Right before i cut the steerer i need to know if im doing the right thing here....
I bought a new carbon fork which has a race fitted as part of the construction, now iv just installed a new CK headset and i didnt realise the race wont fit as its built into fork. Im considering using it as it is without the CK race fitted. Now i will work a treat on the fork one but the bottom of the bearing is on show to the elements! There is a gap of about 2.5mm between fork and bearing. Would this be wise or should i look at buying a new fork that will accomadate the CK race ( this acts as a cover for the bottom of the bearing ) Ah sub standard i dont know what to do with it??
Any thoughts
Ive email CK for there advice but i can imagine the answer if i get one
Last edited by Mike on Thu Aug 24, 2017 4:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
It's an expensive frame, an expensive fork and an expensive headset ... it's not a pub bike, don't bodge it and stop buying Specialized bits especially those made from carbon, so far they've caused you nowt but grief
and cost me 300 quid in the process....... bollocks!!! so iv now gotta buy new forks again but i need ones that arent boost otherwise iv gotta get new hub! So now looking at the niner or the 3T ones as travers are boost
jase iv tried to find out what kind of headset specialized use in their mtbs. no joy think im going to just try and fill the gap with an o ring! Yes thats it, £150 headset sealed with a £2 o ring WTF i have to laugh at myself sometimes
Mike wrote:jase iv tried to find out what kind of headset specialized use in their mtbs. no joy think im going to just try and fill the gap with an o ring! Yes thats it, £150 headset sealed with a £2 o ring WTF i have to laugh at myself sometimes
Mike if it's not sat on the crown race properly you might get problems like it continuously going lose. You could damage both the crownrace & headset!
I don't think it'll be difficult to sort out, although you just might have to change the headset.
Heres some close ups of what im talking about, ive been looking at other headsets but i can see i will have the same prob surely as they all ose a bottom race of some sort. Maybe i could use a cane creek or hope but i was guessing the CK might be better sealed??
Bit of a dead end now, im going to call hope in abit and ask them what they could suggest from their sets. Ive also tried to see what headset a specialized frame would use to accomadate these forks and the crave sl had them but it was a intergrated unit.
That's not dissimilar to the crown on my Tricross fork. It takes an integrated HS, the bottom race just sitting on the crown. Have you fitted it to the frame yet?
With mine the crown is about 10mm longer, the headtube has the bottom seat recessed by the same. I tried fitting after market forks and non would fit as the crowns all sat as yours does, so just pinched up tight. Might be worth checking that before spending anymore(unless you have already obviously)
I can post pics/video if my description doesn't make sense.
Gari, im not getting what ur saying pal. Any chance you could send me pics please mikeclarke@gmail.com?
ta
# bit pissed coz the fork is spot on rake and length for the frame.....ive found a seal that hope make for their lower race i might try in the gap...off to shop to see
I think what Gari is saying that with an integrated headset the bearing is recessed into the headtube by the correct amount, so there will only be a tiny gap between the underside of headtube and the top of the fork.
No, I'm saying that on my Spezialized frame the bottom race seat is recessed deeper than other frames I have with integrated HS's. Consequently the forks don't fit, as the crown doesn't sit high enough to meet the seat in the headtube.
I think were both saying the same thing? The forks are frame specific? Mike's are Specialized forks so wont take a normal external headset without the gap. If they were in your frame the bottom bearing is set in further so the headtube covers the gap? Which also means non-specialized forks don't fit as crown on a normal fork is lower so the headtube rubs on the fork?
Edit.
In a frame with an integrated headset it would look like this
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