# Proper way to remove crown race using hammer and screwdriver?



## djork (Nov 8, 2004)

Number of gentle taps or a couple of hard whacks? Reason I ask is that I just took my fork in to the LBS to swap out the race. I watched the shop guy mount my fork upside down by the steerer tube and then with a hammer gave a good whack at the screwdriver then did a couple more on another side until the race loosened. When I got the old race back, I noticed three gouges where the scredriver tip had been. And because it's aluminum it got slightly bent so that it doesn't sit flat now. On top of that, the guy put two tiny nicks on the steeerer tube near the crown.

Some questions. Will the aluminum race be seated flat once it gets pressed on to a new fork?

Are nicks on the steerer tube abny concern?

I thought bike shops used special tools to remove races?


----------



## wesMAmyke (Nov 12, 2005)

Most shops now have a crown race puller. It won't damage the fork when used but it is still possible to bend an aluminum crown race with it. It's usually a good idea to replace the race if it's damaged, unless it's old/vintage and not replaceable.

If the nicks in the crown or steerer tube seem mostly cosmetic I would just gently run a file over them to smooth them out.

So...yeah, sounds like he could have been using a better tool and/or been more careful. However that's how everybody removed them till a few years ago when the crown race pullers became common.


----------



## Bikinfoolferlife (Feb 3, 2004)

Didn't need the bike shop guy to do that for you, eh? Not all bike shops invest in the puller. Personally I do my own and use a putty knife, as it has a thinner wider blade than a screw driver to make it easier. Gentle tapping usually doesn't get you too far with either the screw driver or the putty knife if the race is tightly seated.


----------



## reptilezs (Aug 20, 2007)

djork said:


> I thought bike shops used special tools to remove races?


good and well equipped shops do. did you tell them you wanted to reuse it?


----------



## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

a normal sharp knife works too. i think the key is having that wide flat surface to get under the race. a screwdriver just gouges up your fork crown.

the majority of bike shops are far from being experts or the authority on bike repair.


----------



## djork (Nov 8, 2004)

Well, I went back to the shop and brought back the aluminum race to get opinion from the guy who did the race swap. I hate having to do this because I don't want to seem rude or what not. Anyway, the guy said there wasn't much he could do in terms of preventing the race from bending since it's aluminum. I asked if it would seat flat once installed on a new fork. He said yes and could do that for me, but I don't plan to install it to a fork anytime soon. 

I also asked about nicks or scratches on the steerer tube. He said none of the steerer tube surface touches the head tube or headset, so blemishes on the steerer should be of no concern.

Reptiles, I should have said that I plan to reuse it since it basically came from a newish headset (FSA Orbit XL II). I didn't because I thought shops were supposed to remove tyhe race in working condition regardless if they know you plan to reuse it or not.

I know I probably couldn't do any better--probably even mangle my fork--but I thought shops would either use some specialized tool or at least be careful. I hate seeing any of my parts being hammered or banged on.


----------



## reptilezs (Aug 20, 2007)

ill equipped shop or cheap owners/workers(i provide my own tools as a bike mechanic but the shop/store provides the crown race puller. headest press etc). the marks on the fork could be stress risers


----------



## SwampDonkeyDisco (Mar 3, 2010)

I do my own work for that very reason.....in my experience, mechanics handle their own bikes with much greater care than with the customer's bikes.


----------



## highdelll (Oct 3, 2008)

SwampDonkeyDisco said:


> I do my own work for that very reason.....*in my experience, mechanics handle their own bikes with much greater care than with the customer's bikes.*


enlightening


----------



## reptilezs (Aug 20, 2007)

SwampDonkeyDisco said:


> I do my own work for that very reason.....in my experience, mechanics handle their own bikes with much greater care than with the customer's bikes.


as a mechanic i only perform the work that the customer pays for. derailleur tune but the hanger is bent? i have to do the best i can without fixing the hanger. yes we can call the customer and tack it on to the bill but that is just an example. as far as a hack/idiot mechanics thats where you need to find a good shop that does quality work


----------



## bad mechanic (Jun 21, 2006)

You bike shop damaged the crown race and damaged your fork. When the removal is properly done, neither should be damaged. Taking it off using a screwdriver and hammer is the hack way to do it. Do not use that shop again.

In my experience, a bent crown race will not sit flat after installation. Just go ahead and get a new one. So far as the fork goes, the damage to the crown isn't much to worry about, but I would be slightly worried about the damage to the steerer depending on how deep the nicks are.


----------



## wyrm (Jan 19, 2004)

Just throwing this out there... I've seen alloy FSA and CaneCreek races bend when being removed with the proper tool (not a driver and hammer). I have also seen some races that were so small that to get a proper tool under it was not possible... ie: crank brother's. In both cases damage was inevitable. Personally I would damage the race before the fork. Races are slightly cheaper to replace than a fork. I have yet to find a headset that was not disposable in the case that finding a new race was not possible... at least gives you a great excuse to go new.


----------



## djork (Nov 8, 2004)

> In my experience, a bent crown race will not sit flat after installation. Just go ahead and get a new one. So far as the fork goes, the damage to the crown isn't much to worry about, but I would be slightly worried about the damage to the steerer depending on how deep the nicks are.


Bad mechanic, so the guy was BSing me when he told me it would seat flat again once it gets pressed onto a new fork? Even if it will, I plan to get a new race. Should I ask the shop to pay for a new one? I'm just more concerned about how available a new race is. Seems it's difficult to get a race separately. The headset I have is an FSA Orbit XL II that's in excellent newish condition. Just how easy is it to get a replacement race?

About the nicks on the steerer tube, what problems will a scratched tube cause? The shop guy told me because the tube doesn't touch the headtube or headset cups, there is no need to worry. Here is pic of the two nicks. Not the best with my cheap camera.










There are two nicks that you can just barely feel if you run your nails over them and a pencil-lined vertical scratched taht's more cosmetic.

The more I studied the location of the nicks on the tube and the three hit marks where the screwdriver was placed on the race, it looks like maybe the screwdriver didn't cause it. The nicks don't line up anywhere close to the marks on the race. Is it possible that the device they use to drive in the new race caused the scratches?


----------



## bad mechanic (Jun 21, 2006)

It's not that they're BSing you, it just sounds like your shop, well, sucks. A crown race generally will not sit flat once seated, it will just kind of rock. You'll hammer down the high part, and the other side will lift up. Call FSA directly to see about getting a new race.

Just because the steerer doesn't touch anything doesn't mean it doesn't matter. Scratch and gouges cause stress risers and weaken the steerer. That said, from the picture, it doesn't look like it's serious, and I probably wouldn't have much issue running the fork on my bike.

I'm willing to bet the screwdriver caused them when it was hit and then slipped on the race.

Again, your LBS is just either utterly incompetent or straight lying to you. Either find a new shop or, even better, learn to do it yourself.


----------



## djork (Nov 8, 2004)

Thanks, bad mechanic. I feel more confident about going back to the shop and asking for a replacement. I don't want to demand that they pay for a new one. If they won't, fine, but I really want the assurance that I can get a new race. Will call FSA tomorrow.

It's a pity that the race is bent. It was pretty new. The shop I think has been around and they are pretty knowledgeable. They've been nice at times. There are two main mechs who work there, and I heard one is very good. The guy who worked on my bikes has made a numer of careless mistakes. I should stop worrying about hurting people's feelings and ask for a specific mechanic next time. Man, kinda irks me to think he gave hard whacks when gentle taps would be better. Well, at least I only paid $3.50 for the job. usually they charge me $5. Still, not worth the aggravation.

What are stress risers?


----------



## bad mechanic (Jun 21, 2006)

It's not a question of hard whacks versus gentle taps; a screwdriver is the wrong tool for the job. Even if you don't have a crown race remover tool handy, there are cheap, easy ways to do it. Again, i would suggest learning to work on the bike yourself.

A stress riser, at it's simplest, it a change in continuity which causes a concentration of stresses. This is why carbon likes to snap at clamps, components fracture at nicks, and frames break at angles. More reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stress_riser


----------



## savagemann (Jan 14, 2008)

SwampDonkeyDisco said:


> I do my own work for that very reason.....in my experience, mechanics handle their own bikes with much greater care than with the customer's bikes.


No problem with learning how to do it yourself.....Good stuff.
But, as a lead mechanic that works on bikes 40+ hours a week at work, I actually treat customers bikes WAY better than I treat my own.
Cockpit hardware, rotor bolts, BB's, pivot bolts, suspension overhauls, fork bolts, cranks, etc, and anything that clamps onto carbon always gets torqued to spec.
When I set chain length on a suspension bike, the suspension gets compressed first.
Lever throw is set to the customers liking.
Suspension is set to customers weight and riding style.
When I change a saddle or seatpost, the exact angle, fore/aft position and height is exactly as it was.
You get the idea. 
Now I agree that not all mechs are going to be this anal retentive, let alone care if these things are done properly.
But there is a tool for every job, and they should be used, and used properly.
If a shop doesn't have the tool, they need to get it. If they have it and don't use it, they need to learn how to use it.
It's why we get paid to do what we do as mechanics.

When it comes to working on my own bikes, I am way less anal about stuff. I do torque my high end bits to spec, but alot of the other stuff I don't go to the same lengths.

There is alot of liability involved in bike repair......and it should be done meticulously.

I personally wouldn't let that guy touch my bike again.....not until he learns the proper way to do stuff and uses the right tools.
I'd ask for the other guy next time.

The scratches on the steerer tube don't look like anything to be concerned about.....but i would politely push to get a new race based on how it was removed.


----------



## zadey1234 (May 7, 2007)

I would probably demand my money back if I saw them using a hammer and a screwdriver. I can do that myself and I have on a cheap suntour fork. Every shop should have a crown race puller imo


----------



## kkjellquist (Oct 31, 2006)

djork said:


> I watched the shop guy mount my fork upside down by the steerer tube and then with a hammer gave a good whack at the screwdriver then did a couple more on another side until the race loosened.




Totally unacceptable! I my time working at shops if any mechanic had done this on any bike it would have been a major issue. I wouldn't let that shop touch any of my bikes ever again.


----------

