fitting forks

colandewmb

hi there

i'm a bit unsure how difficult it is to install a new set of forks,
i know the basics of how it should be done, crown race, cut steerer install star nut etc, but i have never done it,

my lbs has said they would be able to do it for œ7.50,
but i could buy the starnut installation tool for a tenner and do it myself, gaining a tool and valuble knowledge,

i'm very handy with most things so is it a fairly basic job that i could attempt??
or should i leave it for the pros to do it?


also i've heard you can use a plumbers pipe cutter to cut the steerer

guilliano

It's nervewracking the first time you do it, but it is relatively simple. It's just a case of being very accurate with your measurements, and obviously not pushing the star nut in too far

http://www.flickr.com/photos/guilliano/

Futureboy

It's a doddle. Just make sure you measure twice before cutting.

The tool is worthy of a tenner, if you think of how many times you are likely to change forks.
Wrap some tape around the cut and use the edge as a marker to keep you straight. A decent hacksaw will cut through no problem. Remember to leave a gap of a few mm between the top of the steerer and the top of the stem, to allow you to preload the headset properly.

rindlewmb

I'd recomend getting a pipe cutter rather than using a hacksaw though. You should be able to pick one up from a hardware store for less than a fiver. Just make sure its big enough to go over the steerer. It takes a little longer than a hacksaw but unless you have a hacksaw guide its much neater.

colandewmb

been to a few places to find out how much other pros charge,
my local in cardiff said œ7.50
in london;
cyclesurgery said œ12(not bad)
evans said about œ30, i said i didnt want them to fit my forks just install the starnut and crown race,
he did point me somewhere else down the road that would probably be cheaper,
dont think the guy could actually be bothered to find out how much it properly cost, great service

so i think i'm gonna give it a bash, got a pipe cutter so will see if it fits
how far do you bash the starnut??

Unknown

what exactly is the crown race? is it the small ring that sits at the bottom of the steerer by the crown and should this already be loose?

<hr noshade size="1">
GT Avalanche 1.0 Disc

colandewmb

yeah
thats right,
from what ive seen you can tease it off with a hammer and flathead screwdriver,
or buy a proper tool costing œ30-40

guilliano

Starnut depends on the length of the bolt you have going into the steerer. Mine is about an inch or so from the top of the steerer.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/guilliano/

Deswmb

Bear in mind that you don't have to cut the steerer if you don't want to. You can just add spacers above the bar instead (this is really useful if you want to experiment with different bar heights too).

Des

guilliano

However that can make it look like you have a dildo on top of your bars, and could be a hazard in a big crash

http://www.flickr.com/photos/guilliano/

Deswmb

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by guilliano</i>

However that can make it look like you have a dildo on top of your bars, and could be a hazard in a big crash
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

LOL, yeah the dildo effect is definitely to be avoided. But that only occurs if you have a long steerer and no spacers beneath the bar. You can still cut the steerer oversize to allow for any errors and still give you some flexibility for future adjustment.

Des

Unknown

i think evans must have fitted my crown race wrong then as when i remove the fork, it is just loose so i could slide it up the fork... and how would you fit it onto the new forks? just press it on.

Also, the likely hood is your going to have rider bars anyway, so you might as well play around with steerer length, to see what suits you best

<hr noshade size="1">
GT Avalanche 1.0 Disc

colandewmb

hmmmnnn
i think i'm gonna go to my lbs to let them do it for œ7.50
just had a quick go at removing the crown race off my existing forks and it wasnt budging,
i'd like to be able to do it myself, maybe in the future(if i change forks again) when ive got some more time to be patient,
cheers anyway everyone,
helpful as always

caw35slr

I'm with Des on the subject of your first cut.

Leave your steerer tube a little long and get a short stack of spacers on there so that you can tinker with the stem height before you settle on a final steerer length (steerer tubes being far and away easier to shorten than to lengthen!).

Once you know exactly what you want you can trim the steerer tube to its final length and ditch the spacers above the stem.



CAW
2007 Orange P7

daxionwmb

If you're going to do it yourself I suggest the following.
1. Buy a hacksaw guide, it is possible to cut just 1mm at a time. Produces a nice straight cut edge.
2. leave the steerer at least 10-20mm over length, unless you are sure you know what length to cut to. Remove too much and well, you've stuffed it!
3. Use spacers to take up the slack.
4. Sometimes a bit of ali pipe can be use to fit the bottom race. Needs to be a good fit, otherwise you run the risk of damaging the race. Better using the propper tool
5. If you are repacing the whole headset, a headset press is required - makes the job easy -
6. For removing headset there is a proper tool or carefully use a very flattened screwdriver or a bit of Steel/Ali tubing to knock out headset

BTW A good bike stand is very useful...

I assume you know about preloading tension through the Steerer/Stem cap before tightening the stem bolts!

Take it for a test ride and check for any play, retighten if necessary.

Easy job really, should take 10-30mins



Dax
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