Hi,
At the LBS they can't get my fork out of the frame because my sweat has carroded the headset parts. They've tried delicately hammering on it but it's still stuck. They are soaking the parts in some type of oil substance.

Do any of you have ideas for breaking the thing loose without breaking my carbon frame?

Thanks,
Josh

Sounds like the LBS has the right idea. Let the fork soak for a couple of days with repeated applications of penetrating oil. If the fork is still stuck take block of wood and hole it on top of the fork and hit it with a hammer good and hard. May take a couple of blows but with a good soaking it “should work. Next option is to cut the steerer tube close to the head set and then cut notches in the remaining part of the steerer. Good luck. Keep us informed of the outcome.

hit it harder. got nothing to lose really.

What sort of headset, specifically?

This is exactly why I plaster grease all over headset parts during assembly... 5 years from now, I want it to come apart without a lot of drama.

keeps the creeks away too. seen a co worker beat the piss out of a cannondale frame/fork with a dead blow because the owner neglected it. ball bearings turned into bushings. handlebars barely turned at all

LBS just called. They are calling Cervelo tomorrow for advice. This is a bummer. I guesse I should have done something to mitigate the sweat when using the bike on the trainer.

stem off? spacers off? cone spacer off? compression wedge stuck? chisel time

/Users/Josh/Downloads/photo-1.JPG

I tried to put the picture here. We are down to the cone spacer.

you need to upload to a site like image shack, photobucket or use the attachment in the forum

https://s1090.photobucket.com/albums/...nt=photo-1.jpg

I hope that link works. Chisel time does not sound good.

steerer tube material? i would forget trying to save the cone spacer if its really stuck, it is only held on with friction from an o ring. should come up pretty easy. cut it off if anything, slot it with a saw as close as you can and hit it with a chisel to break it. can also try to twist it with a pipe wrench to break any corrosion. after the cone spacer is off then you have the compression wedge. that is what you may need to chisel/pry to lift it off the bearing.

Yes, Thanks. I think the cone spacer would come off using the procedure you describe. Then we could get closer to the compression wedge. I'll go in tomorrow and suggest this if Cervelo hasn't already advised.

Thanks for your help.

1st time I see something like that. I would just cut the carbon cone in pieces to take it out. Then the compression ring is piece of cake because u can use the bearings to torque it out using a screw driver, worse case scenario use a dremel to cut it in pieces. After all the headset needs to be replaced anyways

Cant imagine how this could happen, is (almost) impossible to get one of those headsets frozen. Good luck with cervelo and this time put good grease in there.

Thanks I will suggest this tomorrow. If we cut off the cone will I be able to see the bearing?

IMO yes, that's what reptilezs is saying too. Dremel it out, is carbon so it will cut pretty easily, it do some no deep random cuts (u dont want to get all the way to the steering column) and use a couple of flat screw drivers to just brake it in pieces. Then you will see the bearings and the compression ring thingy in the middle, since is made of a super thin aluminum maybe 2 touches with a dremel cutting disk will do the trick, or as i said, just use a flat screw driver to take it off. And then hammer the steering column a tiny bit. The steering column and the bearings are not touching to each other so maybe is the compression ring the one that is stuck somehow.

It is an interesting problem, never imagine it could happen, just wonder if the compression ring is all deformed and somehow attached to the carbon cone thingy and the bearings.

Before I had a chance to relay any of these suggestions to the shop I got a voicemail from the LBS that said the fork had come out and they needed to know if I wanted the new "in stock" Funda 3T fork steerer tube cut flush to the stem or to leave a spacer above the stem for the future.

I went to the LBS to see what had happened.

What they described to me is: They hack-sawed the steerer tube below the cone spacer and I'm not sure if they removed it first or not because the paint on the top of the frame is slightly marred. The cone was removed and the compression ring was fused really hard to the tube it left a scar on the tube once it did come off. Between the compression ring and some rubber o-ring the sweat did not get below that area so the bearings were fine and the tube below the compresion ring is like new. Even if it had come apart the amount of corrosion would not have allowed it to slip through the bearings and frame to be removed. It ws really corroded.

So, now I am buying a new fork. The one the LBS reccomends and had already started to instal is the 3T Funda. I'm told this is the stock fork for Cervelo. This is not an inexpensive part.

Since I am going with the LBS reccomendation questioning it is somewhat moot. But just for peace of mind (or not) what do you all think of this fork choice?

Thanks for your assistance and I will post pictures of the corroded part tomorrow.

Josh

3T forks are ok man.... As for the explanation on why they had to cut the steering tube that low?? If the paint is marred then something else happened. The guys did not have a dremel??? Or just hacksaw the cone in 2 pieces and just bang it with a hammer to crack it out was too hard?

I really dont know what to tell you because once u have the cone cut in pieces the bearings and the compression ring are right there, even u can pry it using a micro screw driver, bang! out! I really think they planned the job wrong, or just F... it!... new fork!

Good luck man

agree, seems kind of like a big rush to go to drastic measures like chopping the steerer tube. i was not there to see the goods but calling it the way i see it. two sides to every story. uncertainty and labor time is costly but i bet that new fork is going to cost more

After seeing the tube I think replacement was inevitable. The paint scratches bum me out.

With the cone spacer off would have the compression ring been visible and accessible?


Thanks for everyone's assistance. I should be picking it up tomorrow noonish.

Yes...


This is how it looks from the side right??



Then when u get the cone out... this is what u see from the side...



Then from the top...



Once the carbon spacer cone tihng is outta the way u can see half of the top bearing and the compression ring, even the compression ring material is just aluminum, is not super harden steel, a few smacks with something and it will deform big time, a dremel can cut that is 5 secs maybe less. Even to cut it u have to cut parallel not perpendicular or you could scratch the steering column, so u cut parallel to the steering tube amd really really close, once u have 1 or 2 chunks out is just pry it out.

Thanks for the pictures. I'm not sure exactly how it was sawed off. I'm going to ask this morning. I'll post pictures of the scratches and corroded part of the steerer tube.

Josh

https://s1090.photobucket.com/albums/...nt=photo-3.jpg

That's a picture of the cut steerer tube. It is really messed up.

The LBS did remove the cone then work the compression ring up and cut it off before lowering the fork out of the frame before hack-sawing the corroded tube part off to remove the bearings and anything else useful.

I went with 10 mm showing above the stem to facilitate any future sale.

After all this it seems to be almost done and I think done as correctly as possible once hammering it out was aborted.

Thanks again for everyone's assistance.

Josh

slather that new fork steerer in grease so it won't do that again!

Didn't slather in grease because the outer surface of the steerer tube is now carbon fiber, but I will be taking precautions during sweaty trainer sessions.

The 3T Funda Pro fork (395) is installed. It actually looks pretty cool. The minor scratches near the cone spacer have been touched up. Cervelo reccomended this fork when they had their fork recall in '08 so I'm confident this is a quality fork and I'm confident it has been installed correctly.

Thanks for all of your thoughtful suggestions and advice. I've learned a lot about the headset that's for sure!

Josh