Pista86

Hello I have a VISP track Frame. But there's a Dent in the Head Tube can it be repair?Dent.jpg

Frame Details: Frame Aluminium 6061T6

Kimmo

Steel or Ti? Should be a goer...

I'd ask in Framebuilders, though

Pista86

It's Aluminium

Kimmo

Hm. Might be okay

BCRider

With the right tooling I'd say that you should be able to bend it back out well enough to get the headset cup into place. But the key here is "the right tooling". This isn't a job for a hammer and vise grips. It needs something that will support the outer radius in a supportive way while being pressed out from inside. Not knowing your capability or what you have available for tooling to make up such a special tool setup I can't suggest anything further that would be helpful. But my own ideas are leaning towards a round solid bar that is about 1/16 to 1/8 smaller than the ID and a special made external support saddle made from a good size block of hard maple, oak or some such hardwood that is not easily mashed out of shape and a big vise to supply the pressure.

HillRider

Neither. The OP said it is an aluminum frame.

FBinNY 

This is an easy repair for a skilled hammersmith, probably involving 5 to 10 minutes of work.

Metal head tubes are relatively flexible and generally take the shape of the more rigid cup pressed into them. This is true for all metals, but definitely not true for carbon, though that would have cracked, not dented.

Yours is probably dented too much to get the cup started, so you'll want to get it closer. The easiest way is to find the largest pipe that fits into the tube, push it through and with the outside resting on wood or leather, gently tap the pipe down to push the dent out closer to line. If you want to do a more perfect job, you can use a half round rasp to shape a curve into the block using the good area as a guide.

You don't have to get it perfect, and in fact really don't want to try too hard to do so. Your goal is to push out the dent, but not to overwork the area which will stretch rater than move the area.

Once it's close enough to get the cup started, deburr it and clean up the ding so it doesn't affect anything, Unless you raised metal while shaping it, you shouldn't have to reface since local low spots don't matter. If you did raise a bit of metal, you're probably still better off filing it to below the face line (if local) than facing. that's because most H/T facers have integrated reamers, and you don't want to remove any metal from the originally correct inner diameter.

a77impala

That looks like the bearing cup, not the headtube. Drift it out and replace it.

FBinNY 

No I don't think it's a head cup, but now I looked closer and it might be a integrated headset. That changes everything, in someways making it easier, in others harder. if it is an integrated headset, the outer lip is meaning less, so you just have to gently tap it back to where the bearing can drop in past it. That's the easy part, the hard part is that the conical bearing seat might be affected, so you'll have to see a mechanic and have it re-cut with the proper mill.

Given that you'll need a pro to finish the job anyway, I suggest you find a qualified shop and let them do the whole job.

summary, thin wall with press-in headset is DIY, integrated is a job f0r a pro. Fairly straightforward either way.

fietsbob

Out of round?maybe a cone taper can be made, to bang in? ,
Hardwood may be easier for OP to work than metal
[difficult to see, attachments to this site don't open on my computer.]

Trek400

Everybody has to guess because the picture is unclear, head cup or bearing cup. My guess is head cup and my suggestion is heat it while fixing to round shape. Use a cone shape metal or ball shape like a large hammer with round shape on one side. Take time tap it with other hammer. The heat will help ease an aluminum bending back to shape. After it's done, smooth the edge with sandpaper or file. It doesn't have to be perfect circle, just enough to install bearing cup. Unless, it's a bearing cup then it needs to be close to perfect and smooth buffed. good luck.

Kimmo

Not before I asked.

FBinNY 

Kimmo, I hate to say this to you of all people, but (unless he edited his post later) the OP said Aluminum 6061R+T6 below the photo in the original post.

Thumpic

+1.......

BCRider

I'm with A77Impala, it looks to me more like a regular external bering cup now that I look at the very poor picture more closely.

Hey Pista 86, how about some side shots of the head tube. And this time turn on some lights so your cell phone camera at least has a chance of giving us a shot we can work with. Put the frame head tube next to a bright table or reading lamp.

silver_ghost

The post was edited after Kimmo's question.

reptilezs

before

FBinNY 

But Kimmo's in Australia, so he's 10 hours ahead so might not have seen it until the next day.

Kimmo

I dunno WTF is up with the edit timestamp... maybe I loaded the page a couple of hours before I got around to looking at it.

Anyway, the second line obviously wasn't there when I read the OP... what kind of Blind Freddy do you guys take me for?

Pista86

OK guys thx for the replys i took it to my LBS. They looked at it they told they should be able to press it right in because it's not a big dent but there'a a chance that it would crack the Headset. i told them give it a shot. it worked! it's smooth as butter. and sorry for the bad pix was from camera phone...