cyrano138

I wanted to search for a video about how to remove and replace this if it can be done, but I don't actually know what this piece is called. If you guys can tell me I would certainly appreciate it.

FrozenBiker 

Hello. It is a "crown race".

canopus 

is this a joke? You've been here a long time...
A) it is a ... lower race or bottom race (or previous crown race) ...
A) Yes, it is removable/replaceable (Ever purchased a headset?)
A) Yes, numerous tools are available to remove and install it.

base2 

It's called a crown race.
It is a bearing race & it is located upon the fork crown.

It is removed with a crown race puller.

Any bike shop should have the tool & be able to perform the removal & reinstallation for a small fee.

Iride01 

The part of the crown race we can see in the picture looks in good shape. The discoloration or possibly ever so slightly pitted appears to be outside the contact points of the bearings with the race..

cyrano138

Thank you!

I've removed and replaced all the other parts of a headset, but never had to take this piece off of the fork.

I'm happy to get the tool and do it myself. I just needed to know where to start. Thank you.

That's kind of why I was looking at it and why I started thinking about what would be involved in replacing one. It felt good once I put the headset and fork back together and got everything adjusted, but it occurred to me while I was doing this whole thing that I have never had to replace one before and it's something that could conceivably need to be replaced.

I know what it does, I've just never replaced one before. And searching for an instructional video without the name of the thing is fruitless.

Thanks again.

I have this tool that somebody gave me to install a crown race, but I have never removed one

79pmooney

A fun, sorta off topic too; I got to see in action Friday - a super race puller. It may have been a Park shop tool. (I think I recall seeing the Park logo colors on it.)

The story - I went to TiCycles with frame and fork of my Peter Mooney. (Frame's getting a braze -on moved, new WB bosses and a re-paint. Brought the fork just to show Dave Levy. I hadn't knocked off the lightweight aluminum Stronglight crown yet. (And I wasn't really looking forward to it. I've done it with steel crowns. a large screwdriver and hammer and not marred or distorted anything but it takes real time and attention.)

Showed the fork to Dave. He immediately wanted to show me his new tool. A cylinder roughly the length and width of a floor pump. Instead of folding foot tabs, it had screws with nice handles. Bigger screw emerging from the top. Insert fork steerer into bottom. Tighten the two bottom screws to grab the sides of the crown. Crank down top screw. Fork drops out the bottom. Crown stays immaculate. Takes not much longer than reading this!

Edit: except for that tool, I have all the rest of the headset tools, mostly for cheap. Common pipe and threaded rod do very nicely for installing crown races and that same pipe can be used to install crown races. I used 1/2" rod. Rounded, chromed, sorta nylock style nuts that fit nicely into the race inside and self center. All Home Depot; maybe $15 total. (Crescent wrenches and hammer also needed.) I did pay for the Park cup remover that also requires that hammer. Headsets are one place where special tools are not needed but boy! do they make the job faster and more fun!

rccardr 

There’s an even nicer newer Park crown race removal tool that uses three prongs instead of two and is adjustable about 60 zillion ways to fit all kinds of forks.
Got one last year for Christmas. Not cheap, but it removes a super lightweight Dura Ace 7410 cartridge race (IMO the most difficult to remove without bending) very nicely.

cyrano138

I also made my own installation tool. If I ever get to work on some ultra high-end fancy bike maybe I'll get something nicer with this seems to do the trick for now.

As for removals, I looked up a few videos and, again, for the kind of bikes I'm working on a hammer and screwdriver will probably be fine.

Chuck M 

These are generally not on too tight. A 1/4 or 5/16 pin punch with light taps will get them off without damage to the race or one of your screwdrivers.

cyrano138

Now I have a good excuse to find the brass punch that I've got laying around somewhere.

dedhed

Cheap screwdriver and a few taps of the hammer to remove, a piece of copper or pvc pipe to install.

You say you "replaced" the rest of the headset parts, didn't your new headset come with a new crown race?

These have to match the headset bearings etc and come in different sizes (JIS/ISO)

Iride01 

I'm glad you brought that up. I had to sit on my fingers when I read that initially. Screwdrivers should be used for installation and removal of screws. I remember being aghast when a television DIY home repair person suggested and used one for grout removal when replacing a tile.

cyrano138

Removed and then reinstalled the same ones. I was painting the frame.

JohnDThompson 

obYes, that will work, if you're careful. Don't try to knock it off in one blow; work slowly around the circumference of the race so it comes off straight, instead of going crooked and cracking.


A dedicated crown race remover is quicker, but not really cost-effective for a one-off job.

79pmooney

I relegated two cheap, large screwdrivers to *****y tasks decades ago. Never regretted it.

cyccommute 

Yes, a dedicated crown race remover is a thing of beauty. But screwdrivers for crown race removal are the Devil’s tools! A bearing splitter works better and it’s the business end of the dedicated crown race remover. Looking at that bearing splitter, I see that it is threaded. It wouldn’t be too hard to DIY this splitter which is the Park tool without the fancy tube.

HillRider

The screwdriver/punch approach to crown race removal works OK as long as the crown race is larger in diameter than the fork crown so the edges overlap and give the punch something to hit against. Many newer forks, particularly carbon or those made for integrated headsets, have a fork crown larger than the crown races so your punch can't reach it.

The Park Tool crown race remover (CRP-2 or it's predecessor) 79pmoony described above is basically a modified "bearing splitter" and uses opposing thin sharp wedges that are forced between the bottom of the crown race and the fork crown to get a purchase than pulled off with a big screw press. As a homemade version of this approach I've used a sharp wood chisel bevel side up and gently tapped into the seam between the crown race and the fork crown, working it around the entire circumference several times. Eventually it opens up enough of a gap for the race to fall off or be removable by hand. Be VERY careful not to drive the chisel so deep you hit the steerer, particularly with an all carbon fork.

HillRider

Naaah, there is nothing sacred about screwdrivers, particularly cheap, general purpose ones. They make useful impromptu prybars, punches, scrapers, chisels, etc. What you don't want to do is use them to drive screws after that kind of abuse but, then, you don't want to use cheap screwdrivers for any driving of screws either.

Papa Tom

Yes! I did exactly this many, many times when I ran a bicycle recycling program in the early 2000's.

ted_major

I’ve used a large adjustable wrench to remove crown races. Adjust so it sits on the front and back of the crown race and tap gently, that way you’re pushing on both sides and it comes off straight. An appropriately sized piece of PVC pipe (cut square) can work as a setting tool to tap it back on.

cyrano138

Doesn't the threaded tube part of the fork keep you from getting it on straight?

cyccommute 

It shouldn’t. The pipe will just slide over the steer tube just like the tool you have.

canopus 

For Removal (Pics):
I have old bikes. About the only thing the Campy does fit of mine are old bmx stuff sometimes. Newer forks it would have a problem with. The cyclus is newer and deeper which wouldn't be bad. Both of these assume the race is wider that the fork crown itself

For Setting, I have a Hozan C-435 tool I picked up used.


old

New cyclus tool

cyrano138

I meant the wrench trick. I think I'm picturing it wrongly.