Ok so I goofed. I like to think I plan ahead, and generally think straight, but not today. I'll blame it on upcoming finals or something. In reality it was just a really stupid mistake.

So here's what I did. I'm building up a bike from components (quite a lot of fun actually), and landed a pretty sweet deal on a carbon fork/headset/stem on ebay ($24 :D ) that was the right size for my frame. So I installed the cups, and slid the fork in when I realized that the steerer is in fact too short. Yep, I pulled a pretty good one with that huh?

So now I'm left with a couple of options. I can either get another threaded fork, or a threadless fork. Either of which has me at my problem. I either need to get the cups back out of the frame or I need to get the crown race (is that the name? the part wear the bearing race sits on the crown). Neither of which I know how to do, or know what the tools that removes them looks like! Yea, it was a really stupid move.

I work at a campus bike shop, and I used the nifty tool to install the cups, but I'm not sure if we have the tool to remove it. I'd rather not wait till next week to fix this, and I'm not sure than any of the other amature mechanics really know how to do this either. Anybody have some tips to removing them? I'm pretty darn handy, but I decided (in an amazing moment of clarity) to not try to pry them off.

Thanks for any help you can give me! :D :o

In most cases, there's a little bit of the crown race hanging out past the crown race seat, and you can put a big, flat bladed screwdriver against it (steerer on the floor or workbench with a bit of padding) and then tap with a hammer. Alternate sides of the fork, and you should be able to get it off. Same procedure with the cups in the head tube. Slide the screwdriver inside the head tube until it rests on the lip of the upper or lower cup. Tap with a hammer, moving the blade around the inside of the head tube to spread the pressure with each succeeding blow. Of course, you should never use a screwdriver as a chisel, so if you have a cold chisel, you could use that instead. If you greased the cups and race properly during the install and there is enough sticking out to get some good purchase with the screwdriver (CHISEL!) then you should have no problem removing the HS parts from the frame and fork.

I work at a campus bike shop, and I used the nifty tool to install the cups, but I'm not sure if we have the tool to remove it. I'd rather not wait till next week to fix this, and I'm not sure than any of the other amature mechanics really know how to do this either. Anybody have some tips to removing them? I'm pretty darn handy, but I decided (in an amazing moment of clarity) to not try to pry them off.

Thanks for any help you can give me! :D :o

... ok, which shop do you work at again???

Kerry Irons' suggestions are spot on... but you might wanna check and see if the shop has a Park crown race puller... a nifty specialty tool.

Could you clear up a couple of questions...?

Could you describe what you mean by the steerer being too short? Are we talking threaded or threadless (sounds threaded)? Did you measure the frame headtube length and headset stack height along with your steerer tube? Is there a possibility of using a headset with a lower stack height... or are you waaaaay too close to even consider?

FWIW, I purchased a 650C wheel'd GT Vengeance frame/fork a few years ago at a bargain price... for a build project. Almost from the getgo, I'd planned on using a Reynolds Ouzo Pro Aero fork cuz the original GT fork (built by Kinesis) is a pig (I've still got it). It wasn't until when I was futzin' around during the build, that it came to my attention that the original fork had been cut too short from the factory for the frame... indeed, I later learned that quite a few Vengeances got out of the factory with craptacular steerers! At least I had the Reynolds... and measured that sucker (along with the headtube, headset stack height, stem interface and possible need for spacers) three times before the final cut!!

Getting the cups out of the frame is easy. The tool is basically a pipe with slots cut in one end and the ends flared out a little. You slide it in backwards, compressing the flared out ends (the slots let it compress enough to fit easily) and then once inside the headtube above the cups it expands and sits on the lip of the cups. Then you just smack them out with a hammer. Alternatively you could just take a small pipe that will fit into the headtube, set it on the cup lip and pount them out (be sure to move the pipe around to different spots so you don't get it all twisted....you want it to come out fairly evenly)

Getting the crown race off can be done with a screwdriver but your likely to mess it up a little and maybe scratch upt he fork. Best to use the right tool for the job. The Park crown race puller is a slick little tool that works great (just used one at the shop the other day) If you don't have one at your shop, go to a well equipped shop and have them do it for you. It takes just a few minutes and shouldn't cost much.

How much too short is the steerer tube? If it's only a couple of mm, you could maybe use a different headset, or take a spacer or two out of the one you already have. I've made "the wrong fork" work by cobbling together a headset out of several, using different combinations of spacers and locknuts until I made it work. But then, all of my bikes are frankenbikes, and I take a perverse delight in cobbling together wierd combinations of parts into beautifully functiong bicycles.

It has to be pretty close though, there isn't a lot of variation between headsets. If it's more than a few mm off, you need a new fork.

Getting the crown race off can be done with a screwdriver but your likely to mess it up a little and maybe scratch up the fork.


Good grief man! I've removed hundreds, no maybe thousands, of races and cups without coming close to messing or scratching anything up.

Good grief man! I've removed hundreds, no maybe thousands, of races and cups without coming close to messing or scratching anything up. Yeah, but some are just natural born hamfists and hacks.... ;)

Alright here's a few answers....

I'm in a volunteer campus bike shop at New College of Florida. We're a ~650 student liberal college, and 2/3 of the people here wouldn't know a ratchet from a wrench. I've just started this semester working on bikes, so I'm learning as I go. We have about 10 mechanics total, averaging 2 per weekday for 2 hour shifts, and that's all we're open. We do free labor, and 20% above cost on parts for students. The result is, very dedicated but not always the most experience mechanics, although one or two are quite good. They however were not around at the beginning of the weekend when I pulled this stunt. :p

I found my problem....I had just started getting parts, and learning, and in my excitement I didn't account for the head stack height :o . Oops. So the headtube is 145mm tall, and the steerer is 153mm tall. So it's just a bit short there.

I had thought about the screwdriver (CHISEL!) method, and figured I'd wait to hear some experience people suggest that. Don't want to go screwing it up and make it worthless.

As for being a hamfist, it's not natural, you learn it when you work as a car mechanic. Hey if it can support a 3000lb car, surely smacking it with a sledgehammer won't hurt it right? :p

Thanks for the help! :D

Alright here's a few answers....

I'm in a volunteer campus bike shop at New College of Florida. We're a ~650 student liberal college, and 2/3 of the people here wouldn't know a ratchet from a wrench.

... but can they debate the existence of a ratchet or wrench in the absence of a mechanic??

I've just started this semester working on bikes, so I'm learning as I go. We have about 10 mechanics total, averaging 2 per weekday for 2 hour shifts, and that's all we're open. We do free labor, and 20% above cost on parts for students. The result is, very dedicated but not always the most experience mechanics, although one or two are quite good. They however were not around at the beginning of the weekend when I pulled this stunt. :p

... I first started learning how to wrench a bike out of necessity... bike was main transportation and couldn't afford to pay for shop services. Indeed, I've still got boxes of failed attempts and experiments stuffed in the corner of the basement.

I found my problem....I had just started getting parts, and learning, and in my excitement I didn't account for the head stack height :o . Oops. So the headtube is 145mm tall, and the steerer is 153mm tall. So it's just a bit short there.

... you're screw'd.

I had thought about the screwdriver (CHISEL!) method, and figured I'd wait to hear some experience people suggest that. Don't want to go screwing it up and make it worthless.

... just take your time to avoid damage (ovalization/deformation) to the headtube.

As for being a hamfist, it's not natural, you learn it when you work as a car mechanic. Hey if it can support a 3000lb car, surely smacking it with a sledgehammer won't hurt it right? :p

Thanks for the help! :D

... remember the immortal words of Red Green... if it ain't broke, then you're not tryin'