Headset press Winchester/hants

[xtaffa]

Hi all,

Cheeky one, but does anyone in the mid SO20s have a headset press I could borrow for a day or so in the new year?

Sort of think I should just shell out for one, but I'm not a serial builder and do abysmally low miles due to limited time so never get through cassettes let alone main bearings, so not sure I'll have the future work for it!

Cheers!

 

[Bcxbcx]

You can pick them up quite cheap, I use a cheap £5 one from Ebay, its basically a threaded bar with some nuts and ptfe (I think) plates.

 

[hamster]

I'm in Ringwood if you need to borrow and are still desperate. But a length of M10 or M12 studding and a couple of socket heads will do the trick.

 

[d8mok]

The cheap ones / homemade ones don’t usually have recessed grooves to stop the headset cups moving which means Its hard to get them to press straight and level. Yes brute force eventually evens it out but on a decent frame please use a proper press.

I’ve got a lovely one made by a engineering firm on eBay which was £30 and it’s very good. So they not expensive

 

[Tootyred]

Homemade is fine, provided you think about it. Just tack weld a bigger and smaller washer together.....you can make all sizes you need and it stops them "drifting off centre" as d8mok pointed out. Take old cups next time you go to you local bolt store and pick up what you need for a couple of quid.

Your mans right ^, you don't want them sliding about and forcing them in on the pi$$, frame misery that way comes.

 

[xtaffa]

Cheers gents, especially hamster - I think I will invest having seen your responses... One of those probably not worth bodging, and get the sense it's also one that will come into use more often than I think it will!

 

[d8mok]

I’ve got one of these with handles. Worth the money and works perfectly

 

[mk one]

Would post you mine but it weighs sooo much.

For years i just used a slab of wood and a hammer, works fine, one day i bought a press to fit a tight CK to a Ti frame. I must admit the press is easier and quicker, not necessarily better for me as i had mastered the hammer and wood over the years, a bit more of a faff too, but for sure quicker. Also the press did not work on CK headsets, i needed a different stack to fit inside the bearings, i ended up just using a spare CK crown race which works fine.

 

[xtaffa]

I’ve got one of these with handles. Worth the money and works perfectly

Took your recommendation and just received same set - well finished and very carefully packaged, so looking good.