Survived my first headset install...barely
 

After much searching in this forum, lots of garage time and more scratches in my new (rattle can...) paint job than I care to think about, I finally got my new headset in.

The bike is a Nishiki international I bought new in '82, but I think is a '99 model.

In retrospect I think I may have as ISO/JIS issues, but the measurements indicated ISO

I destroyed one nashbar headset (upper cup got bent) in the process and finally got a simple Tange/Seike installed

The cup at the top of the head tube was a bear. I tried threaded rod, I tried wood and malllet, and finally was able to get the thing in using a 3/4 inch x * 8 inch bolt and heavy washers. The amount of pressure it took was huge....I laid the frame on a towell on the ground to get good leverage.

The cup at the bottom of the head tube was smooth.....went in with very little effort using the bolt press.

The cup on the fork was another bear, I ended up dremeling it out so that a little tap with a copper tube seated it.

If I were to do this over again, I would have tried intalling before I painted the frame, just to make sure all fit and the then the real install would be smooth, but I don't know if there is any issue with installing a head set, knocking it out and reinstalling.

I also learned that dremel is your friend

I also really looked at the headset for the first time....it is really amazing at how exposed these guys are....I know that this will get greased a lot more than if would have in the past !


now to touch up the paint

The Nashbar has aluminum cups, I'm guessing the Tange has steel cups. It's much more difficult to get steel ISO cups into a JIS frame, than it is with aluminum ISO cups into a JIS frame. But now that they're in, you've widened the headtube (if it indeed was JIS) so you may as well leave it.

Sounds like you've taken the dangerous route though. This points to the usefulness of having real headset-installation tools, or at least good copies (threaded rod with proper brass bushings).

I think you're fine painting before installing the headset, so long as you mask the top and bottom of the headtube.

I'd be careful with the dremel - you don't want to grind off too much. You can easily grind off such that an ISO crown race sits at a slightly wrong angle on a fork originally designed for JIS.

You bought a bike from the future?!

Just joshin'.

And I goofed up....it was a DeLorean :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

ok...79....but after the final part of the headset install....I wouldn't bet on anything