Left a headset race in a freezer for 2 hours, still wouldn't fit

Last Saturday I was installing a Cane Creek 40 headset on a 90s steel frame. The lower race just would not seat, no matter how much I tapped it. So I put the race in my home freezer for 2 hours to shrink it down a bit. Pulled it out, it went on maybe a quarter inch further before getting stuck again. Ended up having to file the crown race seat down by about 0.2mm with some sandpaper. Has anyone tried dry ice for this or is filing just the standard move?

3 comments

3 Comments

elliotm571d ago

Freezing never seems to work out for me either, filing has always been the way to go once you find the tight spots. Drewr15's trick with a heat gun makes some sense in theory but it's just adding more steps to something that should be a one and done job with sandpaper. A little time with a file or paper beats messing with temperatures and risking a cracked race any day.

claire_grant341d ago

Freezing is a bandaid fix that never works for this. The metal shrinks but also gets harder and less malleable. The real issue is the crown race seat has high spots or burrs from the factory or wear. Youre better off spending the time with a flat file or sandpaper like you did. Dry ice would make it even harder to tap on and could crack the race if its aluminum. Filing is the standard move for a reason. Check the seat with a straight edge or a fresh razor blade before you file to see exactly where the tight spots are.

drewr151d ago

You said "freezing is a bandaid fix that never works," and I get where you're coming from, but I've actually had pretty good luck with it on steel frames. The trick is you gotta chill the race, not the fork crown, and heat the crown race seat a little with a heat gun first. That way the race shrinks and the seat expands, so it slides on easier without forcing it. If you just freeze a race and try to tap it on a cold fork, yeah, you're asking for trouble with cracks or stuck parts. But done right, it beats filing if the seat is just a hair too tight, not all warped or burry. Not saying filing is wrong, just that freezing has its place with the right prep.