bracket cups and start threading. Some care is needed to not over tighten the BB cups,

but overall I’d say this was much easier than I originally thought it would be.

It also took me minutes to do the entire removal and install -- which is approximately 4 days, 23 hours, and 52 minutes less time than if I had the local shop do the work. So I’ve used it 3 times so far. It’s easy enough and the cost of the tool is pretty much paid for in savings on labor. I’ve also never encountered the dreaded press fit creak.

Final Thoughts

I'm very glad I decided to go the do-it-myself route with press fit bottom brackets. The Wheels Mfg. Press-7 is a nice, durable tool that makes installing bottom brackets as simple as it can be. If you're looking for a press, it's a good one. Just don't forget the grease!