I’m fitting some carbon rigid’s to my hardtail and the process has gone reasonable smoothly.

I’m struggling a tad though to get the crown race fully seated and seem to have a gap about a thumb nail’s thickness beneath the race (although I can’t remember if this was also the case when the race was on the sus. forks as it’s edges may have had a slight curve to them).

I’ve tapped the race down fairly firmly but am a little nervous about hitting it too hard (probably sill some residual and unfounded nerves about the perceived fragility of carbon).

Is it a case of hitting the setting tool a bit harder or just constant firm knocking until everything looks right?

If anything it’s just slightly out and I’ve heard of crown races seating under riding (although I assume that the headset may then need a tad of adjusting.

I did grease the race/steerer interface.

Any thoughts?

Hit it harder. When the pitch changes, it’s seated. It’ll be fine. Probably.

I’ve never really worried about it and have done it to several carbon forks – with carbon steerer’s, over the years.

It could well be the grease getting in the way. You’ll have effectively scraped the grease off the steerer as you pushed the race home, giving it nowhere to go but underneath.

If you can get it back off easy enough, remove the race, cut a slot in it and slide it down by hand (after getting rid of any grease)

I’ve got the dropouts in a plastic support resting on the floor which I’ve been knocking again; is this okay (it’s worked before).

There something about the forks being carbon (they’re my first) which is making me nervous; I guess they’ll take much more of a beating during riding!

Forgot to mention that the steer and crown are aluminium.

as long as you support the fork crown on something non marking (I wrap an old t-shirt around a bit of 2×4) rather than rely on the bottom of the legs resting on the ground you should be fine giving it a bash.

Some people just cut through the crown race so it’s a split one.

I always hold forks in my hand when fitting the crown, just to avoid damage. But a good wallop with a big hammer is the answer – if you can break it that way, what would have happened when you hit a bump with your weight behind it?

Some people just cut through the crown race so it’s a split one.

Some do, but it’s not a brilliant idea with headsets that aren’t meant to have split races.

Technically any cartridge headset will be fine with a split then. As it’s not a race. The race is part of the cartridge. 😉

Maybe use something very thin like a sheet of paper to see if you can slide it under to the steerer or not. Should tell you if it’s all the way down.

Have always used a Stanley knife blade to start removing old races.

I reckon if you can still get the sharpened edge of the blade between the race and the steerer, the race isn’t seated.

Thickness of a thumbnail = definitely not seated remove and investigate rather than hammer away & hope

Ride it, it’ll seat, retighten headset.

Always support them under the crown when fitting the baseplate (it’s never a crown race these days) don’t bash down onto the dropouts.

Oh dear, I fear that I may have been a bit of a nob again. OCD (which I have in spades) and bike maintenance can sometimes be a trial!

I usually swap out forks without problem at all but following my crown race doubts I managed to knock my star nut in at an angle and drop my brake adapter absent mindedly putting the bolts in the wrong way around and getting flustered about what was going on with my calliper(fortunately I thought about it and didn’t strip the threads on my expensive new forks!).

Having taken a brake and gone back to it, all now appears good.

Back to the nobbishness – the technical drawings for the Orbit MX headset show that the crown race has a flat base which then tapers up slightly to a small lip (perhaps to allow access to lever the race off). It’s hard to see by eye but shinning a torch shows that the race is seated below the lip.

Got there in the end 😳

Technically any cartridge headset will be fine with a split then. As it’s not a race. The race is part of the cartridge.

Well, depends. Maybe it’s a bit fussy about the race diameter, the split is making it slightly larger.

On a more philosophical point, I don’t think it’s right to cut a slot in a part that’s not got one, just to make it a bit easier to fit. It’s not like they’re hard to hammer on properly.

I managed to knock my star nut in at an angle

Is the steerer tube carbon? If so you shouldn’t use a star nut!

for knocking them on, I use a nice long bit of plastic drainpipe (much longer than any steerer)

Put steerer (with race on it) “up” the pipe, then turn it all over and bang the free end of the pipe on the floor

Sometimes I get a curved file and take a smidge off the inner face of the race. Doubt that’s necessary and I’ve only ever done it twice (used to cut slots but don’t bother any more)

Is the steerer tube carbon? If so you shouldn’t use a star nut!

No, as mentioned above it’s carbon legs with ally steerer and crown.

The most recent fitting of a crown race to carbon forks I did I found the forks had a slight bevel between the flat part where the race seats and the steerer tube. This was stopping the race seating fully. I had to file away a bit of the bevel in the matching place on the race in order to get it to fit (I’d previously spent rather a long time hammering!)

Scaffold pole is the perfect size for setting a crown race.

I got a halfords tool set for christmas one year, the most used tools of the lot are probably the drifts!

Used them last night to tap a particularly stubborn race onto the tourer.

Then realized the loose ball headset was a good 10mm lower than the cartridge one it replaced, which means now either a trip to the bike shop to get the threads cut down another 10mm or so, or a new headset.

GRRRRRR.

Anyway, all sorted in the end. The race was fine once I realised that it’d seated properly and I sorted the star nut out easily too. I do shudder when I realise that I’d got the brake bolts the wrong way around and had been trying to tighten in too long a bolt in the lower bolt hole (nothing stripped though and hopefully nothing weakened).

When it goes smoothly it goes smoothly; if not I get in a fluster and am my own worst enemy. Ah well, now I just need to enjoy the forks!

wrecker – Member
Scaffold pole is the perfect size for setting a crown race.

21′ – blimey 😀

I’ve got an FSA something or other cartridge headset. Rather than cock about with forcing the crown race on the steerer, I just hacksawed a slot into the crown race and it popped on nicely.
All its doing in centring the steerer in the lower bearing race so it’ll be absolutely fine.

Well, depends. Maybe it’s a bit fussy about the race diameter, the split is making it slightly larger.

It’s conical, it won’t matter.

On a more philosophical point, I don’t think it’s right to cut a slot in a part that’s not got one, just to make it a bit easier to fit. It’s not like they’re hard to hammer on properly.

On the other hand, some of these massively oversize fork crowns (which we are going to see more of as road and CX discs become more mainstream) make it am utter shit to get the crown race off. Even using the right tool.

I know I’m in a minority on STW in thinking that parts should be fitted properly using the correct tools by someone who knows what they’re doing 😀

I’ve been using Facebook to much as I looked for the Like button on your post Ben.

bencooper – Member

I know I’m in a minority on STW in thinking that parts should be fitted properly using the correct tools by someone who knows what they’re doing

Fair play.

I’ve always used proper tools and deferred to the LBS when I’ve felt out of my depth.

The crown race was fitted with the correct tools. As to knowing what I’m doing, I’m certainly no expert but I’ve fitted crown races before and tend to learn from experience; I should have paid more attention to the fact that the race had a slight lip on it though as this would have saved some hassle.

In my attempts increase my knowledge around bicycle maintenance one thing I quickly discovered that consensus as to the right way to do something is rarely achieved.

Using setting a crown race as an example I’ve seen internet examples of using a screwdriver as a drift, supporting the fork under the bridge with one hand and hammering the setting tool (this last race was tough and I’m not sure this approach would have worked),turning the fork upside down with a length of pipe used as a setting tool and whacking the upside down fork/tube into the floor, a heated forum debate regarding resting the dropouts on the floor supported by the supplied plastic dropout bridge (the approach I’ve always used) and one case of someone clamping their sus. forks by one leg – and then there’s all the debate about whether you should/shouldn’t use a dab of grease (my LBS use grease so I always have).

As I mentioned, OCD and bike maintenance can be a troublesome combination but all in all I enjoy it. Perhaps the most important thing I’ve learned is that when things aren’t going smoothly, walk away, take a break and think about things and post on Singletrack!

I wasn’t commenting about you, it was the people who think cutting a part in half to make it easier to fit is the right way to do it 😉

Oh, and I use a wee bit of grease, fork held in right hand, crown race tool slipped over it and malky with the second-biggest hammer until the sound changes. Never fails. Trying to clamp or support the fork is just asking for it to get bent or scratched.

Erm, a slot leaves the part intact.
You need two slots to cut it in half.

Amateur.
😉

The reason I (rightly or wrongly) made a split crown race (from a new non-split one) is because I do occasionally swap forks between bikes. The races soon get messed up being removed and reinstalled and having a split in the race means it lasts longer and is a lot less hassle in doing so.
Theres also the point that variants of my headset DO have a split race. As long as there are cartridge bearings I dont see how this can do any harm to the fork, the crown race or the headset. Just saying that “thats not how you should do it” doesn’t wash. Surely if there is no engineering reason why NOT to do it you can do it?
If you tell me that it significantly weakens the headset or the fork or reduces the bearing life by 75% then Im going to listen, as I quite like my teeth where they are.

Is there a good reason why split races are a bad idea?

It’s not a split race. That would be a very bad idea.

I know I’m in a minority on STW in thinking that parts should be fitted properly using the correct tools by someone who knows what they’re doing

So us plebs would never learn anything and you’d make loads of money?

Or you plebs could read the instructions and fit it properly instead of chopping it up to fit 😀

If the headset cups were a bit tight to push in, would it be okay to cut slots in them too?

What special tool for building straw men?

scotroutes – Member

It’s not a split race. That would be a very bad idea.
I realise you’re being pedantic for the sake of it.

I would have thought the majority of people who refer to a crown race being “split” would take it as having a slot cut in one place, not being cut into two separate pieces. Its a commonly used term, used by the headset manufacturers themselves.

So can anyone answer why having a split crown race is a bad idea on a cartridge bearing headset please?

Can anyone see what’s wrong with this split crown race that was on a Taiwanese fork I saw recently?

😀

That’s a crown race, not a baseplate.

Can you explain why cutting a slot in a baseplate would be a bad idea?I realise you’re being pedantic for the sake of it. [/quote]Given the previous post, you must be able to see the reason for my pedantry?

Having ignored the previous post, I can indeed see the reason. Sorry I thought you were referring to mine!

Ben is that to be used for loose or caged bearings? i.e the balls run on that part with the slot in it? Excellent job there!
Hence why I was clear about the headset having cartridge bearings in my post. Is a split crown race going to do any arm in my scenario?

Ach, I can’t be bothered. I’ll carry on fitting headsets my way, by reaming and facing the head tube, facing the crown, and fitting them with proper fitting tools.

Because if I do that, I know it’ll work and last as long as it’s supposed to.

I could bodge them in, and they’d probably be okay, but if they weren’t then I’d get people moaning about me cutting corners and being unprofessional.

Ben is that to be used for loose or caged bearings? i.e the balls run on that part with the slot in it? Excellent job there!

Aye – it’s in aluminium too, not the best material for caged bearings 😀

I could bodge them in, and they’d probably be okay, but if they weren’t then I’d get people moaning about me cutting corners and being unprofessional.

That’s the difference. If performing the work (paid) for someone else then I would get the correct tools.

As I only do my own bikes I am happy using hammers, block of wood etc,. Have never had an issue yet in 20+ years of doing so but can’t say I never will (i.e. miss with the hammer and hit frame, crack forks) and I wouldn’t risk it if fitting kore than 1 headset per year at most (due to frame changes not wear)

Aye – it’s in aluminium too, not the best material for caged bearings

you mean sometimes manufacturers just do things without understanding why. Wow, i thought they just knew automatically.
😉