[CDtofer]

Have a question for the knowledgeable types here. what is the best way to get the fork crown race off the fork? Can it be reused? I will buy a new one anyways but thought I could keep the old one as a back-up in case I want to switch forks down the road.

Also some random musings:
Exactly two years ago almost every big online retailer gave away a free King HS with the purchase of any fox fork. You could buy one from Jenson for $89 bucks. MSRP was $99, now two years later MSRP is $139 (a 40% increase)

They do seem to last forever though. I just had one pulled off an old bike (4 years old) and the damn thing looks brand new, bearings spin free as the day it was bought. Gotta like that. To bad I will never buy another one unless I find somebody unloading at a good price. Very happy I already own one so I have it to put on the new Burner next week.

It would not be a proper post without pics so, heres a couple.

 

[k1creeker]

Yes it can be removed and re-used. I suggest bringing the fork to a shop, it'll take em 2 minutes with the right tools. Pressing headsets and removing non-split races are all I use the shop for these days.

 

[cactuscorn]

Yes it can be removed and re-used. I suggest bringing the fork to a shop, it'll take em 2 minutes with the right tools.

word. let em put it on the new fork while yer at it. $5 tops.

 

[CDtofer]

Thats what I thought you would say....

Problem is, buildup is a little more complicated. It will have to be two different shops. Reason is fork is going to be about 4500 miles from the shop where the bike will be built up. So this necessitates another trip to a shop here in Prague, fork in hand. (No car in Praha)
Oh well, Ill do it later after the Burner is built up all nice like and then broken down, carefully packed and flown the 4500 miles back here after the holidays.

Oh and just in case you need to find the difference between two cities, heres a link:

City Distance tool

Damn, what did we all do before Google??? Find anything you need in under 30 seconds flat.

 

[cactuscorn]

ok cd but dont tell anyone i told ya this. see that relief in the fork crown? got a wide blade screwdriver and a small hammer? little by little my friend and be sure to keep rotating around the race so ya dont bugger it or the steerer up. reinstall much the same way. now remember this is our little secret. shhhhhhhhhhhh!

 

[jjcarr]

Have a question for the knowledgeable types here. what is the best way to get the fork crown race off the fork? Can it be reused? I will buy a new one anyways but thought I could keep the old one as a back-up in case I want to switch forks down the road.

The King race is steel and very tough. I have removed mine and reused it countless times. I just bang it off with a flathead screwdriver and a hammer. Yeah, it marks it up a little, but doesn't hurt it at all. Just don't put dings on the face that contacts the bearings. To reinstall I do the same thing but use a piece of wood between the hammer and race to make sure it dosn't get dinged.

PS: I think my first King HS was about 8-9 years old when I sold it and still worked great.

 

[string]

Funny,

Thats how the shop closest to my house does it....just one of the many reasons I learned to work on my own bike. I figure the screw drivers in my garage are just as good as theirs.

The right tools make all the difference, however sometimes you can do an awful lot with a screw driver, some duct tape, and a 2x4.

 

[cactuscorn]

Yeah, it marks it up a little, but doesn't hurt it at all.

oh contrare! i too removed and replaced my original king race this way more times than i care to remember and pretty much ruined the id where it meets the steerer. ya gotta be careful and even then theres only so many times you can do it without hosein the thing up proper like. i acctually still used it on a old h/set but it did spin a bit atop the crown if i grabbed and turned. good thing its now retired.

 

[CDtofer]

Dont worry Cactus

ok cd but dont tell anyone i told ya this. see that relief in the fork crown? got a wide blade screwdriver and a small hammer? little by little my friend and be sure to keep rotating around the race so ya dont bugger it or the steerer up. reinstall much the same way. now remember this is our little secret. shhhhhhhhhhhh!

I wont tell anybody I figured that was what the groove was for but after shovin a screwdriver in there all I did was scratch the fork, before I even touched it with the hammer. I think I will let someone else do it, I dont want to F*ck up the fork. (Going on a SS that I want to commute on)

Besides here at a bike shop it will probably cost 2 bucks or less. Got the headset removed today for $4....

Thanks for all the answers...

 

[cactuscorn]

the idea is to knock the race, not pry it off. give it one more try pal. it works with minimal markin of the crown if any at all.

 

[string]

A little tape on and around the end of the screw driver does not hurt either...kinda keeps the scratches down if you do it right.

Come to think of it...I should be removing I king race Christmas day based on the shape of the box under the tree.

 

[PSI]

race crown

i use the homemade solutions too. tap it off gently with a screwdriver. press it on the the new fork with a pipe thats a little wider than the steerer. ive done a few times - no problem.

 

[MK_]

Same. Screwdiver plus hammer, tap at the groove at the front of the fork, spin around, tap at the groove on the back side of the fork. Back and forth until it slides off. Then take a piece of PVC piping and bang the race on the new fork. If you don't quite get it all the way to the bottom, no sweat, you can press it on by tightening the bolt that goes into the starnut, once the fork is on the bike. Once you get it tight, loosen it up a bit, clamp the stem and you're done.

_MK

 

[cactuscorn]

pvc huh? cheaper and lighter in the tool box than steel pipe and ill bet less prone to damaging the parts. though enough for the job? didnt figure it was but ive never tried it. think i might if you say it is.

 

[MK_]

pvc huh? cheaper and lighter in the tool box than steel pipe and ill bet less prone to damaging the parts. though enough for the job? didnt figure it was but ive never tried it. think i might if you say it is.

Works great. It does get a little worn after a few installations, but still bangs great. The piece I am using has a nice flange on one side, for increased banging surface. $1.37 at a hardware store, can't beat that.

_MK

 

[cactuscorn]

cool mk. thanx a ton. a guy could always use a pipe that bangs great. ill get one and keep it as a spare or just use it for crown races as my other one always gets damaged when i use it for that and boy does that piss off the girlfriend!

 

[MK_]

cool mk. thanx a ton. a guy could always use a pipe that bangs great. ill get one and keep it as a spare or just use it for crown races as my other one always gets damaged when i use it for that and boy does that piss off the girlfriend!

. I hear ya.

_MK

 

[Robbz]

exactly, I use PVC pipe to reinstall, works really well.

 

[IdahoBiker]

PVC works great for removing the cups out of the head tube as well, I just did that this morning.

 

[jjcarr]

BTW, when you install the race is must be completely flat against the crown. I check this my looking at it sideways, look for any sign of light between the race and crown. Using the PVC tube helps simplify matters greatly.