Blue Collared Headset Press and Crown Race Setter

OK, I admit that generally I love buying bicycle tools.  I didn’t want to settle for the cheaper version of Park’s headset press nor did I want drop $140 for their really fancy headset press.  As for a crown race setter, I also didn’t see the point in paying $40 for a metal tube.   …so, solution?

Build my own tools!!!

Before I get started, you should know these are not my own original ideas, but they are ideas that have been done before by many others.   For this specific project, I got help from:  Bike Commuters Blog.

Headset Press

This is a little bit fancy for a homemade tool in my opinion.  Instead of spending $50 on Park’s economy HS press or $130 on their fancy one, I made this one for $15.  To make this headset press you will need the following supplies:

-3/8″ threaded rod – 1 foot long
-Two 3/8″ nuts (flanged nuts if you can find them!)
-Two 3/8″ washers preferably 1 1/2″ or wider.
-Two 3/8″ Nylon or Neoprene 1 1/2″ or wider washers.

I try to create more layers separating the bolt and the headset so I either add more washers in between the stack or nylon and Neoprene washers for cushion.

Lastly,for the bees knees:

-Two copper female adapters that you can find in the Plumbing Department of your local hardware shop.

Bring your headset with you to the store to make sure it fits wider than your headset. (Thus it should taper to be wider than 1″ or 1 1/8″).

When setting the crown race, I typically do one side at a time.  For this particular instance, I set the bottom first and made sure to face the “King” at the front of the bike.  Even though these female copper adapters makes centering the cups straight very easily, it is always still easier to center the cups when pressing one at a time.

Crown Race Setter

Instead of spending $40 on a crown race setter (essentially a metal tube), I also decided to make my own crown race setter with a PVC pipe.  Here are the materials required:

(For a 1 1/8″ steerer)

-1 1/2″ PVC tube (preferably longer than the steerer tube).

-Scissors

-Electrical tape

-Your fork and crown race

Following this, I taped the bottom edge of the PVC pipe as to provide a bit more cushion between the plastic PVC and the crown race.  PVC is nice because it’s strong enough to knock down the race, but gentle enough that it will not damage the race.  On top of wrapping the bottom lip of the PVC pipe, I wrapped a few more strips of electrical tape at the base of the pipe to keep it from splitting (not that it should, because crown races should set in pretty easily).

I typically grease the lip of the base of the steerer tube before setting the crown race.  There’s enough friction there to keep the race int, but it is nice to lubricate it a little so when it comes time to remove the race, the race and the steerer tube will not have seized together.  Important:  When you’re knocking down the race, do not set the fork with the dropouts just against the ground as you will be prone to damaging the dropouts or you may risk splitting the steerer from the fork crown.

Use a rubber mallet to knock the PVC pipe straight down onto the crown race.  Use a bit of force, but it shouldn’t take more than 10 knocks to get it all the way down there.  In the case that the base of your PVC pipe gets smashed, simply peel off the tape, saw off the bottom and re-tape to use for next time (assuming your PVC pipe is long enough).

Here are some pictures of the end product:

Frame, fork, crown race, lower and upper cup and upper race (yet to be mounted).