Rollfast headset issues.

[veewee25]

I am building a Klunker using what i was told is a 1948 Rollfast. I only purchased the bare frame so I don't have headset cups to compare with new ones.
I assumed that this frame would have used a standard bmx style 1" headset. But the cups are way too small. The head tube measures out to 33.0 . The headtube is round and not deformed or stretched.
I have 2 new bmx headsets, 1 is a Haro vintage series 1" the other is a Tioga beartrap 1" they both measure at 32.5
I have a new 1 1/8 headset that measures 34.0
I went through all of my spare used headsets and couldn't find anything close, even the older Schwinn cups were too loose.
Sheldon Browns headset list didn't have anything in it either.
I don't want to shim it as i plan on really riding it and don't want to damage the frame.

Will the 1 1/8 threadless fit? Or has anyone else experienced this issue?

 

[Captain Awesome]

Most people will just use some shim material on the smaller cups

 

[veewee25]

I'm thought i might have more suggestions here, I cant be the only one to encounter this situation. Since the cups are a press fit anything in the 32.5 -32.7mm range would not have the interference to be pressed in with the 33.0 dimension I have, so they would have enough room to move around and eventually damage the headtube. Is wrapping the cups in some sort of a shim acceptable or will that also be pounded out eventually? Are the tolerances im encountering close enough to use something like Loctite 680 ?

 

[twojs.bike]

No idea. I did check my pile of headset cups and I don’t have anything 33mm. I seem to remember someone using a piece of old inner tube as a shim. Couldn’t hurt to try

 

[Captain Awesome]

Most people will just use some shim material on the smaller cups

. Is wrapping the cups in some sort of a shim acceptable

That’s what I said

 

[Wildcat]

If there was no play that could develop over time, that would be best. Any slop in the caps will be noticeable after the shims wear.

I had a bike frame with a head tube slightly smaller than 1" and no caps that would fit. Finally I used a hacksaw and cut a slice out of 1" caps and tapped them in to the frame. They fit snugly and the bearings still fit well. You can see the cut at the rear of the cup.
You could do the same with the 34mm cups to get them to snugly fit the 33mm head tube.

 

[68z27]

I think the above recommendation by @Wildcat is certainly viable. There are a few companies that are making aluminum reducers (but those are generally to go from a 1 1/8" fork to a 1" fork - not quite your application). The point is something that can be tapped into the head tube should be suitable. There are a couple of loctite products listed for peace-of-mind. Another potential solution is from a previous post.

Yea, I went to their website for the 1st time in a couple of years and it is out of control....I couldn't find anything but everything...
In the past I have produced small miracles using the 638 compound, but if I were doing it today, I would probably use the 660. Since you are using a non-ferrous shim, an additional filler/surface prep may be necessary but you might get by w/o it. Here is a link you may find useful. There is a step by step guide to assist.
https://www.henkel-adhesives.com/us/en/product/retaining-compounds/loctite_6600.html
They don't mention the peening process but I am a BIG FAN of doing it. That link is here.
https://www.mrosupply.com/blog/loose-bearing-race-how-to-deal-with-it/
If any problems, let me know.....

 

[Wildcat]

BTW, it sure looks like a 1948 Rollfast. The serial number will be on the bottom bracket and use the reverse numbering system they used. Probably a EH 84 and a sequence number.

 

[us56456712]

I am building a Klunker using what i was told is a 1948 Rollfast. I only purchased the bare frame so I don't have headset cups to compare with new ones.
I assumed that this frame would have used a standard bmx style 1" headset. But the cups are way too small. The head tube measures out to 33.0 . The headtube is round and not deformed or stretched.
I have 2 new bmx headsets, 1 is a Haro vintage series 1" the other is a Tioga beartrap 1" they both measure at 32.5
I have a new 1 1/8 headset that measures 34.0
I went through all of my spare used headsets and couldn't find anything close, even the older Schwinn cups were too loose.
Sheldon Browns headset list didn't have anything in it either.
I don't want to shim it as i plan on really riding it and don't want to damage the frame.

Will the 1 1/8 threadless fit? Or has anyone else experienced this issue?View attachment 251826View attachment 251827View attachment 251828View attachment 251829View attachment 251830

This is a fairly common problem. I also have a box of old headsets and sometimes nothing fits. There is a lot of meat in most vintage 32.9 head tubes and I have used my reamer to take it out to 34 and used a 1 1/8 fork. I did this once. I have also tack welded slightly loose head set cups in place while the bearings are so tight that the fork won’t turn. The tacks can be cut out and the head tube refaced later, if necessary. The black lines on the head set cups are where the tacks are.

Sometimes all the cups I have are just a little too tight and the head tube reamers are the modern size and won’t work. Get a one inch diameter grinding wheel that fits in your drill and carefully enlarge the head tube. Sometimes the Wald vintage headset cups (# 4080) can be made to fit. You can grind off the dimples to make these cups smaller. You can’t get all the way to the top of the dimple with a grinder and then I use a hack saw to remove the small amount of hardened steel so that the cups will bottom out on the head tube. Notice the dimples on the Wald bearing cups.

You can also braze on the proper sized head tube, in short extensions, to the top and bottom of the existing head tube.

 

[Starnger]

In situation like that I'd find someone with a lathe and just take some meat off your EC34 headset to a nice satisfying press fit. Otherwise make an adapter to allow your head tube to take regular modern EC30 headsets. Both of those operations are relatively easy to do on basically any lathe.

 

[us56456712]

In situation like that I'd find someone with a lathe and just take some meat off your EC34 headset to a nice satisfying press fit. Otherwise make an adapter to allow your head tube to take regular modern EC30 headsets. Both of those operations are relatively easy to do on basically any lathe.

No room for a lathe at home. I don’t have room for a welding table. I got rid of my table saw and plainer when we moved into our cabin. I kept a bench top drill press. It’s 120 miles to the machine shop and they are extremely expensive. It would cost me at least $200 to have what you suggest done there. Probably more. Ten years ago I had a quarter inch x 8 x 17 inch piece of plate cut there and it was $250. Recently I found a large piece of plate in the woods and took that home and I cut a door for a sauna stove I’m building out of It. Everyone complains about their cost but enough people need stuff done pronto regardless of cost. They’re slow, besides being expensive. Their welding is just as outrageous. The other thing that’s expensive here is fencing. Only one contractor does it, the only show in the county. I grind, ream, sand weld and braze. If you’re careful you don’t need fancy tools. Case in point, in 1970 one of my buddy spent the summer after high school getting his gifted 410 mercury station wagon ready for college which was almost a 600 mile round trip away. He put it on blocks and rebuilt the engine without pulling it. He crawled under it and used a big roll of bearing paper, two handed pulling it back and forth while occasionally turning the crank. He got it ten under and it miced
perfect. That car ran 110 most of the way home and back on weekends on I-75. After college it was abandoned in a field. In the late 80s that engine was pulled and put in an old Ford mud drag truck.