Am in the process of building up a bike as a winter project and have bought a Cyclus Headset Press from Wiggle http://www.wiggle.co.uk/cyclus-headset-press/ to help me do so.
It’s a lovely, chunky bit of engineering manliness (and way cheaper than equivalent tools from other brands). But… (you knew that was coming, didn’t you?) I’m looking at it and thinking “there’s no way that’ll press the lower bearing of a 1.5″ headset into the head tube…”
Does anyone have any experience with this tool? It’s says that it fits ‘1″ and oversize headsets’ but the last thing I want to do is bugger up a Chris King Inset 2 (and/or my new frame).
Any help is appreciated.

Mine doesn’t, which is a pita.

@Phil_H: arse. I’m wondering whether taking off the lower tool and replacing it with a stack of *big* washers might do the trick…

Are there any presses which can do 1 1/8 and 1.5″ steerers?

Yes:
http://www.parktool.com/product/home-mechanic-bearing-cup-press-hhp-3
(see what I mean about a stack of big washers… this tool is essentially a threaded bar, two big washers and a handle)
But it’s £60+
A rip-off, in my book.

Mine doesn’t, so I use my calibrated rubber mallet.

@Northwind: I lack your, er, confidence.

I’d get a big washer and fit it over the stepped part of the cyclus press.

Mine doesn’t, so I use my calibrated rubber mallet.

My traditional approach. Until I bought a carbon frame. No more mallets.

I had a mate use his lathe to make me a rather nice spacer to fit my Cyclus headset press. But before I had that, I just used a piece of flat metal plate with a hole cut in it. It worked fine, albeit not as pretty as the nice spacer. The plate just pushes on the outside edges of the cup, rather than locating on the inside edges.

@mtmm & wwaswas: Logically, that makes a lot of sense. And would save me £30. Has anyone attempted this and had it work? I have a little latitude for ham-fistedness; aluminium frame with a proper chunky headtube…

@mtmm: sorry, just re-read your post and realised that *you* have made it work. Cheers…

Yep – Hope 1.5″ lower cup into Yeti ASR5a, a doddle. IIRC Chris King used to stipulate that their headsets were fitted by pressing on the outside edges of the cup in this way?

@mttm: excellent; I’ve got a Yeti Big Top. Now, where to find big b’stard washers…

@mttm: out of interest, how did you fit the crown race?

Long piece of threaded rod, some nuts and some large washers.

All available from B&Q and, as the rod is far too long, cut it in half and get enough nuts and washers for two – then split the cost with a mate.

Works out at about £8 each person.

Just do one cup at a time, turn the nuts slowly, and keep checking for different angles to make sure that the cup isn’t going in at an angle. If it does start to go adrift, just back of the nuts, realign the rod to the centre of the head tube, and resume tightening.

…and the crown race?

bit of old plumbing pipe or just cut the race so it slides on.

Bodger’s crown race tool of choice is a piece of plastic plumbing pipe.

EDIT: Too slow

Mine didn’t so I got a bit of wood, drilled a hole in it and uses it to press the bottom cup in

Was also a king headset in a Solaris to take a tapered fork

Crown race was split (Hope headset) so fitted with fingers! I tend to only use Hope headsets these days, so all recent (‘ish) fitments have been done this way.

Used to use a piece of plastic waste pipe. On really stubborn ones, I’ve been known to cut the crown race. This has worked fine, too.

wrecker – Member

My traditional approach. Until I bought a carbon frame. No more mallets.

I’ve used this approach on carbon, steel, alu, scandium, and titanium. Need to get a bamboo bike I guess

Interested if you find a source of massive washers. When I had a bodged press the washers would bend unless you used a god stack.

I have thought that the small weights off my dumbells might do step up from using them as door stops.

I split crown races these days – so I fit them by hand. If you are using a cartridge bearing headset then the race does not need to be perfect (as opposed to loose balls where it does). Simple job of cutting with a hacksaw and then tidying up with a file. Done it on a few bikes and haven’t died yet.

sorry slight hijack, mttm any idea if your mate can make a some more spacers for the cyclus headset?
If so I would be happy to pay for one and reckon there’d be a few more on here that would also be interested.