Nifty home-made tools

I’m a self-confessed tool nut. There is nothing quite as elegant as the right tool for the job. The satisfaction of removing a typically stubborn component with perfect ease, just because you happen to have the right tool at hand is better than a weekend in a massage-parlour. Actually, nowadays they call it a “Spa” and the parlour has a different connotation, but still, it beats both.

This article deals two home-made tools that you can knock up in your garage in no time. Each of them incidentally, would cost a few hundred rands each should you buy the proper thing from a bicycle shop. Also, you’re not likely to use these every day and laying out cash for a seldom-used tool is silly, even by my standards.

Headset Tools

Bicycle headsets are consumable items, just like chains and cassettes. When a headset is worn, the bearing becomes notchy and this causes a slight fishtailing effect when cycling straight ahead. The harder you pedal, the more pronounced the effect. The notched bearing parts are not replaceable (except on Stronglight headsets) and the entire headset needs to be replaced. They’re cheap but require special tools to remove.

You’ll need two special tools and two general tools. The special tools are a Headset Cup Remover and a Headset Cup Press. The general tools are a flat-nosed pin punch and hammer.

Headset Cup Remover

The headset cup needs to be punched out from the inside of the head tube, but the problem is that both sides need to be punched at the same time. A normal punch simply makes it move sideways and jam itself.  Therefore, you need a double-sided punch of sorts. Make one.

Recipe: A 200mm length of 1/2 or 3/4 inch steel electrical conduit. Although steel conduit is no longer used in houses, it is still used in some industrial applications and most electrical contractors still work with it. Ask your friendly contractor to cut you a 200mm (approximate) piece of conduit and push your luck a bit further and ask him to please use a pipe cutter, not a hacksaw, since that makes a nice square cut.

Now make a lengthwise incision down the centre of the conduit, exactly (or as close as a hacksaw will all you to) down the middle.

With a large screwdriver or broad cold chisel, force open the two ends of the conduit until they’re as far apart as your bike’s head tube diameter. You can always adjust this by bending it as needed when working on bikes with fatter or skinnier head tubes.

A short piece of electrical conduit quickly becomes a headset cup remover.

Your tool is now finished. To remove headset cups, squeeze together the fork in the tool and insert it into the head tube. Push it down so that it locks against the headset cup and gently tap the cup out with a mallet. Don’t ever use a hammer on your bike when the frame is secured in a stand. It’ll damage the frame at the clamp area. Ask someone to hold the frame whilst you hammer. Although this is not terribly efficient – a lot of shock is absorbed by the assistant – it is perfectly healthy for the frame.

The head tube has an upper and lower cup – knock both out by turning the frame and tool around and working from both sides.

Headset Cup Press:

Now that you’ve removed the headset cups, you want to replace them with new ones. You’ll need a special press – make one.

Buy a length of 10mm (or thicker) threaded rod from your hardware shop. They sell these in 600mm lengths in galvanised (shiny) and plain (normal steel).

Also buy two nuts to fit onto this rod and two of the largest, thickest fender washers you can get. A fender washer is an oversized washer with small hole.  The right one for the job will be larger than the diameter of your headset, on other words, a good 50mm. If you can’t get washers that are at least 1.5mm thick, buy four, so you can double them up for more strength.

Now saw off a piece of threaded rod that is 60mm longer than the length of your largest bike’s head tube. File the edges nicely so that the bolts screw on easily and the burr doesn’t cost you some skin down the line.

Now go and press in your new headset cups.

Make sure you know which is the top cup and which is the bottom cup. On some headsets there is a difference, even if it is just aesthetic to keep the branding right side up. You may also want to orient it so that the cup’s branding graphics face forward. I’m not that fussy but some people swear that good mechanics won’t overlook such a triviality.

Clean the two cup interfaces on the frame and make sure there is no loose paint or dirt that could prevent the cups from seating properly.

Loosely insert the two cups and press them in by hand as far as they will go. Clamp the frame vertically in your workstand so that the head tube is horizontal.

Insert the threaded rod, put a washer (or two) on each side, screw on the nuts and tighten them until the washers touch the cups. Now carefully turn the nut with the appropriate spanner (17mm on 10mm bolts) and help the cups to enter squarely. Don’t rush the job, just apply a bit of pressure with the spanner and shift the washers up or down over the cups so that pressure is applied where it needs it most. The idea is to get the cups to start off squarely and after that they’ll naturally go in square.

Tighten the press until the cups are all the way against the frame and removed the press. You’re done!

Well, on the frame in anyway. You still need to remove the bottom bearing race that is pressed onto the fork. Invert the form and put it upright on a solid surface. You really need an assistant here to hold the fork for you. Take a pin punch and gently tap the race for and aft. Once in front, once in the back…softly now. If you tap too hard, the race will turn sideways and jam. Also, you want to practice and see how soft or hard the race is for when you tap on the new one. Be ultra patient here and tap, tap, until it is off.

Installing a new race is the reverse of this procedure. Turn the fork around with the drop-outs on the floor now – perhaps on a little piece of wood if they are aluminium.

Slide the new race, right side up, over the steerer and seat it as firmly as possible. Identify the small ridge where you’ll place the punch. This should not be the same place where the bearing balls will run! Look for the highest spot on the race and tap that spot first. Gently tap, tap all the way around. Only tap twice on the same spot if the race is skew and you want to level it out. Once it reaches the bottom,
Tap until it makes snug contact with the restraining ridge on the fork.

Now install the bearings, grease them, install the fork and adjust your headset.