Ok, so without getting too far into my stupidity, I appear to have buggered the lower cup on my new 1" S2. A hammer blow got out of control and lightly struck the edge of the cup. The result is a 5mm long lip going into the cup (the lip itself is less then 1/2 mm, basically just enough to keep the cartridge bearing from going in). The question is: Am I right in assuming that the cup is now crap and I need to buy a new headset? Or, is this the kind of thing that can be Dremeled out?

Thanks for not judging.

-Dan

I'd try to tap ther lip back into line with the small end of a ball-pein hammer using a soft piece of wood as a support. Dremmeling (a new verb!) it will thin the cup wall. Once the cartridge bearing fits, you should be OK.

So as long as the bearing fits into the cup I'm ok? I don't need to worry about the inside of the cup wall being totally smooth?

A++ for Cane Creek. They pulled an uncommon replacement (1" Silver bottom cup) and sent it out to me just five min. ago. Can't beat that for customer service. They just found a customer for life.

To answer you first question, no the inside of the cup doesn't have to be perfectly smooth for cartridge bearings. All the cup does is hold them in position. The moving elements and the races are contained in the cartridge so nothing actually rotates against the cup.

Your second item is obviously the best way to repair the damage. Get a replacement part free from the manufacturer. Cane Creek is to be commended.