Remove stuk headset spacer

100%

Hi,

I have a stuck carbon fibre headset spacer on my cross bike. The steerer tube appears to be alloy with a carbon wrap (at least where it's stuck.

any ideas as to how to get it free? I've soaked it in GT85/WD40, and as it's my cross bike I was able to move it up by tapping on the front brake hanger with a rubber mallet. Now it's well and truly stuck half way though and I suspect I will have to cut it off - any advice on the best way to do that without damaging the steerer tube?

Cheers,
Steve

Monty Dog

Drop the fork out of the frame and whacking the top of the steerer with a rubber mallet should get it moving. No joy? Use a fine tooth hacksaw to diagonal-cut most of the way through and lever / use a pair of pliers to break it off

100%

Thanks for the quick reply....I'm sorta more tempted by cutting it - the first option sounds like it has potential to damage the top of the headset..?

Cheers,
Steve

JohnnyAllez

Cut it with a hacksaw or nip it / break it through with a decent pair of side cutters, carbon isn`t that tough when you attack it with something sharp.

balthazar

100% wrote:

Thanks for the quick reply....I'm sorta more tempted by cutting it - the first option sounds like it has potential to damage the top of the headset..?

Cheers,
Steve

The headset will have encountered far higher loads in use than you'd apply with a mallet, especially on a cross bike. Every tree root is like hitting it with your entire body weight. Also, you might be too young to remember the ritual of removing cotter pins from cottered cranks, a procedure which frequently involved raining down sledgehammer blows nearly directly onto BB bearings, which suffered none. I'd bet a couple of confident blows will move the spacer..!

100%

balthazar wrote:

100% wrote:

Thanks for the quick reply....I'm sorta more tempted by cutting it - the first option sounds like it has potential to damage the top of the headset..?

Cheers,
Steve

The headset will have encountered far higher loads in use than you'd apply with a mallet, especially on a cross bike. Every tree root is like hitting it with your entire body weight. Also, you might be too young to remember the ritual of removing cotter pins from cottered cranks, a procedure which frequently involved raining down sledgehammer blows nearly directly onto BB bearings, which suffered none. I'd bet a couple of confident blows will move the spacer..!

You are correct, I am too young to remember that!

And also, you were also right a few (well, quite a lot) of rubber mallet blows knocked the steerer tube through the headset top bearing. I just need to make sure I don't drop the fork next time!

Now this leaves me with the problem of reassembly! I so far have only come up with sanding down the slight bulge or rough patch that appears to be preventing spacers/headsets/brake hangers sliding smoothly down the steerer tube. Any better ideas? I'm sure there must be!

Cheers,
Steve