yeah, palu...

I think once I saw the image that caloso posted from the Park Tool site, that pretty much explained how straightforward it is.

Don't use a pipe cutter. As pointed out, this will leave a lip of material that needs to be addressed with a file.

The bike shop has a tool that guides the hacksaw blade. Like this. It's nice to have but not anywhere close to necessary.

A very simple and accurate guide can be made with a piece of paper. Tape doesn't work because it's perfectly happy to on any which way, but if you take a sheet of notebook paper and wrap it a couple of times around a tube you will notice that it wants to go on straight. If it doesn't, it's very easy to see the error and correct it. Once perfectly square, wrap it with a piece of tape and get to cutting. (A good quality saw and blade costs a few dollars more than a poor one and is infinitely better. Don't scrimp here. This is what you are looking for. This is what you are avoiding. The $8 is not worth saving!)

I'm guessing what you'd do is this:

Ride for a while to find the optimum number of spacers...

Remove spacers from top of stem (assuming you put them there to prevent stabbage)...

Draw circle (or put tape) around steerer tube at top of stem opening...

Remove stem.

Measure down 3mm...

Draw circle or put tape on that spot...

Measure again...

Measure again...

Remove fork

Cut.

File.

Reassemble.

Test, etc...

Ride.

is good?

ahhh... I see the one other part I hadn't figured on... the Star Fangled Nut thang... I'm guessing I'd need a new one of these dealios...

http://www.parktool.com/images_inc/r...help/tns06.jpg

Park Tool site shows installing it with a danged $30 tool. But I'm guessing you guys don't go for that kind of hooey.

I like compression plugs better than star-fangled nuts. In the past I'd just hammer in star nuts with a long cap bolt that matches the threading in the nut. Just make sure you thread it in there completely and tap in with a small tack hammer.

Yes and yes.

You don't need a new star nut and you don't need a special tool either. Simply take the screw (bolt) from the cap, screw it into the nut and hit the head of the screw with a plastic mallet to drive the star nut down into you head tube until it is below the cut point on the steerer tube. If the screw is too short, place a hex key (allen wrench) in the head of the screw to extend it and hit the end of the allen key. Once the steerer tube is cut, you can drive the star nut in further as need be.

Edit: I see Yo beat me to it, but we're both saying essentially the same thing. I just cut down the steerer tube on my new Kilo WT with a pipe cutter and needed to do extensive cleanup if the lip that was formed with a Dremel tool and grinding wheel. If you use a pipe cutter, make sure to use copious amounts of oil while you are doing it too keep the metal cool and prevent hardening the steerer tube metal and dulling the pipe cutter wheels.

Tiiger, you have 2-3 bike co-ops in the Twin Cities. Why not support them and learn how to do this at the same time. They should have all the needed tools and can help take out the fork.

To mark the cut you can replace one of the spacers you are going to use with a thinner one (ie replace a 5mm with a 3mm) then install the stem and mark your cut. Technically it's 2mm clearance but you can just cut the fork side of the line you drew to make up close to 1mm.

Excellent tip, thanks.

That was my original plan (The Hub Bike Coop was where I bought my now-stolen Steamroller, so it was there I was planning on going with this replacement), but I'm also open to doing it myself, and I've gotten great advice here so far. It's pretty cool what what this old fart has learned just reading this forum.

It's all good.