removing head cups
 

any easy way of poping out head cups? ive seen a cool tool and a rubber mallet. but any other way of doing it with home tools? and not screw drivers?

I've popped out a lot of cups with a 12" piece of 1/2" water pipe and a hammer. When I worked in a bike shop we used a piece of aluminum kickstand. The owner was cheap, or maybe he blew the tool budget on the enormous VAR crank cotter tool we used. Just tap the the cups all around fairly lightly and they come right out.

Brass or aluminum drifts are safer than screwdrivers for both the cups and frame. As recommended, work progressively around the cups with gentle taps and they should come out straight.

I've also heard of using a length of copper pipe with two slots cut lengthwise at 90° in one end and the resultant four "petals" spread out to slightly greater than the inside diameter of the headtube. You use it just like the commercial "rocket tool". PVC pipe similarly cut and bent with mild heat probably works too if the cups aren't too tight.

yeah, thats what i saw a bike shop use. it was a pipe spread into 4. this is for a 1" head tube. would PVC pipe work?

Hey guys the Park Tool works great even on Titanium head tubes and I think I paid about $20 for mine. A hammer in some people's hands is a dangerous thing. Don't ruin a frame by using the wrong tools. Now a home-made press will work almost as well as the $100 plus one from the Park guys. That's where I would recommend you save your money. Either way be careful & good luck.

Yeah with hammers, if you think you need ecessive force you're doing something wrong

If this is a very rare once in a couple of years scenario, take it to your LBS. Most will do it for under 20 bucks right on the spot. It isn't worth the hassle to bodge some type of ghetto tool together and mess up your frame. Same goes for pressing in the cups.

I've been doing it ghetto (looooong skinny screwdriver + rubber mallet) for 16 years and never damaged any parts or frames. With all my bikes, wife and kids bikes, it's probably a 2x/year operation. That's ~$600 saved... I guess the ghetto paid for the used Burley tandem I just bought last month :)

YMMV

/I like the split copper pipe tool though -- I'll be going that route from now on.

yeah, i like the split pipe as well. so a 1/2" copper pipe split? and PVC would not work? i can split that no prob.

I've always used the mallet and screwdriver approach with no problems. While slightly sketchy, it seems that using a hammer and a wooden punch (or some other material that is softer than steel) would solve the sketchyness problem, and work just fine, with steady, even pressure.

Maybe one of those washable chopsticks?

so, the question is.... what is the inside size of a 1" head tube?

It varies slightly (JIS vs ISO headset cups) but for all practical purposes it's 30 mm.

I didn't say anything about splitting the 1/2" copper pipe. I use it as a drift. You'd have to get really stupid with a hammer to cause any damage to the cups or the head tube. I've been doing it that way for 30 years.
The only way the cups are going to get damaged is by hitting the ground. You can rubber band a rag around the head tube to catch them.

does anybody have any pictures of their setup?

Why not get the proper tool. Here it is for $19.98:

http://pricepoint.com/detail/14607-3...up-Remover.htm

i need 1"

This tool will work fine on both 1" and 1 1/8" head tubes. You will not regret this $20 investment.

Yeah, but... it's, like $20 dude.

I just finished welding my own workstand. For $3 in scrap metal.

No way I'm paying $20 for a split pipe that doesn't need to be precisely made. I can get a chain for that cash.

/I'm frugal, not poor... which is partially why I'm not poor...

im poor.... i have a baby that eats up all my $$$.. haha

Yeah, I've got two boys and a girl all w/in four years of each other. I'm scared to think how fast we'll tear through the budget when they're teenagers. We'll be flying through food, clothes, and patch kits like nobody's business.

Then you shouldn't waste your money on special tools that aren't necessary to get the job done.

i know, i already use a screwdriver a block of wood and a hammer. that tool would be nice because i have another one to do now... haha