Thanks for all the bits of advice here guys, I went for a threaded bar option and the pipe cut crossways for the removal tool, worked an absolute treat!
From my experience in order to ensure that the removal tool works best, bend the four quarters out slightly, place it in the head tube and see which quarters are in the right place and which ones aren't then remove and bend the relevant quarter out further. This will ensure that you get equal contact all around the bearing cup and it will come out cleanly.
I did it last night with a barbell set... You know the ones with the plates and the threaded nut that screws them down. I saw it on a youtube video and it worked perfectly for installing my crane creek S-3 and it was my first headset install at that!
Turned a press fiting with the lathe keeping everything inline then picked up a big bolt from HD or Lowes. Works every time. As the standards are ever changing I just keep making new tools.
same here, but i did a bit of overkill: I cut out some half inch plate and drilled it, then added washer and bolts. cost me zero, i got all the materials at my old job.
I either use that method or just a rubber mallet. I've used the rubber mallet technique on probably 20+ bikes in the past two years, and I've never once had a single problem with warping of the cups.
FWIW, I have a home-made headset press that works as well, but it just takes a lot longer.
Go the all thread and plate option, turns out to be a handy bit of kit to have kicking around.
I've got a big ol' coarse thread bolt from a WA1200 Komatsu Loader (probably M24 or larger) with suitably large (i.e. massive) washers.
That works beautifully because of the coarse thread, but not everyone is privileged enough to have a minesite workshop at their disposal....
I did it with three of those home depot clamps. The kind that use a trigger mechanism to close. One on each side and one on the front. 5min later it was done. I couldn't seem to get the threaded rod to work quite right. However, the barbell trick sounds like a winner.
Just last night, I messed around with the washers, nuts, and threaded bar for about 30 minutes. Didn't get anywhere. Rod kept creeping and scratching the inside and top of the headset.
Grabbed the rubber mallet.
Just 4-5 whacks and it was done. The sound changed in pitch when the cups were seated.
Your results may vary. I can't recommend it - I can just give witness that it worked.
***
EDIT: It's worth noting that I wasn't doing this on a chi-chi carbon frame with a Chris King headset.
I just press the cup in a little with my finger and then grab the frame by the rear triangle and beat the head tube against a sidewalk. Works every time! :thumbsup:
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