Homemade Headset Press – where’d ya get ya bits from?

So, I’m guessing some of you have made and use one of these?

Easy enough to make, but where did you get your bits from – large bolt or threaded bar, nuts, washers and /or brass bushes? Is it the sort of thing the local B&Q will stock, it’s the only hardware type shop where I live without having to do a half hour drive.

🙂

I got all of mine from B&Q

B&Q. But it was crap, so I ended up hitting it in with a hammer and a piece of wood.

wickes, worked a treat

my first ever headset press was a piece of 4×2 and a hammer. You could also get those from B&Q but I’d stick with the design you outlined above. I completely knackered my piece of wood.

Just get one of these!…

http://www.parker-international.co.uk/1785/Cyclus-Headset-Press.html?referrer=froogle&utm_source=google&utm_medium=froogle&utm_campaign=pid1785

😆

Yeah, the usual hammer and wood has worked a treat before but not this time! Struggling, so I’m off to B&Q soon to try and get the bits.

Cheers.

my first ever headset press was a piece of 4×2 and a hammer.

That’s not installation – That’s “getting away with it”…

That Cyclus tool looks good! Much better (value) than the £100+ ‘other’ tools I’ve seen!

And thanks for the quick replies … now get out on ya bikes! 😀

Rubber hammer. £3.50 from Abids in Tod.

I must have fitted a dozen or so headsets over the last 25yrs, all of them with a wooden mallet.

If you do need a press seek out a specialist fastener company who can sell you a decent bit of 16mm All-Thread & some 40mm square washers.
I doubt B & Q stock such items.

Local hardware shop. Threaded bar, 2x nuts, 2x washers, 2x off-cuts of plywood with holes drilled in them. One headset press for about £1. That works out considerably better value than the cyclus one, and you don’t need adapters for different headset types, as the wood ‘moulds’ to the cups.

All my bits from B&Q. Cost about a fiver.

first few were done with a rear qr, two bits of metal with holes in and some cushiony stuff (possible innertube)

Some of the bits for the one I have are from a forklift truck factory 🙂 it is a touch overbuilt!

I’ve used a 12mm threaded rod which I found in the garage combined with some 12mm nuts and some square washers from B&Q. Does the job well.

Can’t you just go to the stores at work and borrow the bits you need 😉

Mine was b&q about 5 quid

Another B&Q special here – threaded bar washers and bits of wood to prevent damage to the cups – needs a little assistance from a hammer and you have to double and triple check its going in straight.

Does the Cyclus one work with 1.5" (reducer) headsets?

if you have a big enough vice, they work quite well too 🙂

kamina – Member
Does the Cyclus one work with 1.5" (reducer) headsets?

Don't think so, I've just done a 1.5 headset and had to use some handy sized spacers I happened to have lying around, otherwise the cyclus one is awesome. I have always been a wood/hammer/homemade press advocate, but at 30 ish quid the cyclus one is very good, stiff and makes the job much less of a fiddle. Depends on how you value your time, by the time you've done 2x trips to b&q, and maybe some faffing, then you may ahve wasted a couple of hours – well on saturday thats golden time for me so the press brings the headset fitting job down to minutes, plus you get social kudos (often beer shaped) for doing yer mates bikes too.

Edit – vice is also an excellent way of doing it, plus a vice is handy for millions of other things too…

That's not installation – That's "getting away with it"…

I always used to hammer them in, and they'd work for years even after that treatment. Now I use a vice but I usually give a few smacks with a hammer to get the cups lined up properly… if it works it works – you're being too precious 🙂

Looking on Cyclus home page I noticed they do indeed have a 1.5" version, it's just not so readily available.

Next question… To install a 1.5 -> 1.1/8 reducer headset (King Devolution or Cane Creek reducer headset) do I actually need the 1.1/8 or 1.5 press?

Kamina good find, dot bike have it listed 1.5 cyclus headset tool Its the same part no on the cyclus website except for the 1 1/2 bit so hopefully its just an extra adaptor, I wonder if you can buy the 1.5 adaptor on its own…

But I would imagine you can get away with the 1 1/8 press for a reducer hmmmm maybe..

B&Q or similar

I'm still trying to decide what to do… Already picked up my new headset yesterday. Anyone have the Cyclus? Did it come with several adapters to fit different headset styles? The shop said I have to make sure I press the headset down from the top, not the bottom of the cup…

+ 1 Cyclus , it has the fine threads for the actual pressing and a proper
coarse thread at the other end for setting up, the ball bearings also stop any friction building up as the prss tightens – hence one finger headset instalation.
I do not think the standard model has the correct adaptor for a 1.5" headset, nor a CK*** .

Tried the coarse threaded bar/washer job , it works , but the wooden mallet is more fun.
If you can afford the Cyclus just buy it , it will last you forever

I got my bits from the local builders merchants. Cost about 3 quid.

My B&Q one is the same as everyone else's B&Q one, cost about £6 but gave me enough bits to make about 3.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HEAD-SET-PRESS-1-AND-11-8_W0QQitemZ180476898843QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Spots_Leisure_Cycling_Tools_RepairKits?hash=item2a0542ee1b