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Weird Headset lockring w/ 3 notches

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Weird Headset lockring w/ 3 notches

Old 12-10-13, 11:14 AM
  #76  
HillRider
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Originally Posted by sunburst
What I want to know is, can these headsets be made to work reasonably well?
Sure, if the races are smooth and not pock marked they can be made to work fine. Use decent quality bearing balls and good grease and you should be happy with it.
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Old 03-08-21, 10:15 AM
  #77  
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Apologies for re-animating this zombie thread once more, but I made a serendipitous discovery of an inexpensive tool that fits. I found this thread after encountering a similar headset with the three notches on an 80's Univega. Thought this might help others who end up here via search.

My other hobby, homebrewing, came to the rescue. By my kegerator, I found my keg faucet wrench, used for attaching keg faucets to threaded shanks, like so



Turns out, this wrench is the right size to fit the notches in the headset:



You can google it as a "keg faucet wrench" or "keg spanner wrench." Mine cost $4 at the local homebrew store.
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Old 03-08-21, 11:32 AM
  #78  
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A beer spanner is what I use on the "aero" headset lockring on my Gran Prix. Looks like this one.
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Old 03-08-21, 02:19 PM
  #79  
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Originally Posted by top506
A hammer and a small punch set in one of the notches should tap it loose enough to unscrew.
If you're a barbarian a big pair of channel locks will work, too.
Top
This! Use a brass punch to avoid marring or deforming the notch, or cracking the chrome plate on that headset.

Or go online and order a generic tool like this: https://www.amazon.com/Gardner-Bende...234533&sr=8-32
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Old 03-08-21, 03:26 PM
  #80  
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Originally Posted by mattsl
Apologies for re-animating this zombie thread once more, but I made a serendipitous discovery of an inexpensive tool that fits. I found this thread after encountering a similar headset with the three notches on an 80's Univega. Thought this might help others who end up here via search.

My other hobby, homebrewing, came to the rescue. By my kegerator, I found my keg faucet wrench, used for attaching keg faucets to threaded shanks, like so



Turns out, this wrench is the right size to fit the notches in the headset:



You can google it as a "keg faucet wrench" or "keg spanner wrench." Mine cost $4 at the local homebrew store.
This is one of those times when one can be excused for resurrecting a zombie thread when useful info is added. Besides, reading through was entertaining.
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Old 03-10-21, 12:27 AM
  #81  
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Enjoyed the thread very much and learned something. FWIW, unless I could have found the right tool locally, same day, I would have just taken a hammer and a drift / punch to it. Probably first tightened the adjustable cup to loosen the "problem" lock ring above it. Have used both of those techniques many times in my life.

As for the resurrection, absolutely worth while seeing a brewing tool put to good use.
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Old 03-10-21, 04:31 AM
  #82  
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Originally Posted by redtires
This is just an older style headset, that I THINK was made by Tange. That lockring with the three notches is exactly that, a lockring. It's threaded on to the steerer tube, not slid on like a "normal" spacer. The proper tool would most likely be extremely difficult to track down, but you should be able to use a lockring wrench that is made for a BB lockring.
If you use a BB lockring tool you'll need to use a screwdriver or something to space the tool out so it doesn't pop out of the notch.

I think I read on here years back an AR-15 rifle wrench works, and you can pick em up for $5.

Lol, just noticed the mad zombie factor

Last edited by Kimmo; 03-10-21 at 06:12 AM.
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Old 03-14-21, 06:45 PM
  #83  
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Originally Posted by mattsl
Apologies for re-animating this zombie thread once more, but I made a serendipitous discovery of an inexpensive tool that fits. I found this thread after encountering a similar headset with the three notches on an 80's Univega. Thought this might help others who end up here via search.

My other hobby, homebrewing, came to the rescue. By my kegerator, I found my keg faucet wrench, used for attaching keg faucets to threaded shanks, like so



Turns out, this wrench is the right size to fit the notches in the headset:



You can google it as a "keg faucet wrench" or "keg spanner wrench." Mine cost $4 at the local homebrew store.
very cool discovery. And I've got a brewing supply store right down the street. Definitely a more elegant solution that my modded/filed pliers.
Btw, in post #74, I asked if these headsets can be made to work well. Mine did, and the overhaul has been very solid for years now.
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Old 05-25-21, 04:46 PM
  #84  
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I recently went and broke the very same type of notched lockring on the headset of my kid's Bianchi - can anyone here point me to a source for such a part, or even a replacement headset? I've found some options online but would appreciate some knowledgable input before I spend the $$. Otherwise I'll have to try to scavenge for a whole bike, LOL! Thanks!
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Old 05-25-21, 05:02 PM
  #85  
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Amazing!

I had this exact question a few months back when I was trying to service the headset on my c. 1985 (I think) Miyata 310 and was pointed to the tool illustrated above with the lock ring spanner tooth on a hinge.

It's an old fashioned tool but I actually bought one on ebay and It got shipped from Holland.

Here's the link to the previous thead on this:

https://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-m...lock-ring.html

And good luck with your 310. I think it's a great vintage bike.
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Old 05-25-21, 05:10 PM
  #86  
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Originally Posted by moxfyre
I dunno if anyone's suggested this already, but there's a somewhat ghetto way to deal with notched lockrings: works for headset, bottom bracket, and track lockrings.

* Take an OLD flathead screwdriver and stick it into one of the notches at an angle
* Take a rubber mallet and tap on the end of the screw driver to tighten/loosen the lockring (I wouldn't use a hammer)

It works well enough but if you work on a lot of old bikes I recommend the Park combo wrench for these notched lockrings.
It helps if you switch among the three notches, start with one, knock a bit, insert the screwdriver into the next notch and knock. Any hammer is fine, as long as you have some mechanical feeling for the job. But if you don't want to nick the ring at all, look around for old wrenches. To tighten the nut, also use one notch till almost tight and switch to second and third notch to finish the tightening.

Not sure how it is these days but in older days, new bikes came with basic tools in a pouch (often even in a small leather bag attached under the bike saddle) and one of those was a flat multi-nut wrench (nut holes of various sizes stamped into a flat wrench material) and the outer edges of this wrench were scooped out with a nob that would fit the nut cut out (like the one in OP pic). However it is probably much simpler to buy the Park tool as suggested here in the quote.

Last edited by vane171; 05-25-21 at 05:15 PM.
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Old 05-26-21, 06:24 AM
  #87  
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Ice Toolz also currently makes a wrench for notched headsets, less expensive than Hozan, Park etc.
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Old 10-04-21, 07:12 AM
  #88  
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Wish I had found this thread a week ago. Just encountered one of these on a Tange Falcon headset on a Nishiki. The locknut was on gorilla tight and had to escalate through a few of the ideas in this thread that failed. A 3 day soak in Kroil and a torch failed. Park bottom bracket wrench too big. Hammer and screwdriver failed even with a BFH. My other hobby is wrenching on rifles so tried some specialty tools- the AR15 stock wrench repeated on this thread was too big. The one that fit was an M-14 Flash Hider Pliers- usually about $12 if you look around. Unfortunately for me, mine was too stuck despite the grip of this pliers, couldnt get leverage enough. Finally had to use giant channel lock pliers and mangle the nut.

Is there a source for a replacement locknut such as this? Its a gorgeous headset I would like to reuse otherwise.

Anyway- here are the M14 pliers- hopefully saves someone the trouble of using the AR stock wrench.

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Old 10-04-21, 08:44 PM
  #89  
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I don't mind resurrecting an old threat as long as it's useful.

Personally, I wouldn't have a headset like this in my stable. There are much better solutions. (Cough! Campy Record. Cough!) But I've come across headsets like this on a bike I was overhauling. And I didn't have a "proper" tool. But I've always found something that worked -- usually some sort of combination between a screwdriver, rag and a bottom bracket spanner.
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Old 10-19-21, 07:29 AM
  #90  
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Thank you mattsl! This worked amazingly for my old Velo Sport!
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Old 10-20-21, 05:53 PM
  #91  
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I've just thrown away the spanner lock ring and used the top nut to lock it down, Same as on 1/2 the headsets on Earth.
Done it on three bikes with no problems ever. The lock ring makes the top nut decoration.
I dont know how they could call it a high performance or high end headset design.
Heavy, and superfluous parts.

Last edited by macstuff; 10-20-21 at 05:58 PM.
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