Looking for help and advice on pressing in a new headset into a new frame, I’ve got the use of a proper headset press so it’s not like I’ll be trying to hammer them in. Thing is I’ve never used one before and it’s not actually for my bike. Also for installing the new race onto the forks.

So any of you have any suggestions as to what to do or what not to do??

Should I just leave it to the LBS and let them charge him £15?

Cheers

Carl

Race – cut a slot in it with a hacksaw and just slide it on

Cups – I just “bash them in with a mallet” but surely a “proper” headset press is self-explanatory?

It’s not for your bike and you don’t know what you’re doing?

here you go read this:
http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=127

Thanks for the link bonj.

A section of 40mm plastic waste pipe, a block of wood and a hammer work just fine for tapping on a crown race.

Remember to line up the writing on your headset with you frame if you fussy before you press it in. To fit the crown race if its not spilt then I tape it on with a hammer and big screwdriver, jsut make sure you not hammering against the bearing surface.

put the races in the freezer for a couple of hours and they will fall in.

Check that the cups are going in square to the frame – you may need to do one at a time, if they’re not then push them out and try again. Ideally the press should be bearing on the *cups* or the outer race, not the inner race if the bearing is already fitted (tho’ I’ve previously fitted an FSA Extreme like that, where I didn’t have much choice at the time).

The cups *shouldn’t* be greased – if they are then there can be excessive cup<>headtube movement, possibly screwing up the headtube (that’s from Spesh UK)

i’d cut the crown race as suggested above, but some don’t want to. in that event, a piece of 32mm plastic waste pipe ( 1.50 from b&q ) over the top to **** it down, supporting the fork under the crown.
if you have a proper headset press that should be a doddle. i’d do it one cup at a time.

if it was my bike I’d be taking it back off you pretty dam quick.

professionals are there for a reason

didn’t some one on here split their head tube on a Ti bike fitting a headset?

The cups *shouldn’t* be greased – if they are then there can be excessive cup<>headtube movement, possibly screwing up the headtube (that’s from Spesh UK)

Not quite sure what they mean there

Anyway – I would never press 2 metal parts together without lube, it’s just not good practice, I use oil
I only do one at a time – I can’t see any worthwhile benefit doing both at once but could see more problems doing both if they went ‘off square’

The cups are supposed to be an interference fit. IIRC (it was about 6 years ago) the problem they’d seen was where the cups could move around in the headtube ‘cos of the lube, ovalising it.

Race – cut a slot in it with a hacksaw and just slide it on

REALLY ?? Why ? Where ?

To add a little more background to that – I’d tried to fit a PigDH to my Enduro. Lower cup was *almost* flush, about a sheet of paper off on one side. Couldn’t get it back out – neither could my LBS…tho’ they managed to create some degree of swarf out of the iside of the headtube 🙁 – bloke reckoned I should have greased it before fitting. Specialized UK(not far away from me) kindly got the cup out, reamed/refaced the headtube just in case, and said quite categorically that it shouldn’t be greased, as above.

It seemed the Pig DH – powdercoated – comes in a little oversized, had kinda galled in fitting it into the frame, judging by the missing powdercoat after it had been removed.

Oh, and the Spesh fix for getting the lower cup out where I’d failed with the proper tool, and the LBS with a blooming screwdriver (judging by the mess), was to use half-ally handlebar and work around the cup carefully. I’ve since used the same trip on an old Stumpie where I couldn’t get the cups out with the proper tool, and it works a treat without damaging anything.

>it’s just not good practice
Ahem..crank tapers…..

Couldn’t get it back out – neither could my LBS…tho’ they managed to create some degree of swarf out of the iside of the headtube

don’t use them as mechanics again 🙁

I haven’t 😉
Re doing both cups at the same time – my (Cyclus) press allows both cups to sit nicely centred on the tool, it’s not intended (IIRC) to centralised directly on the headtube without a cup – ie it’s actually harder to get an even press when doing one cup at a time, which I’ve had to do with a Hope h/set which uses some separate press blanks – ie wouldn’t centralised on the tool.

>it’s just not good practice
Ahem..crank tapers…..

I still maintain it’s not good engineering practice to dry fit metal to metal parts other than self lubricating bushes etc.

I’m not sure if you are familiar with Bennet’s manuals but they are pretty much the reference for bicycle maintenance

http://www.bbinstitute.com/manual.htm

Anyway, regarding pressed in headsets they have this to say.

I n s t a l l a t i o n o f p r e s s e d r a c e s

44. [ ] Clean with alcohol or acetone all three
pressed race mating surfaces: plus outside of
fork-crown-race seat, and inside of head
tube. Prepare same surfaces with Loctite 242
to prevent corrosion (optional) or Loctite
RC680 to improve poor fit (if necessary).
When pressing in the head-tube races, they must
be pressed on fully. There is no specific force required,
but there will be a distinct ?bottomed-out? feeling
when they are in fully.

45. [ ] Insert larger race into bottom of head tube and
smaller one into top of head tube and press in
fully with press. If aluminum races appear to
be developing shavings as they press in, re-
move shavings before completing installation.
46. [ ] Inspect head-tube races to confirm they ap-
pear pressed in fully.

Worth checking that you take the bearings out of the cups before pressing them in, or otherwise, if they are pressed into the cups, to avoid using the ‘stepped’ press, and just use the flat surface of the press.

You will of course have faced and reamed the headtube and faced the fork crown I presume?

Hint: I’d take it to the bike shop, perhaps armed with a packet of nice choccy biscuits and ask to watch them do the whole thing. It’s not more than 10 mins to do – easy to bodge, but also easy to cause serious issues to your headset, frame and forks if you make an arse of it!

only races for cartridge bearings can be slotted.

Good practice it may be to grease cups, I’ve never seen corrosion cause an issue though (can’t see how it would cause a cup to stick either)

Good practice it may be to grease cups, I’ve never seen corrosion cause an issue though (can’t see how it would cause a cup to stick either)

The lubrication is not to prevent corrosion – it is to ease the parts together without undue stress etc.
There’s many things in life that will work without lubrication but often it helps enormously 😉

It’s a walk in the park if you have the slightest bit of mechanical ability and sympathy.

I’ve fitted a few head sets using my home made press, just ensure that the cups are going in straight, if they;re slightly off knock them out and start again.

Crown Races, if not slotted as above – piece of placcy plumbing pipe and a wooden / rubber mallet and gently tap NOT HIT it into place.

it is to ease the parts together without undue stress etc.

an interference fit mandates stress, the cups are very slightly larger than the hole they fit into so they are a snug fit. I’m not convinced a lubricant makes any difference in such conditions, and suspect it will all be squeegeed out during fitting.

I use a bench vice to press the cups in, which works very smoothly.

Maybe you’re right SFB – who knows?

Drop Bennets a line – I’m sure they’ll welcome the feedback

I’m with uplink on this one.

Eases installation, prevents galling or shavings.

Sorry uplink, just cos somethig is in a book doesn’t make it right.

How about the fact that millions of headsets have been installed without grease and without issue?

Just makes the whole thing irrelevant, you silly bookworm.

Eases installation, prevents galling or shavings.

well, I can’t really comment on that as I’ve never seen it, but it seems to imply heavy handedness or crooked fitting…

Your comment seems to imply limited experience of installing headsets Simon.

You are aware aware of the variability of tolerances of course. Small headtube ream and over-large cup can result in this.

Sorry uplink, just cos somethig is in a book doesn’t make it right.

How about the fact that millions of headsets have been installed without grease and without issue?

Just makes the whole thing irrelevant, you silly bookworm.

How do you know that?

I referenced the manual purely to give an example – I work by principles I learned a long time ago as a fitter

Same principle with bearings

NSK say …

Fitting with a press is widely used for small bearings. A mounting tool is placed on the inner ring as shown in Fig. 1 and the bearing is slowly pressed on the shaft with a press until the side of the inner ring rests against the shoulder of the shaft. The mounting tool must not be placed on the outer ring for press mounting, since the bearing may be damaged. Before mounting, applying oil to the fitted shaft surface is recommended for smooth insertion. The mounting method using a hammer should only be used for small ball bearings with minimally tight fits and when a press is not available. In the case of tight interference fits or for medium and large bearings, this method should not be used. Any time a hammer is used, a mounting tool must be placed on the inner ring.[/b]

SKF say …

Mounting procedure
Wipe the preservative from the bore and outside diameter of the bearing.

Interference fit on the shaft
Lightly oil the bore of the bearing with a thin mineral oil.
Make sure the bearing is mounted at right angles to the shaft.
Apply the mounting force to the inner ring using the fitting tool SKF TMFT 36. [/i]

Feel free to disregard it – I don’t because that’s how I was taught & how I always do things – it’s 2nd nature to me.
I also never fit a screw, nut or bolt without – either – threadlock or lube depending on application.

The world won’t end no matter which way you operate 🙂

Well fitted the headset and race(without having to cut it, still don’t know why you’d want to anyway) tonight in about 15mins and I can’t see what all the fuss was about. Got it pressed all nice and square first time and even got the decals centered on the bottom cups, cos I know some of you like that sort of thing.

Thanks to those who gave sensible and practical advice without being sarcastic and demeaning. You know who you are.

Carl

cheers for fitting it Carl and Jay really did look so simple now cant wait to ride my 456 🙂

There seems to be a strange bit of folklore around bicycles where dry assembly is strongly promoted where it would never be seen to be good practice elsewhere. The same goes for torquing and the regular advice on here to not use correct torques, just over-tighten everything.

Then there’s all the threads about “how do I remove a stuck…” . Funny, never from the chaps with torque wrenches and assembly lubes?

Bingo Smiffy!