Tips n Trix

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I like to blow them off with compressed air, but if the grips are old I soak them in hot water first.

So far I’ve never had to hammer one off, that I can recall.
That's what I like todo as well except only use hot water if they are hard. I peel the edge back and put dish soap around the edge the use compressed air to blow the soap between the grip and the bar, and start to twist and they come off almost every time without issue.
 
in the meantime, while you guys are off in search of hot water, soap and compressed air, the guy with the 7/8" wrench and a mallet took off both grips. haha
 
I tried that too but ran into some complications. So, I took the wheels off and tried just the frame, fork and bars but it still wouldn't fit.
Perhaps I'm doing something wrong.....
yptq0vtntt4a1.jpg
Placing the handle bars in the freezer works to but this is way easier
 
I have a Wagner heat gun right next to the air compressor, so I don’t have to walk at all, unless the grips need to be washed too.

But for really old grips I do think that hot soapy water works the best, simply because they get more permeable with age and exposure.

Some plastics expand when you heat them and some shrink. This effect can also change with age. I am not hip to all the different plastics used.
 
No no no, you're all backwards. That's the wheel in the freezer. What you want is to turn it upside down to get the grips in there
But you need to heat the rest of the bike up first, otherwise the heat in the bars will just be sucked away before you can the grips off.
 
I saw some kids do this yesterday on TV, with a spray can duck taped to a sawzall. I was Waiting for the sawzall to puncture that can & watch it take off like a rocket painting spots over the whole shop.
 
The new chinese 27" fork had a problem
No crown race would fit snugly. Usually the race needs to be pressed on to fit. It had a tiny bit of play on this fork, and no other race in my parts would fit snugly, they are all the same. That race supports the most stress on the whole bike. I used aluminum tape wrapped about 8 times to get a good fit. Now the fork is good to go. Duct tape would have been too soft.
258963-14-Feb-2024-crown-race.jpg
258964-14-FEB-2024-crown-race1.jpg
 
Usually a bearing race won't slide right on, the fork lip is slightly larger. It needs to be pressed on. I don't have a press, so I do it this way.
The fork sometimes needs to be filed down to fit the race. Only file a little at a time so the race fits very snugly. There can't be any play in the race.
Get your fork, the race, a hammer and wrench (could be anything larger than 1" or an adjustable wrench), bearing cap,
and a file if needed.
I always keep a nut on the end of the fork to protect the threads except when I'm working on it.
15 Feb 2024 tips2.jpg
There's a lip where the race should sit.
15 Feb 2024 tips4.jpg


Slide the cap over the race and line it up so the race is sitting level on the lip.
15 Feb 2024 tips3.jpg

15 Feb 2024 tips5.jpg


Now slide the wrench on, or line up a cresent wrench over the cap, keeping it lined up and level. This keeps the race from getting damaged. Tap gently and check it to see how it it sitting. If the race won't go on, increase the intensity of hammering. If it still won't seat all the way, you can file the lip. Do that little by little, frequently checking the race. When it looks close, then hammer it again. The race needs to be seated completely on the fork.
15 Feb 2024 tips1.jpg


I made a video of how this works.
 

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