T
TomYoung
Guest
"Back in the day" of 1-inch steering tubes and loose-ball headsets
I always installed my own crown races. But I gave up and took the
crown race to my 1-1/8" threadless headset to the LBS for
installation on the fork. I did so for a couple of reasons: 1)
couldn't find any pipe, tube, etc. at the local hardware store that
matched the diameter of the top edge of the crown race and, 2) this
crown race came up to a knife's edge at its top instead of the nice
ledge I used to see on my 1-inch races. I just couldn't see how
any tool was going to press nicely against that knife's edge without
messing it up.
At the LBS I've never seen a "mechanic" hit a bicycle part as
hard as this guy slammed into the crown race, trying to get it to seat.
He did this for 4 or 5 minutes until he was satisfied. Said the race
was "really tight."
After getting the fork home and looking it over more closely I see that
the race is pretty badly scarred for most of its circumference about
1/3 of the way down from its top edge. This would be right in the area
the ball bearings would rest if this were a loose-ball headset. When I
took the fork back to the shop and asked the manager about the damage
to the race he said he wouldn't know if it was a problem until I put
everything together.
Since it's going to be a while until things get assembled I ask the
question: if a crown race is considerably scarred (enough of a scar to
catch a fingernail) for a good part of its circumference about 1/3 of
the way down its "sloped" area, should this present a problem to a
modern cartridge bearing headset?
TIA.
Tom Young
I always installed my own crown races. But I gave up and took the
crown race to my 1-1/8" threadless headset to the LBS for
installation on the fork. I did so for a couple of reasons: 1)
couldn't find any pipe, tube, etc. at the local hardware store that
matched the diameter of the top edge of the crown race and, 2) this
crown race came up to a knife's edge at its top instead of the nice
ledge I used to see on my 1-inch races. I just couldn't see how
any tool was going to press nicely against that knife's edge without
messing it up.
At the LBS I've never seen a "mechanic" hit a bicycle part as
hard as this guy slammed into the crown race, trying to get it to seat.
He did this for 4 or 5 minutes until he was satisfied. Said the race
was "really tight."
After getting the fork home and looking it over more closely I see that
the race is pretty badly scarred for most of its circumference about
1/3 of the way down from its top edge. This would be right in the area
the ball bearings would rest if this were a loose-ball headset. When I
took the fork back to the shop and asked the manager about the damage
to the race he said he wouldn't know if it was a problem until I put
everything together.
Since it's going to be a while until things get assembled I ask the
question: if a crown race is considerably scarred (enough of a scar to
catch a fingernail) for a good part of its circumference about 1/3 of
the way down its "sloped" area, should this present a problem to a
modern cartridge bearing headset?
TIA.
Tom Young