$5 DIY Headset Press!

Built my homemade headset press for $5!    I followed the advice in this thread on MTBR: DIY Headset Press

Parts List:
1/2"x1' Threaded Rod - $1.52
1/2"x2" Flat washers (x8) - $1.92
1/2"x1" Flat washers (x3) - $0.60
1/2"      Hex nut (x3)        - $0.60
Total - $4.64

Here is the final product!

Clearly I could have gotten a better picture, but you get the idea :)

Installing the headset was pretty easy, the hard part was getting it to go in straight, but I think I would have had the same problem with the $70 Park tool headset installation tool.    I slowly did it and any time it appeared to be pressing in crooked, I would back off the hex nut, and realign everything to get it to straighten out...the key was to go slowly and take your time.

Looks good to me! :)

Faced and chased!

This past Saturday I went out and got the frame faced and chased by the good folks at Swallow Bicycle Works!    They're a great shop and really friendly - talking to Tom made me even more excited about this build :)  Now that its faced and chased, I should be able to start sticking on parts as I get them.

First order of business will be to craft a homemade headset press :)   Why? Because it will be fun!

I haven't found any *great* posts yet for how to build one but essentially it will be 18" long 5/8" threaded rod with washers and nuts to press it in.   I'll post a follow up after I do some research and find some great links.

Meanwhile here is my new "new to me" road bike!

It has great components so I don't plan on doing any upgrades, however I would say it needs a few things done:
- New tires (current ones have cracking rubber)
- New bar wrap (current one is really beat up)
- New brake & derailleur cables.

That's pretty much it....however I dont really plan on doing much to it until jen's bike is done :)

The first part came today!

The first part of Jen's bike came today!   Its the 16" Sette Reken frame.  It weighs in at 4.04lbs (including derailleur hangar, seat clamp, zip ties, and cable clips that came with it.)   The box felt so light it almost felt empty!

Why did I choose the Sette Reken frame?   Well I've been looking into budget frames for a while, and on MTBR it seems like many people really like the quality of the Sette frames and this particular frame can be setup for 650B wheels.   So for all these reasons, (including the price!) I went for it.

I was a bit concened that 16" might be too small to go with 650B wheels, since most builds I've seen were with either 18" or 20" frames, but I did find one post where someone built one up with a 14" frame, so I should be good to go.

Specs (16"):
Material: 6061 Aluminum
Headset:  1-1/8" Traditional Cup
Front Derailleur: 31.8mm Clamp
Bottom Bracket: 68mm/ English
Max Rear Tire Clearance: 26x2.2  (I'm going 650b on this!)
Seatpost Size: 27.2mm
Seat Clamp Size: 31.8mm Clamp
Color(s): Black
Weight: 4.04 lbs (16")  (My measurement)
Warranty: 5 Years

A	Size		Medium (16"/40.6cm)
B	Effective Top Tube Length		22.6"/57.4cm
C	Actual Top Tube Length		21.8"/55.3cm
D	Stand Over Height		27.2"/69.1cm
E	Head Tube Length		117mm
F	Head Tube Angle		70.5 degree
G	Seat Tube Angle		73.5 degree
H	Wheel Base		41.74"/106cm
I	Chainstay Length		16.69"/42.4cm

Also, this frame and the Surly Instigator fork I plan on using has the v-brake bosses, which I don't plan on using.   What I think I'm going to do it remove the boss studs (they unscrew) and install these (in hot pink) bullet studs from Purely Custom for a little bit of bling!  But that will wait until the end of the build, I think :)

Building a Sette Reken 650B!

In typical fashion I need to have a project or new hobby going on to learn anything and everything about.  Since Jen was in need of a proper bike, and I am starting to get into mountian biking more - I thought it would be a good winter project and something that I could spend some time to learn about while I go through the build process.

So far my plan is to build a 16" Sette Reken with 650B wheels, color scheme being black and hot pink - proper for Jen :).

And so the adventure begins..