Easy to remove and install fork race crown with minimal tools

[grinderbob]

I want to transfer a lower race crown from one fork to another.
Can this be done without any headset tools? How would I do it?
thanks.

[well biked]

Fork crowns vary from one bike to another, but if at all possible I carefully use a blunt, flathead screwdriver to remove a crown race, and PVC pipe of the appropriate inside diameter to set the race onto the fork.

[melville]

First verify that both forks have the same crown race seat diameter. Even 1" forks had competing standards at 26.4mm (most) and 27.0 (JIS), plus other non-standard sizes.

You can get it off (road fork?) by using a flat punch VERY CAREFULLY. A little on one side, a little on the other. Maybe stick something under it when you switch sides, so you don't lose your progress.

Install with a length of 1" galvanized pipe. If you can get a piece less than one foot long, with one end unthreaded, shouldn't cost very much. Again, very careful--make sure that the pipe bears against the top of the race, and not the bearing surface. Use the pipe as a slide hammer, unthreaded end down. The race is seated when the noise changes.

Or go to your LBS with a six pack of the mechanic's favorite. Three minutes with the right tools.

Good luck

Mel

[barba]

You can use an appropriately sized piece of PVC to set the race. If it was me, I would just take your old fork into a shop and ask them to remove it. It should be cheap. I have known folks that have pulled them off with a screwdriver, a hammer and patience, but the odds of damaging the race seem good.

[papercutninja]

Setting the race? CRAZY easy. I just did it this weekend. Put the fork (easier if it's a non-suspension fork) into the freezer for a couple of hours. Yes, your regular freezer, doesn't have to be a deep freezer or anything like that. Let it chill nicely. Then, take your crown race (remove any rubber seals if there are any) and put it on a piece of aluminum foil (to prevent it from falling through the rack in the oven) inside your oven. A toaster oven works best for this. 200 degrees for 10 minutes. Take the fork out of the fridge, use oven mitts to grab the crown race and DROP it onto the steer. It should fall right into place. I didn't have to hammer or anything. Gravity did the job for me.

[Alzonder]

+5

[HillRider]

Crown races of adequate diameter installed on forks with relatively thin crowns so the race overhangs front and back are relatively easy to remove with the punch and hammer method. Another technique is to open a bench vise just enough to clear the fork crown but close enough for the edges of the race to sit on top of the jaws. Tap the steerer tube with a rubber mallet or protect it with a block of wood and use a regular hammer and the race will pop right off.

Small diameter crown races installed on forks with thick crowns (like most carbon forks) require special tools that look like bearing splitters to remove and are a job best left to the bike shop.

[HDFACTORYCERTIF]

These work great, I was shocked on how much they cost now days. I found one of this brand at a pawn recently for $15.
You can rig a regular automotive puller to these with threaded rod or rig them in a shop press.
http://www.thepartsbin.com/cartools/...er-1009-d.html

[Soil_Sampler]

Crown races of adequate diameter installed on forks with relatively thin crowns so the race overhangs front and back are relatively easy to remove with the punch and hammer method. Another technique is to open a bench vise just enough to clear the fork crown but close enough for the edges of the race to sit on top of the jaws. Tap the steerer tube with a rubber mallet or protect it with a block of wood and use a regular hammer and the race will pop right off.

Small diameter crown races installed on forks with thick crowns (like most carbon forks) require special tools that look like bearing splitters to remove and are a job best left to the bike shop.

http://www.biketoolsetc.com/index.cg...tem_id=HZ-C440

+1

If you have an Integrated headset fork, take it to your LBS

[operator]

Small diameter crown races installed on forks with thick crowns (like most carbon forks) require special tools that look like bearing splitters to remove and are a job best left to the bike shop.

This is the only caveat i've seen for removal advice with punch + hammer. All other warnings are fear-mongering.

[waterrockets]

This is the only caveat i've seen for removal advice with punch + hammer. All other warnings are fear-mongering.

+1 I've used punch/hammer method for years and years, although I use a large-headed and looooong flathead screwdriver instead of a proper punch.