Ahoy !
here's my two-cents.
i suggested allowing sufficient height to accommodate two or three head-set spacers before cutting to give room for various stack-heights and hangers.
i say this based on experience, exasperation and being forced into costly work-arounds and otherwise unacceptable compromises because the steer tube was cut too-short.
by "too short" i mean cut precisely to whatever head-set+one spacer was being installed at time of build. examples of problems this causes: no room for front hanger if you wish center pulls, bag support, rack... example: spending a lot of money and wasting a campag nr/sr head set on a rider bike. example: on short frames i ride (48-52) not being able to get the stem down far enough into the steer tube for reason of reduced inner diameter. example: shopping around and spending a lot of money for an on topic fork for want of 2 mm's.
so, as long as you are doing a fresh cut, give yourself - and future owners - some room for variation. insert addtional one or two h.s. spacers before cutting (h.s.+ one spacer as normal) + addl one or two spacers. then, cut.
regards,
richard cielec chicago, illinois; u.s.a.
John Thompson <johndthompson@gmail.com> wrote:
Scott Edrington wrote:
> Any guidance on trimming a steer tube?
>
> I have a NOS frame that I installed a headset on today and now need to sh
> orten the steer tube by ~ 1/2 inch.
To do this properly you'll need to remove the fork from the frame. Mark
point you need to trim and take a couple old threaded cups to use as a
saw guide. Thread one down just past the trim point and the other just
above the trim point, leaving just enough space for the saw blade.
> Also, I have a headset spacer that requires the steer tube to have a flat
> spot milled into it. I hate to grind out the flat spot in the spacer sin
> ce it is a rare headset and would like to keep it as original as possible
After you've trimmed the steer tube, take a flat file to the back of the tube to create the flat you need.
--
-John Thompson (john@os2.dhs.org) Appleton WI USA _______________________________________________
---------------------------------
Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage.