I cut my own Steerer tube...
#1
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I cut my own Steerer tube...
Yesterday, while staying home with a sick kid, I took the nap time opportunity to cut down my carbon steerer all by myself with a hack saw. Now I don't have a giant chest-impaler sticking up over my stem.
I believe I did a decent job, wore gloves and a mask, and cleaned up the cut with a file and sandpaper.
I put everything back together, and it all seems fine...bit if I never post here again, it's probably because I messed something up, and my steerer asploded on some steep descent...
That's all.. :-)
I believe I did a decent job, wore gloves and a mask, and cleaned up the cut with a file and sandpaper.
I put everything back together, and it all seems fine...bit if I never post here again, it's probably because I messed something up, and my steerer asploded on some steep descent...
That's all.. :-)
#2
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Yesterday, while staying home with a sick kid, I took the nap time opportunity to cut down my carbon steerer all by myself with a hack saw. Now I don't have a giant chest-impaler sticking up over my stem.
I believe I did a decent job, wore gloves and a mask, and cleaned up the cut with a file and sandpaper.
I put everything back together, and it all seems fine...bit if I never post here again, it's probably because I messed something up, and my steerer asploded on some steep descent...
That's all.. :-)
I believe I did a decent job, wore gloves and a mask, and cleaned up the cut with a file and sandpaper.
I put everything back together, and it all seems fine...bit if I never post here again, it's probably because I messed something up, and my steerer asploded on some steep descent...
That's all.. :-)
(Someday, obviously. Probably not from this, though.)
#6
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I overcut my kids 1st carbon steer tube and had to look hard for low profile headset for it. Now my wife rides that bike. She likes putting he hands on the forearm rests so it worked out OK. I left mine with 2 cm of material. I was glad I did as I just raised the bars about 1 cm to get more aero and glad that was there. So now about 1cm sticking out the top - which is what I aim for on all the bikes now.
#7
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You could've done this so much easier with this $15 (with discount) tool: Nashbar - Welcome!
#8
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Kudos for your accomplishment. But seriously, why would this even be remarkable. It is one of the easiest tasks you will ever undertake with the bike. I always do mine. I only say this to encourage folks to not be afraid of this really simple job.
#9
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True, as with other jobs, once you do it, you realize it's not a big deal...I used to feel the same way about truing wheels, greeting hubs, running cables/housing, etc...it sounded intimidating until I tried it. This was new to me, and I still don't feel like I understand the uniqueness of carbon, but it seemed straightforward enough.
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If you mess up you may have ruined your fork, and that's definitively nerve racking. So it may be an easy job, a no-brainer in fact, but the first time you do it yourself is a water divider.
#11
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You could've done this so much easier with this $15 (with discount) tool: Nashbar - Welcome!
:-)
Actually, I realize this is a skill that takes practice, but my other hobby is woodworking, and I've been cutting dovetail joints by hand for a few years now, so I'm comfortable sawing without a guide.
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How do you get "so much easier" than marking a line and cutting it?
:-)
Actually, I realize this is a skill that takes practice, but my other hobby is woodworking, and I've been cutting dovetail joints by hand for a few years now, so I'm comfortable sawing without a guide.
:-)
Actually, I realize this is a skill that takes practice, but my other hobby is woodworking, and I've been cutting dovetail joints by hand for a few years now, so I'm comfortable sawing without a guide.
#13
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Depending upon how anal retentive one is, a guide isn't really all that important for two reasons. First the cut surface doesn't support any stress; it has to clear the screw-on top cap so that pre-load can be applied to the bearings. Second, the cut surface is completely hidden, so aesthetics aren't an issue...unless you are Superman or just incredibly obsessive-compulsive. Sure a nice, straight, even cut is better than a crappy, wavy one, but it really doesn't make a whole lot of difference as long as the irregularities aren't comparable in size to the required clearance between the steerer and the cap.
#14
You could've done this so much easier with this $15 (with discount) tool: Nashbar - Welcome!
(I personally have a couple 1 1/4collars. can stack rubber bands under them to get them to clamp enough to guide a hacksaw.)
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Sure, I don't disagree. BTW though, the cut is hidden no matter whether you use spacers or not. By design the top of the steerer must be lower (inside) than the top of the closed column defined either by the stem opening or the spacers.
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Well it should if you have CF steerer. You don't want to use a star nut on a CF steerer.
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not exactly text book, but I just use an old spacer. Set the bike up with the stem the height I want it, remove a spacer beneath the stem, replace that with an old spacer of the same height above the stem, plus a 2.5mm to 5mm spacer if you're going to run that height spacer above the stem, and cut against the old spacer as a template.
Comes out the length you want and you don't even have to take the fork off the bike.
Comes out the length you want and you don't even have to take the fork off the bike.
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You could fall off a cliff and die.
You could get lost and die.
You could hit a tree and die.
OR YOU COULD STAY HOME AND FALL OFF THE COUCH AND DIE.
You could fall off a cliff and die.
You could get lost and die.
You could hit a tree and die.
OR YOU COULD STAY HOME AND FALL OFF THE COUCH AND DIE.
#18
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not exactly text book, but I just use an old spacer. Set the bike up with the stem the height I want it, remove a spacer beneath the stem, replace that with an old spacer of the same height above the stem, plus a 2.5mm to 5mm spacer if you're going to run that height spacer above the stem, and cut against the old spacer as a template.
Comes out the length you want and you don't even have to take the fork off the bike.
Comes out the length you want and you don't even have to take the fork off the bike.
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#21
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1. It is a Carbon Steerer. So no star nut, just a compression plug...easy to work with.
2. Also, I DID cut it without removing it from the bike. I taped an old t-shirt around below the cut to shield the headset and rest of the bike from fall-out. I also plugged the steerer with a wad of sticky-side-out tape to catch what fell into the steerer. It worked well. I vacuumed up the debris, including inside the steerer, wiped it all down, and removed the tape wad.
3. Here's a pic. It's not completely slammed, but looks much better than it did before (I cut off about 1.5 inches).
cut steerer.jpg
2. Also, I DID cut it without removing it from the bike. I taped an old t-shirt around below the cut to shield the headset and rest of the bike from fall-out. I also plugged the steerer with a wad of sticky-side-out tape to catch what fell into the steerer. It worked well. I vacuumed up the debris, including inside the steerer, wiped it all down, and removed the tape wad.
3. Here's a pic. It's not completely slammed, but looks much better than it did before (I cut off about 1.5 inches).
cut steerer.jpg
#24
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This is why Paula Dean is always all "Steel is Real!!!" - she can't ride carbon, too much butter dripping on the top tube and the next thing you know, it assplodes.
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I've done that with steel tubes, back in the day.
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