Making a headset press

A short while ago i saw someone on here selling a few homemade headset presses, just wondering how to make them and are they safe to use i.e won't press in the headset at a wonky angle / damage headset etc

there was a thread about this just last week…

It's just a bit of threaded rod with nuts & washers

have a look here – you'll need to be logged in to see the images

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=411176

I tried it with just nuts, washers and thin blocks of wood. It didn't work because if the blocks of wood slipped, the rod would end up off-axis and then it'd act to push the cups in wonky. I decided it needed end plugs that would sit inside the cups, just a sort of conical wedge would have worked but it'd have needed either a very fortuitous piece of scrap object or a lathe.

At that point I borrowed a real one from a mate who was maintaining and fettling a fleet of like 6 bikes. Now tho he's down to one but still has a shedful of fancy tools..

I bought one of the homemade ones from ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HEADSET-PRESS_W0QQitemZ130374083020QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Spots_Leisure_Cycling_Tools_RepairKits?hash=item1e5ae6a1cc#ht_500wt_1182

Not much more than the cost of making, and finding the bits here in Switzerland can be tricky. Sounds a bit like the wooden one mentioned above, and it is a bit tricky, but you just have patience and take it slow and everything will be fine. Seems a bit of a step up from 'twatting with a hammer and a block of wood'.

kev

fitted a headset tonight to my latest frame, used a benchmounted vice, worked a treat, both cups at the sametime 😀

M10 threaded bar
M10 nuts x 2
M10 washers small x 2
M10 washers large x 2

Or change it all for m12 s.
Tighten everything up hand tight and then, as mentioned previously, tighten it up nice and slow.
Ride bike
Beer

Thanks for the responses, sounds like the threaded rod one should do the trick!

big_scot_nanny

Thanks for the link. – Gone & ordered one 🙂 – He had three for sale so not jumping in & spoiling anyone else's chances of getting one.

Lent mine out some time ago – can't remember to who. – At that price, it looks fine to me & saves me a trip out to get bits.

Chris

If possible, or if you can, it's worth making up something like this to help press in the headset

holds the cups nice and straight as you press them in, I've put in about 3 headsets using these with no problems, anyone with a bit of skill, some tools and a bit of ply might be able to knock some up … luckily for me I have access to a cnc machine to make mine.

I bought a cyclus one off wiggle for £30 after trying the homemade methods a couple of time.

It is massively easier with the proper tool and is probably worth it if you are fitting an expensive headset into an expensive frame.

SnS: cool. Just take your time. Do one at a time (not top and bottom togetehr as I read on here someone tried to do – I would be tearing my hair out!), the top one for me was really tight, and took many attempts to get it to go in straight. Bottom one was a piece of piss by comparison.

Please note excellent Double Entendres in above comment.

Putting the crown race on the fork was a laugh: wood + hammer = job done. 🙂

Kojak, it's almost worth doing a batch and selling those, excellent idea!

I have used the fork steerer and top cap with headset spacers on many occasions to work as a headset press, works a treat just put it all together and tighten the top cap to press the headset into the frame with a bit of grease. You many need to add more spacers as it goes in. Is good becuase it ensures the headset is held in alingment as well.

Kojak, it's almost worth doing a batch and selling those, excellent idea!

Yeah, but I'd probably get banned, closed thread and directed to 'Advertising' as 'they' would say I'm trading? 😉

Didn't this happen to someone recently 😆

i made a few of these a while ago. thread got closed as it was classed as trading- never heard back form mods after several emails.
best advice for using them is do one cup at a time.

I just chuck the cups in the freezer overnight and then they push in easily. Never used a press.