louky

I am disassembling this to try to remove rust from parts, and to service the bearings. I got this far and need to take out the part at the bottom and the top. Is there a special tool for this, or a hack you can share?

Also, would these parts be generic and available in case I can't get the rust off? How would you measure/specify these parts, plus the upper nuts and locking rings from the top (not shown). Thanks!

Moe Zhoost

https://www.amazon.com/BIKEHAND-Bicy...dDbGljaz10cnVl



You can also carefully tap them out with a hammer and rod.

Once you get them off, you can measure with a caliper. When replacing, try to match the stack height.

Andrew R Stewart 

Agreed that the cup removing tool is cool. If you use a long screwdriver/punch/rod change the point of impact around the cup's skirt (the part that is pressed into the head tube) and drive the cup out bit by bit. The cup will cock this way then that way as the impacts are "walked around" the cup. This way the cup or head tube end won't become ovalized.

As to replacement parts being available- Likely are. But you'll want to know what dimensional spec they are. From the top down...the steerer diameter, it's threading pitch, the head tube inside diameter, the fork crown race inside diameter. I suspect the Puch uses 1" x 24tpi, 30.0mm head tube ID, 27.0mm crown race diameter. This is a very common size even with the demise of threaded and 1" equipped bikes. The other dimension is rhe "thickness" of the headset, called "stack height". This is the amount of steerer length taken up with the upper and lower assemblies. Generally between 33mm to 42mm. Do know that actual measurements are worth a thousand opinions There is an old Austrian dimension spec (26mmx1mmpt, 30.8mm cup skirt, 26.7mm crown seat). Andy

Gresp15C

An old bike repair book recommended making one of those tools by cutting a piece of electrical conduit with a hacksaw. Mine has worked for several headset replacements.

JohnDThompson 

If you're on the cheap, you can make your own out of a plain steel 1" diameter seat post. Saw a couple slots to make four "fingers" to hit the cup flange, drill stop holes at the ends of the slots to prevent cracking (not crucial if this is a one-off job), flare the "fingers" a little and hammer away. A bike shop or local bike co-op might have a pile of used 1" steel posts for a couple bucks or even free if they're ugly enough. 1" diameter is important, as larger diameter may not fit through all headset cups. This is one I made for the charity shop where I volunteer. Still works fine after several years, although the top is getting smushed and I have to re-spread the fingers every once in a while.

JohnDThompson 

An easy way to measure the maximum stack height your frame/fork can use is once you get the cups out and the crown race off the fork, insert the fork into the frame so the race seat is against the lower head lug, then use a ruler to measure how much steer tube extends past the upper head lug. That measure is the tallest stack headset you can use. Shorter headsets will work, using spacers to take up any extra space.

louky

Thanks to all who replied! I got the bottom out which has the worst rust. I should know by tomorrow if I can tolerate the looks after I work on getting the rust off. It came out easily, just light tapping around with a punch. The seat tube hack looks good in case I ever get another one of these. This bike is a marginal keeper for me, and I am learning some new things on it. I may just put it back together after lubing and look for "chromier" parts if I decide to keep it.