pressing chris king headet cups

[cycleofaddiction]

can you get away without using the the special CK press fitting cups when pressing CK headsets ?

 

[Bustedknuckle]

can you get away without using the the special CK press fitting cups when pressing CK headsets ?

Yes, I do it all the time. Just use a Park type cup press, DON'T use any insert that press on the bearings, just the outside lip of the cup.

 

[cycleofaddiction]

thanks for the reply, when you say a park type cup do you think will this be the same on a cyclus headset press ?

 

[Bustedknuckle]

thanks for the reply, when you say a park type cup do you think will this be the same on a cyclus headset press ?

Not sure. Looked at Cyclus online and it appears they don't have flat plates that can be used against cups, just inside cups, but I haven't seen one in person. If they push against CK HS bearings, in tougher headtubes, you can kill the bearing.

 

[purcell]

I use a threaded rod and flat plate washers as a headset press, works just fine for Chris King headsets.

 

[2beeDammed]

hammer and a block of wood....can't go wrong.

 

[Bustedknuckle]

hammer and a block of wood....can't go wrong.

Righto-if ya can't do it with a big hammer.....

Kidding. You can split a headtube, you can break the flange off the very expensive headset, you can kill the bearings.

I wouldn't use a block of wood and hammer on a $25 frame and $10 headset.

 

[2beeDammed]

Righto-if ya can't do it with a big hammer.....

Kidding. You can split a headtube, you can break the flange off the very expensive headset, you can kill the bearings.

I wouldn't use a block of wood and hammer on a $25 frame and $10 headset.

really can't see why it needs to be complicated ? I put new cups on my track frame last month that way, no dramas. Admittedly it's a steel frame, but any of the modern carbon frames would have an integrated set up, so I would assume it is only the steel frames that would have the cup arrangement anyway. Personally I would not be worried about splitting the head tube, if frame was that fragile I would be more worried about it failing during general use. Ditto for the flange issue you mention, they just aren't that hard to get in and out.
Take the cups out with a screw driver and a hammer, put them back with a block of wood and a hammer.People have been doing it like that for longer than integrated headsets have been around.

 

[Bustedknuckle]

really can't see why it needs to be complicated ? I put new cups on my track frame last month that way, no dramas. Admittedly it's a steel frame, but any of the modern carbon frames would have an integrated set up, so I would assume it is only the steel frames that would have the cup arrangement anyway. Personally I would not be worried about splitting the head tube, if frame was that fragile I would be more worried about it failing during general use. Ditto for the flange issue you mention, they just aren't that hard to get in and out.
Take the cups out with a screw driver and a hammer, put them back with a block of wood and a hammer.People have been doing it like that for longer than integrated headsets have been around.

Yikes. Screw driver and hammer.

Bet you true wheels using a set of vicegrips too.

 

[Giuseppe Magnetico]

Sounds like somebody is too cheap to buy the proper tool for the job. The difference between a home mechanic and somebody who wrenches for a living. I suppose I could get away with the caveman tools and methods for hub overhauls, but using the proper puller and press makes life MUCH easier, and less apt to mess it up.

 

[hiero2]

I remember a film once - about driving through Africa. One scene showed a local blacksmith literally making his own nuts and bolts - cut the threads without a thread cutter - so he it was the blacksmith's skill to get the nut and bolt threads to match. No interchangeable parts.

When you are 3rd world primitive, you can do some amazing things. When you can get the right tool, things work a lot better. That blacksmith would have given up his handmade bolts in a heartbeat.

I used to use a hammer and block of wood on my '63 TR4. Now that was a lovely machine. With a repurposed tractor engine design that was 30 years old. Reliable. Sturdy.

 

[winkybiker]

Yikes. Screw driver and hammer.

Yeah, I know, sounds rough. But really, for steel cups in a steel frame it works just fine for all but the most ham-fisted bashers. But once you have aluminium and/or carbon in the mix - use the right tools.

 

[purcell]

hammer and a block of wood....can't go wrong.

Done it many times. Deft touch, it works like a charm.

 

[trailrunner]

When I bought my headset press, I really questioned whether it was going to be worth the money.

That was 15 years ago. Between my bikes and my friends' bikes, I've pressed many headsets since then. The tool turned out to be one of best investments I've made.

 

[Flux Capacity]

hammer and a block of wood....can't go wrong.

I agree. I've done this dozens of times on steel and aluminium frames, but usually with a rubber mallet.

I'm not sure about CK headsets, but regular ones are fine for this "hi-tech" method . Firstly, the bearings obviously can be removed from almost all headsets, so there's no issue smashing them, and secondly, it's easy to judge if the cups may be too tight (first, you see how far they go in by hand, then check if they resist the pounding) so you back off.