# Klein MC2 Headset/Fork removal issues



## Adodero (Jul 16, 2009)

I bought a '96 Klein Attitude a few months ago with the fact in mind I'd be replacing basically everything but the frame. This is fine except that the headset and BB require reducers in order to fit modern parts. 

My issue is specifically with the headset, in that, we can't get the old one off. I bought the Reset Racing headset that reduces the size steerer tube the frame can take, so I'm good on that front, but we obviously can't get it on if we can't get the old one off. 

My local bike shop has hammered it with a mallet and a normal hammer, it didn't budge. They apparently put a fair amount of force into it with no luck. They called Trek and spoke to 2 techs, neither of which had any experience on the 10+ yr old frame. He's gonna spray some thing inside to loosen the loctite, but he didn't sound too hopeful it would work. I'm at somewhat of a dead end here, the only other recommendation I had was to soak it in Coke and hope it eats away whatever is holding the bearings in, but I risk damaging the otherwise great paint. 

The bike shop said they were concerned it was corrosion, however it left us both a bit mystified as there is no other corrosion anywhere on the bike that we know of. 

Like I said, the frame is a 1996 and uses the MC2 style which is press-in

I know from other posts a few folks here have experience with the older Kleins, so I wanted to reach out and see what kind of advice you could offer. I'm at risk of having to basically put away a $250+ headset or buy a new frame as a result of this, so any advice is much appreciated. 

I've also emailed the company I bought my first Klein from 12 years ago


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## jcrew94123 (Aug 6, 2009)

Here's a copy of the Klein technical manual that covers bikes up to 1996 including the MC2 setup. The section on fork/bearing replacement makes reference to using the Klein headset tools but I'm sure your bike shop can improvise with something else once they see the pics and read the directions in this manual. You might also checkout the Sheldon Brown website - I remember a section that included several techniques on removing a stuck seatpost. Maybe one of those techniques could help you with your fork removal.


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## Adodero (Jul 16, 2009)

yea, the general consensus from folks I've talked too is that the loctite is still holding tight. 

Reset Racing recommended heating the head tube to 50c with an airgun, then using a 3.2lb hammer and a block of wood to knock it out. They have far more experience with this type of thing than most folks I've asked do, so I suppose that will work, but I risk killing the paint on the headtube. I'm gonna hold off and see how things went with soaking it last night.


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## s4gobabygo (Sep 1, 2008)

agreed. a hot hairdryer on the headtube for a few minutes (keeping the headset cups as cool as possible) combined with a few hard whacks with a heavy hammer should get it out. make sure the frame is evenly supported and clamped near the headtube to reduce movement of the frame while hammering (which wastes impact energy). i've never seen a headset still have trouble coming out after taking those steps, so i'll cross my fingers for you. 

another thing to try would be to use a strong flathead screwdriver to hammer the headset out instead of the standard tool. the standard tool spreads the impact of the hammer over the entire circumference of the headset, but a screwdriver will focus the hammer blow on one specifc area. it won't come out straight this way, so only use this method to try to get it started. it'll also likely ruin your headset (doesnt sound like you care about this), and if you push the headset to too much of an angle (from not coming out straight), you could potentially damage/ovalize the steerer tube, so this is only a last resort, and should only be used to try to break the headset free, not remove it completely.


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## First Flight (Jan 25, 2004)

We have a couple extra Mission Control tool kits @ https://www.mombat.org/MOMBAT/PartsForSalePages/forks.html


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## pinguwin (Aug 20, 2004)

I have talked to the loctite folks about this issue in the past and have bad news about this. Red loctite is designed to be extremely strong and resistant to environmental effects. It is quite impervious to most chemicals, by design, so the usual things in a bike shop are unlikely to help. According to them, the amount of heat required to loosen it will damage the paint, again by design. I am not saying heat won't help at all, just that red Loctite is a tough product.

Don't worry about trying to save the headset, you should replace the bearings whenever you remove them and not reuse them.

Maybe Carsten can chime in on this one.


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## muddybuddy (Jan 31, 2007)

pinguwin said:


> Maybe Carsten can chime in on this one.


Probably not going to happen.

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=544216&highlight=carsten


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## pinguwin (Aug 20, 2004)

Here is something a friend wrote about this thread.

on the bearings, they can be pounded out but he'll need a perfectly fitting adapter. the loctite will break but it takes some force and the bearing is shot afterwards.

first he needs to determine if the upper bearing is pressed in from the top or from the bottom of the head tube. i'd guess from the bottom so it needs to be pounded out towards the bottom. better it is to use the tool. the one firstflight sells is good for the adapters but doesnt have a press i.e. a hammer is needed.

instructions how to use that tool are in the 2001 tech manual

http://www.kleinjapan.com/tech_guide/2001_klein_tech_manual.pdf​


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## Adodero (Jul 16, 2009)

Success!!

Don't ask what it took, it'll make you cry. I basically had to put a LOT of heat on it, but I heard the loctite crack when I had put enough heat onto it. After that, 2 hits of the hammer and it slid right out. 

The toolkit from first flight helped and will make installing the new headset easier, but it wasn't necessary (sorry guys). 

I basically hit the thing for 30 minutes at least with a 3lb hammer and it wouldn't budge, so heat was the only way it was going to work.


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## pinguwin (Aug 20, 2004)

Just curious how did you heat it up, how long, and did it damage the paint? I wasn't sure if heating it would make it difference or not, what I was actually saying that according to Loctite, to break the bond only with heat would damage the paint.


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## Adodero (Jul 16, 2009)

pinguwin said:


> Just curious how did you heat it up, how long, and did it damage the paint? I wasn't sure if heating it would make it difference or not, what I was actually saying that according to Loctite, to break the bond only with heat would damage the paint.


While it sickens me to admit this, I had to take a blow torch to the front of the tube for about 30-45 seconds from a distance. Due to a previous removal mishap and failure of everything else, I had no other option and I had to go with my last resort. The steerer tube of the old fork had been cut too short during removal attempts and was fairly beaten up, so i had to choose between potentially damaging the frame or never being able to ride it again period.

The paint wasn't damaged at all. The cable rub protectors were a little burnt, but other than that the head tube remains completely intact. I was able to hold my hand against the head tube without getting burned at all, so to be honest it wasn't that hot. My only concern is that the amount of heat I applied weakened the aluminum and made it brittle, but only time will tell if that was the case.

As a side note, I'm not entirely sure it was red loctite. That was a guess based on the amount of effort we put into removing it. When the bearings broke free, there wasn't much of anything inside the tube remaining. I scrubbed it out and found very little remaining loctite though.

Pressing in the Reset headset was easy (that part I can def. thank First Flight for) and it is curing right now. Given the very little effort it took to press in the new headset, I have no clue why it was so difficult to get off.


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