I have always enjoyed tinkering and I like to build things for myself when I have the opportunity. A few years ago when LED’s were just becoming popular and powerful enough to use as a headlight while night riding I decided to make my own headlights since there were not currently any LED lights on the market. I am still using them to this day and they work great.
My latest project is decommissioning my 2006 Gary Fisher 29er. It has been a good bike, but it is time to move on. I got a Niner S.I.R. 9 frame for Christmas and I am starting to build it up now. I have a Chris King headset on my Fisher and I certainly don’t want to give that up so I needed the tools to remove and re-install a headset. These tools are not all that expensive and you can by them for around $70 or so for both. I considered buying the tools or spending the $30 at my LBS to have them removed/pressed in. Then my brother-in-law mentioned he has seen threads on MTBR.com that talk about making your own tools on the cheap. So …I took this route. It was really very simple and I used both tools tonight and they worked flawlessly.
Headset Press Tool:
1 – 1/2″ all thread 8″ – 12″ long.
2 – 1/2″ nuts
16 – 2″ fender washers for 1/2″ all thread (you could do with less of these)
And that is it! That is all it takes to build the press. I bought all the parts at Lowe’s for less than $4.00! Simply put one (1) nut on one end of the all thread, put on 1/2 the washers, put in the cup you are placing on the bike first (make sure you grease it), put the all thread through the head of the bike (depending on the cup, you may need to put the cup on after you put it through the head, put on the other 1/2 of the washers, put on the other nut and now you just use 3/4″ wrenches to tighten the nuts and press in the cup …remove one nut and the washers and repeat for the other cup.
Headset Cup Removal Tool:
1 – 3/4″ x 12″ copper pipe (about $6.00)
Cut one end of the pipe twice (with a hacksaw) about three inches down so it is split into quarters. Using pliers, bend each piece outward to spread out the end. Next, I bent the bottom 1/2″ of each tab slightly back in towards the center of the pipe to straighten it. You might want to file off some of the sharp edges where you cut the pipe with a hacksaw. Now, all you have to do is squeeze the pieces together with your hand as you put it in the head of the bike, push it down so it rests on the headset cup and use a hammer (I used a rubber mallet) to drive it out. Repeat for the other cup.
douglas adams 