# Headtube facing tool....on a budget??



## Lab Worker (Mar 22, 2004)

I'd like to buy a headtube reamer / facing tool...but I can't justify the million dollars that Park want for theirs. I know its a good tool, but even at shop employee price its a damn lot of money.

So what other options are there? I've seen a Cyclo reamer/facer, but can't find any info on the net. Has anyone seen or used this tool? It was quite cheep, about 1/5 the price of the Park.

I'm a true believer that 'you get what you pay for', so would I be wasting my money with a cheep reamer / facer? To me the tool looks like a headset press with a conical wedge, and a high grade cutting tool, but I fail to see why it cost so much more than a headset press. Do Park make the cutting face themselves? What happens when it wears out? How many headtubes does a headtube facer face before the headtube facer doesn't face faces?

The tool would be for personal use only, my own and friends bikes...it would not get used in a shop enviroment.

Thanks to anyone with any comments!


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## IndyFan (Feb 5, 2004)

*You DO get what you pay for.*

So you do enough of that kind of work on the side to justify getting one? I don't know what the policies are at the shop you work at, but I can take a bike in [/U] on my own time [/U] and work on it (as long as I'm not interfering with what's making the shop money at the time.) As long as I'm not charging for it (that'd be a conflict of interest), they don't care if it's a friend's bike. If you ARE charging for it, that's something you have to work out with your own conscience and/or your boss.

My suggestion is to save for the Park and in the mean time take the bikes you really have to perform that function on to the shop you work at (whether you do it on the side, or do it on the clock at shop rates). The Park model is really nice to use, and still less expensive than a Var or a Campy model.

My .02
Bob


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## Lab Worker (Mar 22, 2004)

IndyFan said:


> So you do enough of that kind of work on the side to justify getting one? I don't know what the policies are at the shop you work at, but I can take a bike in [/U] on my own time [/U] and work on it (as long as I'm not interfering with what's making the shop money at the time.) As long as I'm not charging for it (that'd be a conflict of interest), they don't care if it's a friend's bike. If you ARE charging for it, that's something you have to work out with your own conscience and/or your boss.
> 
> My suggestion is to save for the Park and in the mean time take the bikes you really have to perform that function on to the shop you work at (whether you do it on the side, or do it on the clock at shop rates). The Park model is really nice to use, and still less expensive than a Var or a Campy model.
> 
> ...


There are way too many policies at the shop where I work, and they basically state that we cannot do ANY work at the shop that is not billable....its hard enough to work on our OWN bikes. You'd think a cranking shop would own a headset facing tool, but no such luck...they're 'too expensive and would take too long to re-coup their cost.' Hence my desire to get one personally. If you're saying 'that sounds like a crap place to work' then you're right...and I'm fed up. Are there any shops out there whose primary goal is about bikes? Are you looking to hire a very skilled mechanic who is a bit bitter at the moment, but needs to be re-shown why hes trying to make a living from fixing other peoples bikes? Are there any shops who treat their employees as valuable items, not disposable commodities?

Thanks for the info, Bob, I'll start saving my pennies.


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## IndyFan (Feb 5, 2004)

*Bike Shops*

I work part-time at a shop in Albuquerque. It's part of a store that's sort of like a small REI. The actual name is Sportz Outdoor. We sell (of course) bikes, hiking and running footwear (no court shoes, no softball cleats, etc.), camping/backpacking gear, skis, snowboards & snowshoes (in season), and triathalon gear. But, we have probably the best mechanic I know of in Albuquerque (not me). The owners want to emphasize selling bikes, not repairing bikes. We have all the tools for, the skills and often do take in some serious repairs.

Anyway, to your actual question. There are shops that are serious about bikes. Even though we have other departments, our shop is probably the best place to go to get a really good fit for a road bike (therefore, imho, the best road bike shop) in Albuquerque. But this is an mtb forum. We're looking into expanding our mountain lines to include more variety (we currently carry Fisher, Litespeed, K2, and Tomac). Keep looking around, and don't discount a shop like ours. I looked at a few others in town when I decided that I wanted to do this. I was (and did) going to go to Barnett's, and I wanted a shop where I could learn a lot. They don't do things exactly like the techniques I learned at Barnett's, but the standards/quality of workmanship is very high. I didn't want to work at a shop where I was as good a mechanic as anybody there (having never worked in a shop before - mostly worked on my own and friends' bikes). But aside from where I am now, that's what I kept finding. I would like to work in a shop that employs most, if not all of the techniques I learned at school. But I can wait a while.

Bottom line - I did find that shop, and you can too.

Good luck,

Bob


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