[robertg]

I was replacing my Duke with a Vanilla R. I removed the crown race from the Duke and then tried putting it on the Vanilla, but it just fits right on the Vanilla. It makes contact all the way around but it is not snug. I can install and remove by hand. What could be the problem. The Duke was the stock fork that came on the bike and the headset is stock as well. I got the Vanilla off of Ebay, and it is an OEM model that has was removed before use. Does anyone know what could be up? Thanks for any responses.

 

[nnn]

The duke's steerer may have been thicker than the Vanilla so the crown race has been 'streched' out over time and is now just a fraction too wide which makes all the difference. Try another crown race if you can.

 

[robertg]

You are right, and that is what happened. Both steeres were within the accepted diamatere specs, the RS being on the larger side and the Fox on the smaller side. So, the crown race got strecthed out a bit too much to fit on the vanilla, by just a hair. So, the mechanic had another race that worked.

The duke's steerer may have been thicker than the Vanilla so the crown race has been 'streched' out over time and is now just a fraction too wide which makes all the difference. Try another crown race if you can.