Gap at bottom of headset?

Hi all,

I have bought new forks for my current build and did a trial fitment with them lastnight and the bottom bearing race/seal sits about 5-6mm above the crown race. The alloy steerer tube seems to have a slight taper in the last 10mm or so and this is as far as i can get the steerer to go.

Should i get a bit of pipe and hit the bottom race/seal down so it sits on the crownrace, or alternatively file the last 10mm of steerer tube so that the race/seal will go down further?

OR can i just bang a 5mm spacer in there?

Cheers.

pictures needed...

It sounds like you've got a one and an eighth inch fork and a one inch headset. Filing and/or hammering will be a recipe for disaster if that's correct.

Yeah i'll get some pics tonight.

DickBarton - Yes the forks are 1-1/8. The frame is a Fuji Track and i looked up the standard bike specs and it says 1-1/8 for the headset/steerer tube. The frame was bought second hand but came with the original Ritchey headset which is what i'm trying to use...

I don't think a 1 inch crown race would fit on a 1 1/8 fork at all (not just the bottom bit)

Some do take a bit of beating to get on and best to do it with proper tools. I always tap at mine with a flat blade screwdriver which is clearly the wrong thing to do!

Hi all,

I have bought new forks for my current build and did a trial fitment with them lastnight and the bottom bearing race/seal sits about 5-6mm above the crown race. The alloy steerer tube seems to have a slight taper in the last 10mm or so and this is as far as i can get the steerer to go.

How much force did you use, and what tools?

Should i get a bit of pipe and hit the bottom race/seal down so it sits on the crownrace,
Yes, you should use a slide hammer, but only within reason.
or alternatively file the last 10mm of steerer tube so that the race/seal will go down further?

A little bit of filing (either of the fork, or the bearing race) can be employed, but take care not to remove too much material.

OR can i just bang a 5mm spacer in there?
No.

you are making no sense. "the bottom bearing race/seal sits about 5-6mm above the crown race" the bottom bearing race of a headset is the crown race. it sounds like you have discovered that the crown race has a press fit on the steerer tube, which it is supposed to have...
this picture shows installation of a crown race, the CRS-1 is a crown race installation tool that bashes it down.

and i would not recommend any filing of the fork as a) the problem is not yet clear and b) there is no way you could evenly file a round tube and c) this is probably a case of user error.

Cheers Velo - The picture you show is exactly what mine currently looks like. Apologies, i meant to just type crown but obviously got carried away and put race where i shouldn't have...

So it is looking like a press fit then?

it is always a press fit. you can get the proper tool - a crown race setting tool, or use a bit of pipe, or use a hammer and screwdriver.

Cheers Velo - The picture you show is exactly what mine currently looks like. Apologies, i meant to just type crown but obviously got carried away and put race where i shouldn't have...

So it is looking like a press fit then?

This type of crown race has a very tight fit. You will only be able to fit it properly with the correct tool or a piece of heavy pipe with the correct internal diameter (how I fit mine). It takes some force, which is why a good fitting tool or pipe is recommended. You can make things easier for yourself if you have a big enough freezer to cool down (and shrink slightly) the forks (works well with headset races).

or use a hammer and screwdriver.

I've never got this to work myself*...:(

(*I'm all thumbs me)

Ah right, all new to me as i have only had BMX's before which had threaded headsets with gyros etc etc. How much do you reckon an LBS will do it for if i fail to find a piece of pipe?

Hammer and screwdriver?? Hammer and a bit of wood for me, don't want to damage anything

i always head up the crown race over a stove or a hob till it expands and then its really easy to get it to settle on the fork!

Hammer and screwdriver?? Hammer and a bit of wood for me, don't want to damage anything

I don't want to damage anything either and always think it will be fine so continue to fit crown races with a hammer and screwdriver.

Never is fine though and always get a few marks on the crown race but so far got away with it and the bearings always spin perfectly!

I don't want to damage anything either and always think it will be fine so continue to fit crown races with a hammer and screwdriver.

Never is fine though and always get a few marks on the crown race but so far got away with it and the bearings always spin perfectly!

Why not use a bit of wood, then you won't get any damage, touch wood.

it is also recommended to prep the steerer and crown race seat with reamer to ensure correct fit......becuz if you are banging crown race too small for a a given steerer column you will widen said race and render it unusable next time you wanna reuse your headset....

be careful as there are different sizes of crown race (only the correct one will fit obviously) for 1 inch headsets.

I did my last one using the hammer + wood technique (was a 1 1/8 steerer, did'nt have the right pipe). I found it easier using a inch thick piece of wood that I had drilled a 1 1/8" (ish) hole out of. This spread the force of the hammer more, and stopped the race from tilting too much.

OK cheers guys, i will most likely try the hammer and screw driver trick, failing that i'll bang it over the hob for a few mins. I'm not too fussed about re-using the headset in the future as if it goes i'll just put a new one in and cut the old crown race off. The reason for re-using this one was that it's in good condition and funds won't allow for a new one atm.

It's deffo a 1-1/8 headset, i measured the steerer tube with a vernier and its a cats-cock-hair larger towards the bottom and other than that the crown race is an almost perfect fit along the rest of the steerer tube.

an lbs shouldn't charge too much, it is a <5min job. bang. bang. bang. done.

It sounds like you've got a one and an eighth inch fork and a one inch headset. Filing and/or hammering will be a recipe for disaster if that's correct.

that sounds completely improbable.

there are a number of ways to do this. the three main methods were already mentioned. I'll chime in with some practical advice.

with the screwdriver, it should be a big flathead, and you tap lightly. and you move from 12 o'clock, to 6 o'clock, to 3 o'clock to 9 oclock, etc... It should take >100 taps. It's a 5 to 10 minute job. You'll get the feel for it. The las final taps should be more of a whack to make sure it's seated properly. You hit it hard enough to notice slight progress. patience it key.

The sliding pipe method requires more than just a tap; more like a controlled whack. This method is less likely to cause damage, not that there's any real damage to be done.

The third method is to go to the LBS and they will use a weighted sliding pipe.

Personally i use a huge open wrench that fits snugly over the steerer tube and whack, twist, whack, twist, whack, twist...

The end goal is to not muck up the race.

I would say don't use a screw driver, metal on metal isn't the best idea. Use a bit of wood then you won't have any scratches or dents

^ I put a bit of electrical tape over the flat head SD... it sometimes gets cut so you have to replace it, but I recon it adds some protection