Homemade Headset Press

To continue this week’s headset theme… I saw someone’s homemade headset press on the intertubes years ago and decided to make one for myself. A Park headset press is a no brainer if you work in a shop, but for the home mechanic who might only press in a headset every few years, building your own press makes a lot of sense. Just go down to your local hardware store, get a threaded rod, some nuts and a few washers. It will probably cost you around $3 (the Park is about $120). Works like a champ. Also, using one of these will slow you down a bit, unlike the Park, which allows you to slam it in, and possibly damage the headset or headtube if you aren’t paying attention. And the only way you can go cheaper is with a block of wood and a hammer.

Used for: 10 years
Price paid: $3
Purchased at: Home Depot
Rating: 5 stars!

homemade headset press

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Zog’s Headset Wrench

I picked up this awesome Zog’s headset wrench at Interbike sometime in the mid-90s and had assumed the company had gone the way many of other small, US-based manufacturing companies. But no, these thin, laser cut tools are still being made in Oregon under the name Thinwrench. They don’t seem to make this particular headset wrench anymore, which was way thinner and more awesome than anything else available at the time (and makes for the perfect companion to the Park Professional Headset Locknut Wrench), but here are the bike tools they still make. The Headset Pedal Cone Take-Along Combo Wrench looks pretty sweet.

Used for: 15+ years
Price paid: don’t remember
Purchased at: directly from the Zog’s guys
Rating: 5 stars!

Zogs Headset Wrench

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Park Professional Headset Locknut Wrench

The Park Professional Headset Locknut Wrench is a work of art. It won’t bite into or round off the top nut of your spendy Chris King or Campy threaded headset. And unlike most of my other Park stuff, they haven’t change this one in 15 years. I guess you can’t mess with perfection.

Used for: 15+ years
Price paid: probably around $30
Purchased at: don’t remember
Rating: 5 stars!

Park Professional Headset Locknut Wrench

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