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So i replaced my front frame due to a crack , trying to get my headsets cups out was a nightmare. They eventually did come out with enough wacking but my cups now have scars. They are chipped round the edges and inside bearing edges arent as smooth.Judging bynthe photos would these cups be okay to reused? I just bought them new a few months ago!
Bearing's 1
Bearing's 2
Bearings 3
Bearings 4Bearings 5
Side note - any recommendations on sieze prevention products ideal for headset bearings? I have always used park grease but both times ive removed the cups has been an absolute nightmare. These have only been in 3 months and they still did not wana budge even With enough grease to service a lorry!
They don't look pretty where you've been whacking them, but those bits aren't load bearing. All the loads the frame receives from the bearings comes from the outer race, not the inner, and you've not damaged any of where they sit in the cups nor anything that transmits the loads to the frame. It might be worth using some wet & dry sandpaper to smooth them out a bit though.
I don't know regarding your second query about lube.
As above I think it looks okay. Did you use a screw driver to remove it?
Copper slip grease should work.
Your method hasn't been pretty but it has been effective and they've come out on a reusable condition.
Headsets are always a pressfit and the choice of grease isn't going to make a difference. If people use it, it's more to prevent corrosion. Plenty are fitted without grease. They come out a little easier with the proper tool as they are driven out square. With a make shift punch, it's just a case if going round and around and around in baby steps. The less square it starts coming out, the harder it is.
Marine grease inside and outside the bearings - they don’t move much so you just need something thick and sticky
What did you use to remove the cups?
I've always used copaslip and never had any issues removing the cups, with the proper tool!
Maybe invest in the correct removal tool? They aren't expensive and make life much much easier
Also a little heat on the headset - not a naked flame but just hot water poured on it with a rag tied round it makes a huge differnce
You might need to take the burr you have created off with a file to get the steerer to go through fully. I've had a hope headset that jammed on the lip created in a similar manner (not by me, i am a proud owner of an old seat tube with 4 wonky hacksaw cuts in it)
The tolerances were close enough to jam it solid preventing the closing of the last 3 or 4 mm
Shimano make a white anti-seize assembly paste that is good - about a fiver for a tube.
You can get Hope cups for £15 at sjscycles, the bottom cup outer lip damage would be too unsightly for me, ( dunno how you managed that ) file off any burrs and definitely invest in a cup removal tool, its so much easier to remove cups with the right tool as it removes the cup straight, especially good if your headtube is heavily stepped internally leaving little purchase.