Originally Posted by
olioli
Hi , apologies I should have been clearer...I'm looking for parts to build into a wooden bike frame , and the ones I've seen online (ie Bear Frame Supplies) have a step already cut into them. I was just wondering if it was possible to use unstepped tube of the right dimension , and not need to ream it since there would be no heat being used that might distort it.
On the last frame but one I built I used a Reynolds 631 headtube with a 34mm ID for the usual 11/8 headset. It was supplied at the exact right size and didn't really need reaming. I sort of skimmed it a bit but hardly removed any material. I was a bit surprised by this as the Columbus HTs are deliberately a little small on the ID so you ream. But it seemed to work out absolutely fine.
It's just a plain gauge tube with no steps so you could use one of those.