[Closed] Hope crown race reducer

Use a crown race setter, it needs to be rammed on with force to seat properly, just like a non-split crown race. Apparently plastic piping and a mallet may be a workable bodge, but I took the last one I had to the LBS with a small offering of baked goods.

Looks like I will have to make a trip to my local bike shop tomorrow then.

Thanks

I use metal pipe to seat non split crown races

use a [s]metal[/s] plastic pipe to seat non split crown races

Always worked for me so far and very similar to the tools used in most shops
Could do it the old fashioned way and get the crown on the fork shaved down lol
Maybe best not to try this yourself

'very similar to the tools used in most shops'.
In the shops I've been head mechanic in (over the last 9 years) I've used an insert over the crown race to stop it getting marked 😉

Yep I have seen the park ones with the interchangeable ends.
The var one I used to have was just a tube with thick wall at the end to spread out te pressure
Lost that and been Useing pipe just fine with no problems. If it was for a loose bearing headset then that's a whole different thing as damaging the bearing surface on those is very bad

My first boss just used to have us place the fork upside down in a bench vice and hammer the under side o the fork
Really never do this last one.

Why are all crown races not split?

32mm plastic pipe and a hammer/mallet will do the job. Needed a few good whacks. Did mine a few weeks ago with some pipe I had in the cupboard. Prob cost less to get LBS to do it, instead of going out and buying some pipe, if you don't already have some lying around.

I used a large screwdriver with a wide, blunt end, a large hammer and a lot or force. This toolkit high score combo worked just fine and it's never creaked and the headeset is still happy a year on.

The reducer isn't as precious as a crown race, it'll still work fine if the upper surface is marked, so you could get away with hammering it on with a big flat screwdriver, but you risk driving it skewed. Also, on my bike my OCD would prevent such sacrilege. We are , after all discussing Hope alloy here, a material more precious than Elven Mithryl. LBS plus mince pies FTW

The Hope reducer is a really tight fit, I sanded down in the inside a little at a time and then banged it on with the International Standard White water pipe.

Just do a little at a time, it'll take a while with a coarse grained sandpaper. You'll not get it on with a pipe and hammer without sanding it.

You still want a tight fit, so you should still need a bit of force to get it on.

Thanks for all the advice! Sadly i have no pipe lying around, so this is definitely a job for the LBS.

I just use my headset installation tools: a piece of softwood and a hammer. You'll not damage it.

I use a square baton of wood and rubber mallet on mine, works like a charm.

Resurrection - these will work with any/most headsets won't they? They just 'beef up' the steerer so the crown race will fit?

Heat it up fist...Sorted..

Not worried about fitting it - checking that it will work with other headsets.

I know... 🙂