It’s too hot to ride, so I started getting parts and tools together for the Forking Dynamite project. It took some time finding things, and I actually emptied out the entire toolbox in the Workshop in the Sky while looking.
By the time I got to the bottom of the toolbox, I thought I had just about everything I needed, except for the brake olives and the headset bearing removal tool.
I picked up the very last tool from the bottom of the toolbox, in a cardboard tube that said Bottom Bracket Bearing Remover. When I opened the tube, inside was what I’d been looking for.
Except not really.
I’ve used the ParkTook BBT-90.3 on a few occasions to hammer out the press-fit bottom bracket bearings. And I’ve seen countless videos of people using an identical tool to hammer out headset bearings.
Except that it’s not identical. Just looking at the BBT-90.3, I could see it wasn’t big enough. It’s made for bearings with an inner diameter of 24mm — Shimano bottom brackets. Headset bearings have an inner diameter of 1 1/8-1 1/4 inches, roughly 28mm-32mm. (Some aero bikes and other exotica have even bigger bearings.)
I could make do with the tool as is, even try to spread it out a bit wider. I’m sure I could get the job done. But then it might be less easy to use for its intended purpose (and I hope to be riding long enough to wear out a few more BBs).
By the time I decided I was going to wait for the proper tool, I had Kuroko in the stand, with a wash tub ready to catch the dripping hydraulic fluid when I removed the brake hose. I decided to take a few minutes of further prep, and trial fitted the front wheel in the new fork. Perfect fit.
Finally, I got out the scale so I could have a comparison, before and after. I don’t expect there to be much change as I’m already using the dynamo hub. (Yes, I put the front wheel back on the bike for the weighing.) I’m swapping one carbon fibre fork for another, ditto the lights. Adding some wiring and a USB charging port in the stem cap. There will probably be a slight gain.
It was really too hot to be working in the Workshop in the Sky. I’d waited for the hottest part of the day to get started. Once I was sure I knew what I needed I placed my order, including a couple of more brake olives (just in case) and a carbon fibre blade for the hacksaw. (Amazon and I both agree I have one, somewhere.) And then I had a long, cool shower.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.