hi all, i'm having trouble installing the Ritchey WCS Logic Zero PF Headset onto my addict R1 frame.

first of all the headset came in a mess, it was all over in a baggie, so not 100% sure what goes where. tried to find a manual online.. and couldn't find one that's helpful.

first of all, on the carbon fork, shouldn't there be a shim or spacer on here?



also, i tried to install this onto the frame, and it doesn't fit in at all. should i sand a bit to get it to fit in? should it be in there tight?



finally... should there be crown race on the fork column this before i press it in?

I wish that I could see the whole bike. Who cut the fork? It looks way short to me. Did all these parts once fit together or are you trying to piece together a bunch of parts from different sources?

well, the fork is not cut yet. when i bought the frameset, it comes with the ritchey headset, but they forgot to ship it. now i just received all the missing part, so trying to piece it together.

see the photo of all the parts for the headset. the one they sent me is the press-fit version, so everything should be there. just the pressfit part won't go into the frame easily..

You have two firsts, an also and a final question. Let's hope your mechanical skill exceeds your writing.

Starting with the fundamentals. The fork most definitely needs a crown race. These are usually a press fit and require a slide hammer (a faced pipe) to press them on. Some cartridge bearing headsets don't take a crown race per se, since that's part of the bearing, and instead use a split cone that works similarly to the centering cone at the top.

If it's a press-in headset (yours looks more like an integrated headset. Pressed-in cups have cylindrical extensions about 1/2" long to fit into the head tube) you need a tool to press it in.

Unless you are 110% sure (as an expert, not an amateur) of what you're doing, and why DO NOT SAND OR OTHERWISE MODIFY CARBON PARTS.

Given where you are, and your questions, I'm uncomfortable trying to help beyond this. You're clearly unfamiliar with headsets in general, and I don't want to be the one that gets you in deeper trouble. I strongly suggest you see a local mechanic, either at a dealer, or better yet at a bike co-op before you cause irreversible damage to the frame or fork.

Just a few threads away, is one from someone who destroyed his brand new warranty fork because he was working above his skill or knowledge level. There's no sin in not knowing, but there is in not being willing to say "I don't know enough and should leave it so someone who does"

Leaving aside why you are building from scratch when you don't know what parts of a headset go where and how they should fit, why on earth are you not requesting assistance from the source that provided you both the frame and the headset? One should ALWAYS go to the supplier of an item when there is a suspicion that what is supposed to be compatible or complete is not.

Not to hijack this thread, but it reminds me of one started here a few month back, raising the question of whether we were helping when advising folks who didn't know enough and were likely to get themselves in trouble trying to apply the advice.

I definitely don't know whether I can offer real assistance to someone who had to ask whether a carbon fork (or any fork) needs a crown race (see OP photo).

No offense to the OP, but there's a world of difference between being somewhat knowledgeable and needing some help over a rough spot, and having no clue, and asking for online help. It isn't so much that you're asking for more time and effort than someone might reasonable be expected to offer for free, but there's the real risk that you'll feel an unwarranted confidence, and start something you're not equipped to do, getting in deep water.

By analogy, if a non swimmer told me he wanted to swim across a lake, would I be doing him a favor if I took him to the pool and showed him a few basic strokes?

To the OP, I mean you no offense, and have no idea of your skills, but drawing a few inferences form your post, I honestly feel that the best advice we can give you is to either go back to the seller as cny-bikeman suggests, or pay someone who knows what he's doing to either install this headset or walk you through the process.

I don't see a crown race in this pic. I see two bearings, the upper and lower 'cups', the compression ring, the spacers for on top and the compression nut for tightening it all togather but no crown race.



I do agree with the others though if you knowledge and skill is limited take this to a shop and have it installed correctly, for your own safety. Better to pay someone else a few dollars than to ruin it or get hurt.

you need a crown race. the bearings sit directly in the frame. no cups press in

Hi guys, no worries I don't get offended easily. I went to sports basement and they got me the crown race and fitted into to the fork for me and took care of the press fit into the frame. Now I'm ready to install the rest.

I'll keep y'all posted on my build... I built a fetish cycle before on from this forums help 6 yrs ago.. So I know I'm in good hands

There is a huge difference between installing a full carbon fork and any other fork with a steel/aluminum steerer.

I know a fair amount of info about bike mechanics for being a rank amateur but I wouldn't want to touch a full carbon fork like yours without proper supervision or possibly just paying a shop to install it for me.

Computer people need to go to bike shop people every once in a while,

their labor rate is lower than when we need IT help.