nikita_r

Is there a bike shop in NYC that can shave 2-3 mm off the head tube?
I've got a frameset with the fork cut too short. In principle, I could use another fork, but the current one matches the frame... And there is enough meat on the headtube to be shaved off...

appreciate your help guys

FBinNY 

Probably, any of the following 3 shops in Manhattan can.

Bicycle Habitat on Lafayette Street, see Eric S.
NYC bike, on lower 2nd Ave,
Bicycle Rennaissance, on Columbus near 80th, see Shane

You can tell any of them I sent you (the Chain-L guy)

BTW- I'm assuming that you have a 1" threaded system, because 3mm would be meaningless with a threadless headset.

m015094

I'm assuming the frame material is steel? Also, are you going to repaint because you'll most likely chip the paint.

FBinNY 

Done right, only the most brittle of paints, applied with poor primer will chip. Painted frames normally headtubes faced as a last step after painting, not before. Any chipping should be very minor, less than 1mm (if that) and can be touched up if need be.

Usually head cups are pressed into grease, and the grease fillet at the edge hides everything anyway.

phoebeisis

No chance you could find a shorter headset?Might be cheaper easier? 3mm is quite a bit- not sure you could find a headset that much shorter- over 1/10" 120/1000".
Charlie

nikita_r

thanks guys for the replies.

the material is steel. It is a lugged frame with stainless polished lugs, so paint is not an issue. The lugs have enough meat as i said, so I think 3 mm can be taken off without worries..

the fork is 1'' threadless, but it is cut so short that now its 33mm above the headset (the current headset is cane creek s2 with 27mm stack hight). All stems that I know have 40mm or more of stack hight, so the difference is too big -- 7mm. I was hoping to make it 4-5mm.

What do you think?

Mr IGH

I did this years ago when I unstall one of the first CK headsets on my Ross Mt Whitney, I'd do it again.

fietsbob

A threadless conversion is possible. BBB has part # BHP 20,
its a quill, aluminum , fluted, 22.2 diameter.
which includes shims with locking keyway, to prevent rotation.

And a special center bolt, the clever bit, it pulls up the wedge,
then it uses internal thread in the bolt head,
to screw the bolt for the pre load cap.
[then you use the 1">9/8" shim that comes with the stem.]


BBB a NL company distributes thru Bike Mine, in OKC, OK. so bike mine account at shop needed.

I finally found their 9/8" version thru R&E in Seattle.. for my too short a steerer situation.

more kludgy but will work , steel tube quill,
then clamp new stem around it,
for the adjustment a removable expansion plug,
lets you access the wedge bolt,
a star nut would have to be trashed to take it out.
[EZ enough to do, they come apart , I trashed mine to do the repair above.]

operator

Shaving 3mm of headtube, rofl.

I hope they charge you a replacement die fee for what that's going to do to the tool.

Bianchigirll 

2-3mm is alot of materiel to remove with a facing tool. that is designed only to ensure both ends are parrallel. did you try ab HS with a shorter stack height?

FBinNY 

This is a simple straightforward job, that shouldn't harm the tools or the bike. Don't make it more complicated than it is.

I've been selling cutting tools for these kinds of jobs to shops and builders for almost 40 years.

Normally lugged steel frames would be brazed with the headtube extending beyond the tops of the lugs by quite a bit. After brazing the excess would be rough cut off, then the top and bottom cleaned up with a rough file, and the frame painted. Then the mill would be used to finish the job, usually removing about 1mm from each side, prior to pressing in the headset.

Used this way, the mill would last 200-500 frames, (both sides), so we're talking about milling a cumulative 400-1,000mm through the life of a single grind, and usually the reamer would wear faster than the facing mill.

If the OP cannot get the job done at any of the dealers I suggested, he can PM me and I'll do it for him at a reasonable price

nikita_r

I am gonna try these three shops on Monday. Thanks a lot for the help. I'll post the results once the job is done.

Mr IGH

I've done this exact method several times and it doesn't change the tool's cutting ability any noticiable amount. We used to have our Campy cutter resharpened at a machine shop (the shop also built frames so it did see 1 meter's worth of cutting in a year or two).

And he works at an LBS, buyer beware!