How to Remove a Crown Race from a Fork? - Necessary Tools

A bikeverse member asked me to publish this information for those who will encounter this issue.

What is a Crown Race?

Crown comes from the crown, meaning it is mounted on the crown of the fork.

And Race comes from the raceway - the track on which the balls, the bearings run.

It is a continuous, closed ring that is installed at the base of the fork's steerer tube, on which the lower bearing of the headset rests.

Recommendation: it is part of the headset, when selling the fork, keep the ring (Crown Race) because it belongs to the headset, specific to the frame.

Why Aren't They Universal?

Because fork manufacturers want to confuse us and choose different angles for the lower bearing of the headset.

I personally have not encountered this problem because I have changed various models of Rockshox Boxxer and they worked.

But if you change a Boxxer for a Fox, you will face this issue.

Are All Crown Races Hard to Remove?

No. Some can be removed and installed by hand, these are the ones with a split ring, like I have on my Merida ninetysix and also on the Whistle AXR C8.7.

These are called split crown races.

YouTube Tutorial with What You Have at Home - No Special Tool

ParkTool Solution

Unior Solution

Proposed Solution by BIKEVERSE

Since it is still raining outside, it's time to do some maintenance.

The headset should be serviced at least once a year.

When I removed them after two years because the headset was rattling, I had nothing left to clean or lubricate, the bearings needed to be replaced. And good cheap ones are not available.

And, as I mentioned, each manufacturer has its own diameters and angles, it will take you some time to find them. Try on bikeverse as well.

Take advantage of this month’s additional Black Friday discounts and the Whistle models with Avinox motor in stock:

Now is the time.

If you find a better price somewhere, let us know and we will see what we can do.

All the best!