How to cut a steerer tube and install a star nut
I’ve received a few requests from our readers asking how to cut a steerer tube and install a star nut. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to get this video together until now. I realized that I had an old fork that I could use for the video and I decided to go for it.
For starters, you’ll need one of these, it’s a pipe cutter. You can find them at any hardware store for about $15. To install a star nut, you’ll need a special tool that can be purchased from Pricepoint.com. It normally sells for $15, but right now they are on sale for $11.98.
Make sure you watch the video and learn how to do this yourself because a shop could charge you as much as $75 to cut the steerer, install a star nut and install the fork.
this would’ve been way funnier if a gigantic-ass caterpillar came out of the steerer tube at some point! 😉
No Cat, that would not be funny…. 🙂
A lot of times, the pipe cutter will create a deformation “lip” on both the inside and outside of the cut area on the steerer. I always dress that lip with a file so that the stem and headset spacers slide on smoothly. It takes an extra five minutes, but is worth it.
Oh, and NEVER cut a carbon steerer with a pipe cutter…that’s asking for trouble.
Oh, so that is how it is done. My problem was I wasn’t turning it. Used a hacksaw instead.