I’ve just taken delivery of a nice new angleset and will probably be fitting it tomorrow night.

Now normally pressing a headset in isn’t much of a problem, but obviously I want to get this one in properly aligned.

I’m thinking pop the cups in the freezer and warm the headtube to make things easier to fit may help, but has anyone got any other tips? Especially one for accurately determining the dead on front centre of the head tube?

mark the a line on the centre of your headtube to align the cups to. it doesn’t matter if it’s not absolutely perfect.
human beings aren’t either.

I’ve installed 4 of them now. Only other tip is install top and bottom cups separately. I find it easier than doing them together. Cups in freezer and hot water over the head tube helps if it’s not carbon!

I was really precious first time. Second time I just did pretty much what GW says. Then rubber malleted the cups in because my headset tool always rotated them. Done 4 now I think and that’s all it needs. The Works ones have a pair of marks on so you can whack a straight edge on it easily to check.

Yep as above hammer them in!

Don’t bother with a headset press, rubber mallet and eyeball it in.

Fine adjustments can be made later with 2′ Stillson.

Works one has notches in. I did one at a time by eye with DIY press, cups greased up first. Bike now turns left brilliantly…

🙂 at Scruff.

I’ve only done one – a works one – found the notches sort of helped but they were hidden from view when using the headset press. They should laser etch the alignment line on and further down the cup. Cups were super tight.

Also did one at a time and sort of shimmed the press becasue of the angle of the face on the cup. Once the first one is in, second is easier.

Worth measuring and marking a centre line of top tube and head tube for good alignment.

Well that was easier to fit than I expected, seems nice and smooth without play.

Of slight concern, the steerer is very close to flush with the top of the Stem clamp, it appears it gets just enough compression using the Works top cap as it has a very shallow lip around the edge, but I’m tempted to see if I can either locate a 1~2mm spacer to go under the stem, or maybe a shallower stem so I can put a normal spacer on top.

But yes, I seem to have been unduly concerned about precision… cheers all

Check out the article on bikeradar from yesterday?

shifter – Member
Fine adjustments can be made later with 2′ Stillson.

animal!

Just going through this myself.

Alignment is okay, but my Works ones are a pain to get in straight with a press. The top face is angled but the press wants to straighten it and is pushing the cup in at an angle every time. There’s also a notched line on the top cup part that presses in and it doesn’t want to go past it without scraping bits of cup or tube off.

More awkward with the press as it’s a 1 1/8 press but the frame is 1.5 straight (tapered fork, cups for tapered in 1.5) so having to bodge as the press isn’t wide enough.

Tried mallet, not getting anywhere with that.

Trying cups in freezer now.

Got a decent size vice? (one of my most handy bodging tools is a cheap vice that I just keep lying on a shelf and use as a sort of ultra gclamp)

I do have a vice I use for bodging, but it only extends to 100mm. Head tube is 130mm long (old Nomad mk2).

Headset press puts them in crooked because they are not symmetrical.

Freezer trick doesn’t work. Whacking with mallet puts enough energy into it to warm up within a few seconds so no advantage.

Getting to the point of getting the Dremel out to file down something but I think that’s a bad idea.

Sorted it in the end. Left in the freezer longer and block of wood and heavy regular hammer got the top in. Left the bottom until the morning with a really long deep freeze and with much effort, got the other in. Once in enough and straight I can use the press to finish it.

Never had so much hassle with headsets before, but then I’ve usually been able to use a press. Still, in now and does slacken the old Nomad off loads. Longer wheelbase now which was the main aim. Stem is a bit long now though, but concerned a shorter stem will bring me further towards the bars and negate the attempt at confidence boost on steep (not that it helped today as managed a nice OTB, though I blame the super loose trails and a sticky dropper that got stuck up 😀 ).

Freezer and kettle does work. Ive recently put a normal headset back in after going up a frame size and coming back from the Alps and prefer the quicker steering, but its not a huge difference.