|   Should I install my new fork myself? | Calpolyclimber
Nov 25, 2003 9:04 AM | | I just got my new fork, and I am trying to decide if I want to install it myself or have it done for $15... If I do it myself, am I going to need to buy a new star fangled nut for my headset (Aheadset)? If not, how do I get the old nut out without screwing it up? Also, do any of you know a good site with some pictured or tips on installing a fork? Thanks
~Alex |
| re: Should I install my new fork myself? | Yeti_Rider
Nov 25, 2003 9:17 AM | | It's not hard, but it does require a few tools to make the job easier.
yes, you need a new star fangled nut. But, they're dirt cheap. it's not worth trying to get the old one out so just get a new one.
You need to cut the steerer tube to the correct length. This is best done with a pipe cutter but a hacksaw or Dremel with a cut off wheel will work fine too. Just put a chamfer on the edge after you cut it to make stem intallation just a touch easier.
There is a special tool to install the star fangled nut which makes sure that it is pressed in straight. You don't need it, but it does make life easier. You can set the nut with a variety of other tools that are in the toolbox just make sure you use something that will make sure it goes in straight.
The only other hard part is taking the headset race off the old fork and putting it on the new fork. You need to remove it carefully so you don't damage it. If you have access to a piece of brass rod to use as a punch use it since the brass is softer than the race and the brass will yield first. But, if you don't have a piece of brass, just be really careful and use a scredriver and a hammer to push it off the steerer tube. It's pressed on so just work slowly around using light taps. Just put the old fork upside down so the sterrer is on something solid like the garage floor and take your time.
Pressing the race onto the new fork can also be kind of tedious without the correct tools but it can be done. just be careful. I've used a piece of PVC pipe before to seat it with some success but I prefer to use the real tools if I can (I have a buddy who used to run a shop so he's got all the special tools).
Having said that, if it's only 15 bucks to get it installed, I'd just do that. It's a very reasonable price and if you don't have all the right tools the penalty for failure may end up costing more than 15 bucks. I always advocate doing your own work but sometimes it just doens't make sense to. |
| Here............ | Mike T.
Nov 25, 2003 9:59 AM | | .....a work buddy who knew squat read my FAQ and fitted his first fork no problem. |
| If you have to ask, you shouldn't do it. $15 is way cheaper... | msylvan
Nov 25, 2003 10:42 AM | | ...than a new fork because you:
a. cut the steer tube too short.
b. install the star nut incorrectly and damage your fork or frame.
c. install the race incorrectly and damage your fork or frame.
It's also not worth getting hurt for $15.
With the proper tools installing a fork is a cinch, but without them you really need to know what you are doing.
I highly recommend you spend the $15. |
| This isn't rocket science, don't listen to the naysayers... | Locoman
Nov 25, 2003 6:26 PM | | The secret is this...
"Measure twice, cut once."
And asking is how you learn. Just because he hasn't done this before doesn't mean that he can't do it. People aren't born with exclusive knowledge on how to get things done, they ask and learn. That's what these discussion pages are for.
And maybe this is a stupid question that proves your point somehow, but how is installing a star nut incorrectly going to damage your frame? What's "incorrecly" mean? Not getting the bolt to thread into the nut because it's too far down? ...You can always put in another one. |
| You make a valid point, but if the starnut... | msylvan
Nov 26, 2003 11:35 AM | | is installed at an angle it can come loose. If it comes loose it allows for the possiblity of the fork coming loose, and the fork coming loose can ovalize the frame. I know that if the stem is properly tightened this is not likely to happen, the point is that it could happen.
Safety is the real issue here. I learned to do this because somebody showed me in person, and I use the proper tools to do so. This isn't like adjusting a derailleur. The consequences of doing it incorrectly are far more likely to result in an injury. |
| Starnut doesn't hold the fork together... | crashaholic
Nov 26, 2003 1:31 PM | | Tighten yes, but the stem bolts are what keeps it all together, no? If you can tighten the starfangled nut so that it cinches it all together, tighten the stem bolts, you could, if you wanted, remove the starfangled nut. |
| Starnut doesn't hold the fork together... | corym
Nov 26, 2003 2:25 PM | | Yeah, he's right. The starnut's pupose is to set and adjust the preload on your headset bearings, the stem bolts holt it together. |
| Exactamundo! | Fonzi
Nov 26, 2003 2:29 PM | | If it (star nut) holds enough to hold everything together so that the stem bolts can be tightened, that's all it (star nut) needs to do.
So the only bad thing that can happen would be cutting the str. tube too short, so measure twice & cut once. |
| I know this, my point was... | msylvan
Nov 26, 2003 2:56 PM | | ...that the starnut will make sure the fork is initially installed correctly. If it is not, the fork will move around and possibly ovalize the frame. Also, in the unlikely event the stem is not tightened properly, a starnut will at least help keep the fork on the bike. One less thing to pierce your body as you are falling.
The point still remains that a fork installation is not the place to risk a not-proper installation. |
| Sorry, your point is wrong ... | Philber
Nov 27, 2003 7:41 AM | | The starnut does not make sure the fork is installed correctly. Nor does it help keep the fork on the bike. The starnut is just a temporary stay while the stem bolts are tightened on the steerer.
Fork installation is not very difficult. You're making it sound much trickier than it is. I have installed every headset and fork that I've ever installed using a block of wood and a hammer. I have never had a problem. So it can't be that tough. |
| get to work! | corym
Nov 25, 2003 10:44 AM | | Isn't the Cal Poly motto "Learn by Doing"?!!!
By the way if your name refers to CP SLO (not pomona) you should check out the bike room in the craft center, there should be plenty of bike specific tools in there... |
| Ask those who have cut their steer tube too short... | Damion
Nov 25, 2003 2:03 PM | | if the $savings was worth it in the long run. I do all of my own work, but have the tools and the training to do so. Pay the $15.00. That is very reasonable, and the shop will cut the steer to the right length. Sometimes, paying a good shop is well worth it. |
| Let's assume he has a brain and in interest in doing it himself | Philber
Nov 26, 2003 8:35 AM | | Then he should do it himself. Installing a new fork is hardly brain surgery, and if the 16 year old kid in the LBS can do it, I'm pretty sure any of us can do it. If you study the instructions (Mike T.'s FAQ, Park Tools Website, Yeti Rider's post above), and measure twice and cut once, you have very little chance of screwing it up. And if something isn't going in straight, it's pretty darn easy to see it and correct it before you do any damage.
Anyways, what makes you think the 16 year old kid at the LBS isn't going to cut the steerer too short? One of the reasons I do all my own work is because I can spend 2 hours installing a new fork. The guy at the LBS can't, so he's much more likely than me to rush the job and screw it up.
Do it yourself. Learn. Be confident in your abilities. Be proud of your accomplishments. |
| re: Should I install my new fork myself? | DiRt DeViL
Nov 25, 2003 3:16 PM | | I would say "do it yourself" but if you're asking that means that you don't feel confortable doing it yourself. Take it to the LBS and watch them do it, this way at least you'll have an idea on how to do it the next time and buy the tools little by little.
I do most of the work on my bike and in order to avoid cutting the steerer tube too short I install the fork and add a couple of spacers in order to have enough room. Then I'll mark the tube and proceed to cut with a dremel.
For the race, it's easier to buy a new one if available. If not a piece of pvc tube works marvels installing fork races.
For the star nut, try a deep socket and a hammer, to give the finishing touch screw the bolt about 1/4" in and adjust as needed by lightly hammering the bolt head. This practice can damage the bolt and star nut if too much force is used. |
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