In a message dated 9/10/04 11:42:55 AM, classicrendezvous-request@bikelist.org writes:
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I bought all the necessary HS removal and installation tools after a teenage employee of an LBS removed my crown race with a center punch. That sort of thing doesn't happen at shops whose owners at on this list, but most of us are not fortunate enough to live near those shops.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Houston, TX >>
Jerry,
Actually you might be suprised. As Richard Sachs points the tools and mechanisms are crude even if well made. I have 6 crown trace removal tools from around the world and often they won't fit anything without damaging the fork crown (the race is a minor issue here) of many more modern forks. I don't think crown race removers are common in stores anymore as Park does not offer one and only very few wholesalers offer them anymore. The oversize carbon, aluminum and just bizarre fork crowns make removal with some dedicated tools nearly impossible w standard (Nonstandard tools) sometimes. I never use a center punch (designed to make indents) but have often been resorted to a drift punch which had a flat nose to remove a fork crown. Usually there are no marks but then again it depends.
White Industries (or was it Stein?) had a nifty crown race removal tool the clamps the circumference of the crown race and uses a slide hammer. Park makes a similar cheaper more widely available unit now but both can slip off and they can damage some crown races especially ones with grooves.
Amazingly nowadays the fork crowns are often bigger than the crown races and cannot be persuaded off without one of these slide hammer tools. Now that's progress.
Around here we have tool museum on the wall and in cabinets and it sometimes seems the best tool for the job is not the best tool for the job.
Yours in Cycling,
Gilbert Anderson
North Road Bicycle Company
519 W. North St.
Raleigh, NC 27603
USA
Toll Free Ph: 800\u2022321\u20225511
Local Ph: 919\u2022828\u20228999
E-mail: cyclestore@aol.com