Originally Posted by ElSetho
Im taking my first shot at building a bike up, and I am curious if it necissary to buy a headset press and a crown race setter? is it a bad idea just to take a whack with a mallet? I understand how the tools are helpful, but at $60 a pop, I would spend more on tools than on the frame... If there is any cheap alternative to purchasing tools or if Im stuck buying more tools, I appreciate any info yall can throw my way.
-Seth
Some tools are absolutely positively irreplaceably vital to bike mechanics and cannot be improvised with anything else: freewheel tool, crank extractor, splined BB and cassette tools, chain tool.
A headset press can easily be made with a threaded rod, nuts, and washers for about $5:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=115657 or
http://www.instructables.com/id/E4FNIQYI2OEP286CNS/
For a crown race setter, use a PVC pipe. Both work very well. If I was prepping 50 frames a day, I'd want a real Park headset press, but these improvised solutions work excellently for the home mechanic.