I have two spacers, above my stem which looks a bit ewww, if you know what I mean, I may cut the steerer down 10mm leaving just one spacer and making the bike look a whole lot less wrong.
I have cut steerers down before on other bikes, cutting against an old stem which I put on the steerer to act as a cutting guide, but do people generally cut the steerer down with the forks on or off the bike. because I dont think I am that fussed about it, to be bothered taking the whole forks right out etc.
I'd take it off and lay it flat to minimise the chance of swarf in the seals.
Yep agree, even if you use a pipe cutter you're gonna have to file the edges. You could tape a plastic sheet above the top race to cover the front wheel etc.
If using a saw definately take off the bike
I did mine last night. Forks held over a cheap mitre box and straight through with a hacksaw. Far easier off the bike imho.
Off the bike. On the bike would just be making the job uneccessarily harder than it needs to be IMHO.
Defo off the bike.
Mark the line, wrap insulating tape around the steerer tube once to create an easy to follow guide and then start sawing with a hacksaw, a bit at a time , turning the fork as you go so that you end up with a groove all the way round the steerer tube. Now just keep turning and sawing until you break thru' the tube. Clean up with a file, job done !
Off the bike definitely - Bought a secondhand pair of RC40s which arrived today, snuck around to maintenance this afternoon, whacked them in the vice and lopped 55mm off the steerer. Simples 😀
10mm ain't gonna make any difference to its 'look' once you're a metre away... and you are setting yourself up to cut it short/wonky/skanky etc.
And the fork I'll probably never fit another bike.
Just leave it alone.
and you are setting yourself up to cut it short/wonky/skanky etc. Just leave it alone
Probably the best advice, probably the only other issue is whether its more likely to hurt in a crash having it stuck up like that, otherwise you are right I should stop being a big Nerys and leave it the hell alone 😀
Defo off the bike.
Mark the line, wrap insulating tape around the steerer tube once to create an easy to follow guide and then start sawing with a hacksaw, a bit at a time , turning the fork as you go so that you end up with a groove all the way round the steerer tube. Now just keep turning and sawing until you break thru' the tube. Clean up with a file, job done !
Don't forget, measure twice, cut once!
leave them on, no point messing round with time consuming bolts
get the angle grinder out, no point messing around with time consuming hacksaws and files
Some good deals around on replacement forks, stems and frames at the mo when it all goes wrong
missingfrontallobe - Member
Don't forget, measure twice, cut once!
Or, in my case, measure 5-6 times with different tapes and a ruler just to be 100% sure.... Cutting a 220mm steerer down to 165mm is pretty drastic!