Bike steerer Tube, Crown Race install and removal & Star Nut full service guide for beginners.
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- čas přidán 25. 06. 2024
- This video goes over what is needed in order to fully service a steerer tube. It includes shortening the tube, installing and removing a crown race, as well as installing a star nut.
As I mentioned in the video, You can build your own tools to make these tasks more cost-effective, I still believe that you are better off getting all this work done at your local bike shop if possible. They "should" have the proper tools, which can be expensive. IMO, purchasing the tools is unjustifiable unless you are a hobbyist or would like to get into performing bike services for your local area.
As always, If you have any questions, let me know, and I'll get to them as soon as I can
Chapter
00:00 intro and tools
07:57 steerer tube cut
16:18 Crown race install
17:34 star nut install
19:39 Crown race removal - Jak na to + styl
Your videos are consistently thorough and full of sage advice. I've done a full fork service with your help, and you've talked me out of more involved tasks like a full shock service. So thanks for doing these (and for noting the health risks, like carbon dust, that can come with some jobs).
This one on crown races was particularly well-timed for me, since I just acquired an upgraded fork and will be swapping the old one to a bike with a different headset. I was going to buy the tools to do the job myself because PVC and the installation adapters from the headset makers are inexpensive. But the crown race must come off the old fork, and that's where things get complicated. You've convinced me that there's too great a risk of damaging the crown with the cheap tool I was going to buy online, and I don't want to pay several hundred dollars for the proper one. If I must make the trip to a bike shop for removal from one fork, then I may as well ask them to do the installation on both.
But this fork research got me thinking about crown races in general. I've got a fleet of aging road and gravel bikes, and I've never inspected the bottom of their headsets (in one case, for two decades). Crown races are made of metal, and metal rusts or oxidizes. And the silicone seals presumably deteriorate. Is there a replacement schedule?
Your videos are consistently thorough and full of sage advice. I've done a full fork service with your help, and you've talked me out of more involved tasks like a full shock service. So thanks for doing these (and for noting the health risks, like carbon dust, that can come with some jobs).
It makes me SUPER glad to hear that not only did you feel comfortable servicing your own fork, but that you did so successfully. Outstanding job.
As for shocks, I really want to make the video as easy as possible to follow so that people will have the confidence to perform the service. I don't want anyone to feel intimidated by them. Reality is that designers and engineers have done a really great job at making them serviceable, though some are a bit easier and more cost-effective than others, for sure.
You would be doing me a favor if you could share some of your thoughts on how I can improve the videos in order to make you feel more comfortable attempting the service in the future. This is the type of feedback I'm looking for in order to help me improve making these instructional videos.
As for crown race removal, I would absolutely stay away from using a flat-head driver, especially if you plan on reusing the race. Besides the tool you see in the video, the only other tool I would consider is the birzman or icetools race removers, but those are hit-and-miss. I had the birzman, it broke, which led me to buy the park tool race remover.
If you're friends with a LBS, I confident they will remove the race for free. It's a 2-minute job for them. But if they do that, please buy something from the store as a thank-you. That would be my recommendation. If they charge, it should not be much at all, again, this is a very quick job
You are 100% correct. Crown races can oxidize and corrode. Pitting is a sure sign of this. Grease can slow this process significantly, but all that is needed is a very thin coat. In my experience, 99% of people apply WAY too much grease to their races, bearings, headsets, etc. In most cases, all that's needed is a fresh, thin coat of grease once a year, and be careful not to jet water on the headset when washing the bike. If you ride in wet, muddy conditions regularly, then you might want to do this twice a year.
As for replacing, them, I can't say that there is a schedule to do so, but you can tell if a race has worn out, in particular with older races. You can visibly see that the bearings have dug into the race. And again, pitting/corrosion is a sign that it should be replaced. New races, such as the cane creek races, can last a long time when well maintained. imo, for $10, the Cane Creek 110 race is worth every penny. It ceases to amaze me how well it protects the lower bearing
I hope this helps, and thanks for the questions
Another great video. Thanks for making these videos, very detailed and gives us the confidence to do things our self Thank you.
Thank you very much. It really makes me glad to hear that people are finding these videos helpful. if you have any questions just let me know.
Muy top!
Glad to see the video was informative for you. Thanks for watching it and let me know if there are any questions
RS has a small hole for removing the crown race. With RS you don't need a professional tool to remove one piece crownrace. I've done it multiple times, and the race was not warped, scratched, etc. Maybe I was lucky, and the CaneCreek races I have on all my bikes are more heavy-duty than other brands.
Yup! But I've seen people go wrong with using that slot as well, including myself in the past, especially with FSA races. Cane Creek races are indeed more solid than most, which makes them easier to remove without damage. But you still need to be a bit patient, which, from what it sounds like, you were when removing them.
Ultimately, My primary goal with this video was to show people who are just getting into servicing their own bikes that when it comes to certain tasks that will rarely need to be done, they really don't need to invest in either buying or making their own tools, and that having a LBS perform them makes sense. Unlike other parts of a bike, for most people, shortening a steerer tube or removing/installing a crown race will be a very rare occurrence. I'd put the money into other tools that will provide higher ROI.
Thanks for bringing this up though. I should have mentioned it in the video
Any x fusion hlr or rl2 forks what forks can we upgrade with the rough cut hlr thanks
The plan is to make service videos for as many products as possible. its just a question of time, but I'll keep a look out