afilado

Picked up a cool but a bit raggedy (not my size) '86 Peugeot PX 10. It's a 56 cm Columbus SLX frame with full, correct Mavic group just like from the factory. I wanted the bits so I'll probably offer the frame for sale later and in the proper venue.

It has the 310 headset which requires a special wrench set for removal/installation. French propriety and all that. A pretty thorough search turned up nothing on acquiring the rare wrenches.

https://www.velo-pages.com/main.php?g2_itemId=21130

https://www.velobase.com/ViewTool.asp...244&AbsPos=143

It's invention time. No process pictures, so use your imagination......

Materials:

- a band of crocus cloth ~ 3/4"x 6" (affords a tough and flexible grip)
- 10 pieces of soft copper wire ~ 1/16" in diameter x 1" in length
- electrical tape
- adjustable hose clamp
- channel locks

Process:

Loosely wrap and tape the crocus cloth around the outside diameter of the headset lock ring, leaving just enough room to insert the 10 pieces of copper wire into the external vertical grooves, under the crocus cloth. Take time to deburr the cut tips of wire to avoid scratches.

When pieces of wire are in place snug the crocus cloth up against the lock ring with additional wraps of tape.

Install hose clamp and tighten well with so that no rotation is possible.

Now, channel locks can be used safely to bite into the hose clamp allowing the necessary force to "pop" loose the lock ring. The upper bearing cup can be loosened by hand from this point. Voila, the headset is now as manageable as any other. With zero damage.

Reverse the process for installation.

A little awkward but works like a charm.

Hope you found this informative.

J

Pars 

Not sure how old this is, but this quy seems to have (had?) a couple for sale:
https://www.squidoo.com/usedbikes

afilado

Yeah, that apparently is outdated info. I tried contact.

His listing is for two unmatched wrenches, lacking the critical lock ring one, it appears.

Thanks,

J

PDXaero

I see a pair of those wrenches sell every month at an online auction site for usually about $30.

gaucho777 

What, no pictures? Had to look up crocus cloth, but I follow your method. t's worth a try since I, too, lack the proper headset wrenches. Thanks for the tip.

Btw, I recall seeing that link at least 9 months ago.

Because every thread needs pictures:

Citoyen du Monde

I have two sets of these wrenches, send me a SASE and you can borrow them.

BigPolishJimmy

Please enlighten my ignorance, I've not yet had to replace a vintage headset, and the ones I have replaced, were on dept. store bikes. For the dept store bikes, I just took a donor bike's headset, and tapped it out from the inside with a big ole wood handled standard screwdriver and a hammer. I place the tip of the screwdriver on the inner/bottm lip of the headset where any marks would be unseen. Then I tap gently with the hammer, going round the headset little by little in a star-pattern, similar to how you would tighten lug nuts. Again, I haven't used this method on a bike that I value, but before I do, is there a danger in ruining the headset in this manner? Are they so fragile that you would knock them out-of-round?

afilado

Thank you. That's a kind offer. When I am ready to reinstall I will contact you.

Best,

Julian

afilado

If I understand you correctly, you're describing the removal of the race and the cup from the head tube. If so, I think you're fine for occasional work. Those pieces are pretty tough if you take care to avoid bearing surfaces.

On the other hand, here's a cheap and very effective way to do that task with less worry for causing damage.

https://davesbikeblog.blogspot.com/20...placement.html

https://www.mindspring.com/~d.g1/headset.html

J

Chombi

Wouldn't a small strap wrench also work? They make smaller ones these days that should work with the diameter of headset lockrings and top race bodies, specially chunkier ones like that Mavic 310. Straps on them are pretty strong, so I think there should not be any problems generating enough torque to remove most of these lockrings. I suspect you might be able to use it to install/tighten them too. It should be enough torque as I don't think these aluminum lockrings/top race body could not take as much as their steel counterparts anyway, so required/expected final torque values must be lower that what one might used iwth steel.

Chombi

afilado

Probably.

My primary concern was avoiding any possible damage to the headset. Direct contact with the strap wrench (which I would have to buy and get little future use from) was a last resort type of consideration. I'd rather spend my money on the Mavic wrenches when they show up.

Plus, a Rube Goldberg solution is much more entertaining.

Thanks,

J

gaucho777 

Why didn't I think think of that? That's a good idea, too.

Not sure if it was directed just at afildo, but thank you very much for the kind offer. Hopefully the other methods suggested above will work. Or, even better, I'll find my own pair between now and the next time I need to service my headset.

Citoyen du Monde

The offer is open to anybody.

PDXaero

Likewise with my Mavic BB facing tool.