New Frame: Do I need to have the BB and head tube faced?



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Tsheer

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Hello. I got a new full-suspension bike frame. I want to build it up myself. I'm putting the 2003
Shimano XTR 960 hollow-tech crankset and a Chris King headset on it.

The BB shell and head tube on the frame have paint on the faces. Should I take the frame to a bike
shop and have them both faced to make sure everything fits and works right?

Thanks
 
"Tsheer" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Hello. I got a new full-suspension bike frame. I want to build it up myself. I'm putting the 2003
> Shimano XTR 960 hollow-tech crankset and a Chris King headset on it.
>
> The BB shell and head tube on the frame have paint on the faces. Should I take the frame to a bike
> shop and have them both faced to make sure everything fits and works right?

Yes.

--
Andrew Muzi http://www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April 1971
 
If you can start to screw in the bb with no trouble, just take a pocket knife and scrape the paint
off the face of the bb shell and the head tube. Unless this is a real shitty frame, they did the
machine work before coating the frame.

Helluva lot cheaper to just scrap off the paint than to pay a shop.

Tom @ TET Cycles
 
fwdtopcs-<< The BB shell and head tube on the frame have paint on the faces. Should I take the frame
to a bike shop and have them both faced to make sure everything fits and works right?

yes-

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St. Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 http://www.vecchios.com "Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"
 
In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
>Hello. I got a new full-suspension bike frame. I want to build it up myself. I'm putting the 2003
>Shimano XTR 960 hollow-tech crankset and a Chris King headset on it. The BB shell and head tube on
>the frame have paint on the faces. Should I take the frame to a bike shop and have them both faced
>to make sure everything fits and works right?

It couldn't hurt to do it and it shouldn't cost too much either.
-----------------
Alex __O _-\<,_ (_)/ (_)
 
"Tsheer" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Hello. I got a new full-suspension bike frame. I want to build it up myself. I'm putting the 2003
> Shimano XTR 960 hollow-tech crankset and a Chris King headset on it.
>
> The BB shell and head tube on the frame have paint on the faces. Should I take the frame to a bike
> shop and have them both faced to make sure everything fits and works right?
>
> Thanks
>
Thanks everyone for your answers.
 
Alex Rodriguez <[email protected]> wrote:
> >The BB shell and head tube on the frame have paint on the faces. Should I take the frame to a
> >bike shop and have them both faced to make sure everything fits and works right?

> It couldn't hurt to do it and it shouldn't cost too much either.

That's what I thought. I had bought a NOS frame/fork on eBay for $130, and a local shop wanted $50
just to face and chase the BB.

I put some sandpaper on a horizontal board, placed the frame over it and rotated to clean off the
paint. The metal underneath appeared to have been already faced. Then, I used an old steel BB to
carefully chase the threads. Installed a Shimano 105 BB and have had no problems at all.

Art Harris
 
I've seen new frames vary quite a bit in the quality and prep of the BB shell and head tube. Many
only require removal of some paint. Others require some significant work. I've seen faces of
headtubes that were lumpy and rounded.

For most cartridge BBs, you won't need to face the BB shell, but chasing the threads is a good
idead. You can usually visually inspect the head tube to see if it had been faced and reamed prior
to painting. If so, not much work will be required. However, if you are spending the bucks for a
King headset, you might want to spend a few extra to be sure the head tube is properly prepped.

Also, be sure to press in the King cups with the King headset press adapters. Failure to do so may
damage the bearings.

Todd Kuzma Heron Bicycles Tullio's Big Dog Cyclery LaSalle, IL 815-223-1776
http://www.heronbicycles.com http://www.tullios.com
 
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