I decided to have go at changing the head stem bearings. Everything went well, including getting the top race off with a ratchet extension and hammer. However, when looking down from the top the lower bearing race is not sitting proud of the housing unlike the top one. The question is how do I get it off? Thank you in advance!

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BoundaryRider

Just done this myself, had to run a weld round the lower race to shrink it and it dropped out.

When you heat the race does that not make it expand?

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BoundaryRider

As above, short beads of weld about 10-15mm directly opposite each other work well. As they cool and contract they shrink the race. You can also weld a bar across the race so it can be knowck out easily. Catch is you need a welder and the races are stainless which makes things trickier unless you've got access to a TIG kit.

Alternatives for non-welders are:

To cut, or use a drill to make gouges in the race opposite each other, which push out enough metal to make a lip to get some purchase on.

Use a Dremel with a small disk (or sacrificially wear one down) to cut a diagonal in the race to relieve some of the tension and give a point of leverage.

Using freeze spray can ease things with the above two methods. I've even seen people use CO2 fire extinguishers to freeze and shrink bearing races in the headstock before!

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Thanks, guys. Some good options there, can't wait to have a go on the weekend.

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BoundaryRider

I think there are indented channel in the lower part of the stem. These should allow a long drift to be use to knock them out.

If remember right that is.

Thank you to everyone for your input, jobs done.

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BoundaryRider

How did you do it in the end?

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I don't have a welder or oxy, tried lot of different things to no avail. Finally I used my short tyre levers that have a bend on one end and I hook part on the other, which was perfect to punch out from the top.

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BoundaryRider

It's surprising what you can do with ordinary everyday bits and pieces lying around the shed. No special tools required, just a bit of ingenuity and a strong will to solve the problem.

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