Thanks John, for your input here. And to all the rest of you. As a matter of fact, I bit the bullet and bid high on a vintage Campy one last night. Ah well. It's the proper tool and I've kind of always wanted one to add to my small collection of tools. Now all I have to do is be patient and wait until it arrives.

Ride it hands off , if it steers straight , bueno, if not reinstall, alloy is trouble metal, go steel.

I put the threaded end of the steerer in the chuck, all but 30mm or so. My chuck has the multi-step jaws that allow one to get away from the mass of the chuck with the tool holder. I can take some pics if I remember.

Leave it alone. This thread is getting over analyzed.

Hey Jim. Maybe. But, I can use all the help, and insights, I can get. I do tend to over-analyse things. It's a curse. But I want to make sure if something is not right.

BTW, on your previous post, I can't use the race installer like a slide hammer. Well, not without ruining it. The head was machined to fit the crown race very precisely. It can be placed on the race firmly and hit with a mallet, but not used like a slide hammer. Thanks anyway, though.

Alloy? Steel is an alloy. Actually the head set is a steel Record.

Not a chance! I used to think the same thing, until I rode this old Mercier that I had just built up...

http://www.mytenspeeds.com/My_TenSpe...FullSideRt.jpg

...The bike tracked like it was on rails, hands on or off. I did not realize that the forks were bent until I started taking and processing pictures.

I have this var remover, and have found it doesn't clear the bottom of the fork crown on several forks I've tried it on. I think I've got it to work on only one so far. I also have the campy remover and it has worked on all the forks the var didn't, except maybe one that I had to use a drift on. I think the var could be modified to be more useful, but I haven't bothered yet.
http://velobase.com/VeloImages/Tools...C9D461AC7.jpeg

Well, at least the forks were probably bent in the right plane, Randy. :thumb:

The "legs" do look a little short on that VAR. Glad to hear the Campy one works well as I just paid through the nose for one. I am attempting, still, to make one but that concave milling on the inside of the legs is a tough one. My little mill will barely handle it.
I wonder, could these tools be made out of aluminum rather than steel? Too soft? Perhaps. Thanks for that pic, Norsk. That's a nice looking tool.

The "legs" are long enough, the problem is the concave profile was apparently made for narrow fork crowns, the forks I had problems with were beefier I guess. The campy tool has a little more clearance.

I hear you. Been trying to find one for ages. I probably do one out of wood with some metal reinforcement. Even if it holds only a couple of times it will be worth it.

Ideas on your "metal reinforcement" would be appreciated, jCymbal. Last night I was down in the shop cutting one out of ....ebony.
Not sure if it's even worth it.

Ah. I see how narrow it is now, in comparison to the Campy. Does your Campy tool fit Record crown races well? Hope so. ;)

I think so (it's been a while)...I believe I finally got to use the var on my zeus that I overhauled this summer.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=284721