FTAO bicycle maintenance knowledgeable

[mik]

I have an o,d 2003 Trek4300 in the shed that youngest mik stole from me years back. Works fine but the headset is crunchy as.

We know of boy - friend of a friend of a friend - who had his bike stolen recently. No money in the house for a new one. Would accept anything.

I'm not giving anyone a bike with a knackered headset that might seize up in use. Bike shops want £25 for new bearings and another £20 to fit. Not unreasonable, but the whole bike is probably worth less than that so it grates.

I dont have the proper tools, but i do have a couple of good big clamps that can apply a lot of force. Anything tp stop me knocking the old bearings out with a hammer/drift and squeezing one of these in Instead?

[scotta]

So your asking for advice on knocking one out.....

[mik]

I’m more interested in the likeliehood of squeezing one in.

[Carlos]

Have you looked to see if there's loose bearings or a bearing race to soak in parafin and repack with grease ?

[Orange Cola]

Absolutely nothing. Just take care in lining it up prior to pressing and go very, very slowly giving yourself plenty of chance to correct it if it does go wrong.

I used a hammer and bit of wood on my last one but a clamp and some wood would be much better. Metal on metal will likely damage something.

[mik]

Cheers - ordered. Big clamp and bits o wood coming up....

Carlos - i havent. I considered looking earlier and decided i was likely to end up with ball bearings all over the patio..... and it has been crunchy for so long that i suspect they woukd take every opportunity to depart from the cage - even when freshly greased up.

[Rich B]

Yep, I’ve done loads of new headsets with nothing more than some blocks of wood and a hammer - its pretty simple tech.

And well done on passing on the bike - I like your style.

[John]

I changed mine just last week using a large lump of wood and a hammer to tap it in. One of the easier jobs on a bike.

[Gwaredd]

What they said. If you're a spaz, you'll fuck it up. If not, it's easy.

[mik]

What they said. If you're a spaz, you'll fuck it up. If not, it's easy.

Oh baws.

[drcarlos]

I use a bit of 12mm stud cut down with big washers on to press in headset cups. Used the block of wood and hammer technique too and my home made press is much easier. Removing the old cups is best done with an old large flat blade (knocking screwdriver) and hammer from inside the head tube, alternating taps either side and it should just pop out and you won’t damage the paint.

[Sundayjumper]

Wot all of them said. Unless it's something posh, wood & hammer will be just fine.

[mik]

All done today. Straight forward as you all said. Cheers.