Headshock Castle tool advice

Kingswindsor

Kingswindsor

Member
Hi everyone,
This is my first post; glad to be here.
I am trying to revive a couple of Headshocks I have from bikes that I bought in about 2001 (a Jekyll and an F600 Furio hardtail)

One Headshock is a Super (disk brake only), the other an Ultra (disk and v brakes). Both have the air valve. Looking at the details on the website I think these need a HDTL146 Castle tool. Question 1 - is this a reasonable deduction? Is that the right tool for both those forks? Is there a way to check?

Looking at older threads and general Googling, the supply of Castle tools from Cannondale and Leonardo seem to have dried up. The only ones I can find now are from Bitul in Poland and available on eBay (bitulpl).
Q2. Which is the right tool equivalent to the Castle tool i need? Bitul say 'We offer 3 different types - FK070, FK071, FK072 - please compare the dimensions'.
Q3. Has anyone experience of ordering from Bitul and their products? I'm in the UK.

Links to one eBay option are here https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CANNONDA...2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0

And to the Bitul website https://bitul.pl/en_GB/p/CASTLE-TOOL-FOR-CANNONDALE-HEADSHOK-FK070/130

From which the links to the other options can be found

Many thanks, George
 
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Kingswindsor

Kingswindsor

Member
Hi,
I've been doing some more research and reading the small print about the Bitul castle tools. For the 2001 vintage headshocks I think I am after the FK072 model. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284559081430?hash=item42410affd6:g:JS8AAOSwh3Bhr28i and https://bitul.pl/en_GB/p/CASTLE-TOOL-FOR-CANNONDALE-HEADSHOK-FK072/288

Its specification is:
- 30.0mm outer diameter, tooth 2.50mm deep and 2.50mm wide;
- number of teeth 4, tool height 29.0mm;
- a cutout in the tool enables sideways insertion onto a 16.0mm diameter pin

The other tools have 3 pins.

Could anyone with a castle tool confirm that the FK072 dimensions are right? Many thanks. As I'd be buying it all the way from Poland, I'm keen to get it right!
L1050031.jpg
 
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JohnnyD

JohnnyD

Well-Known Member
I would try messaging the resident HeadShok guru MikeA here, or Craig( Mendoncyclesmith). Neither is on this forum a ton, but they do have the knowledge and experience with HeadShok and Lefty forks. I know Craig is also on the MBTR forums a lot more ,plus he can be reached through his website https://www.mendoncyclesmith.com/ . If Craig doesn't know the answer to your questions then I can't think of anyone else.
 
black lightning 1987

black lightning 1987

Moderator
Staff member
JohnnyD said:
I would try messaging the resident HeadShok guru MikeA here, or Craig( Mendoncyclesmith). Neither is on this forum a ton, but they do have the knowledge and experience with HeadShok and Lefty forks. I know Craig is also on the MBTR forums a lot more ,plus he can be reached through his website https://www.mendoncyclesmith.com/ . If Craig doesn't know the answer to your questions then I can't think of anyone else.
Click to expand...
Exactly what I would suggest. Was hoping that one of them would chime in but it wouldn't hurt to message them.
 
Kingswindsor

Kingswindsor

Member
Many thanks both, I'll follow up as you suggest. I've also been in contact with Michal from Bitul in Poland and he has asked for some more dimensions of the fork which I will do later today. I'll report back when I've come to some sort of conclusion.
 
JohnnyD

JohnnyD

Well-Known Member
black lightning 1987 said:
Any information is appreciated. I own 6 Headshok bikes but have never needed to do much to them.
Click to expand...
I have two Headshok forks that need to be refurbished. They function ,but have torn boots or feel a little clunky when cycled. I am not opposed to buying the tools to do it myself, although I will admit the needle bearings are a bit intimidating. The cost of the tools to do a complete rebuild are the most daunting however.
 
MikeA

MikeA

Well-Known Member
I would say the FK072 is right. I measured my KH031 and Leonari HDTL146 and they are both 32mm, but I measured the OD of a couple dampers and they were 30mm so thats what their dimensions must refer to. I didn't see a dimension on the other tools, but the pins look too large.
 
JohnnyD

JohnnyD

Well-Known Member
MikeA said:
I would say the FK072 is right. I measured my KH031 and Leonari HDTL146 and they are both 32mm, but I measured the OD of a couple dampers and they were 30mm so thats what their dimensions must refer to. I didn't see a dimension on the other tools, but the pins look too large.
Click to expand...
and the answer is.......
 
Kingswindsor

Kingswindsor

Member
MikeA said:
I would say the FK072 is right. I measured my KH031 and Leonari HDTL146 and they are both 32mm, but I measured the OD of a couple dampers and they were 30mm so thats what their dimensions must refer to. I didn't see a dimension on the other tools, but the pins look too large.
Click to expand...
Thanks MikeA, that's really useful. I'm just trying to confirm similarities & differences with Mikael at Fitul before going for one or the other but I think he must be away for the Easter weekend. His initial recommendation was the FK071 but with the plea to check dimensions which is hard when the damper assembly is still in the fork. Piecing together the information in the Fitul website and on Ebay (and it is slightly ambiguous), I think this shows the differences between the tools:

Name'Knob' widthOuter diametertooth depth & widthNumber of teethTool heightCutout suitable for pin sizeCost
FK070170-200mm27.0mm4.2x2.8mm3 (at 90 deg)44mm16mm~£35.88+£7.36 postage (eBay)
Euro 52.08 total (Fitul website)
FK070(1) (Bitul website)
FK071 (eBay)		170-200mm30.0mm2.5x2.6mm4 (at 90 deg)44mm16mmSame
FK072170-200mm30.0mm2.5x2.5mm4 (at 90 deg)29mm16mmSame

So I think either the FK070(1)/FK071 or the FK072 may work and maybe the first one with the 44mm tool height would be an advantage. I'll confirm dimensions with Mikael from Bitul and then decide and report back.
 
MikeA

MikeA

Well-Known Member
The FK072 looks like a copy of the HDTL146, which will definitely work. The FK071 looks like the tool for the early Leftys, and looks like it will probably work. You would think the manufacturer would know the intended use for their tools rather than telling you to measure and compare dimensions.
 
Kingswindsor

Kingswindsor

Member
OK, Michal has confirmed that the only difference between FK071 and FK072 is the tool height and the FK072 shortness can avoid fouling on some forks. As my air cartridge is about 22mm below the edge of the steerer tube, I've ordered the FK072 as the 29mm tool height should be sufficient. I'll report back later in the month or early next (it has to get to the UK from Poland).
 
Kingswindsor

Kingswindsor

Member
An update: I now have the tool from Bitul via Ebay. It was dispatched very quickly but got held up in UK Customs (Brexit problem?) until now, so it took a total of about 3 weeks. I also have the seal kit from Race Ready Ltd (Bits4bikes on Ebay) so I will have a go over the next couple of days using the advice elsewhere on the forum. Fingers crossed!
Edit: Castle tool works perfectly. Now have a couple of other questions related to seals that I will ask on another thread.
 
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IdahoBrett

IdahoBrett

Well-Known Member
Just wanted to say THANKS to @Kingswindsor for this thread. Found this site because of this thread while trying to find the castlenut tool. I too ordered the tool from the guy over in Poland via ebay. Looks like a quality tool to my eyes. And it arrived in about 10 days.

My headshock is currently functional, albeit the boot was oily from sitting for a decade. I’ve got parts and tools. Now to find time…

IMG_0101.jpeg
 
black lightning 1987

black lightning 1987

Moderator
Staff member
So I got the tool from Poland but it is too tall to fit in the gap on the fork I am working on. So I decided to make my own tool. Started with a rusty 7/8" Armstrong 3/8" drive socket. First step was to cut it to approximate height with a hacksaw. Then stuck it in the lathe and faced it down to a height that would fit in the gap between the top cap and the fork tube. That was the easy part. Next I laid out the pegs on the face of the socket and scribed lines to mark the approximate edges of the desired "lugs". Then made numerous cuts at right angles to the face of the socket while staying well clear of the lugs. Then turned the hacksaw parallel to the face of the socket and cut out as much material as I could between the lugs. Then sawed between two lugs to the center of the socket to allow for the shaft. I missed on the angle of the cuts which resulted in a lot of extra filing. From then on it was just a lot of file work, on the face, lugs, and shaft clearance. The whole process took probably 1.5 hours. It was a lot of filing. The tool doesn't fit perfectly but it seated well enough to turn the cartridge right out. I used a curved jaw Vise Grip as a handle. I will do a bit more filing now that I have it out where I can see the trouble spots better. Pictures show the tool from Poland, my tool on the insert, and the socket that I made the tool from. Note the difference it the height of the tool I made compared to the tool I purchased. I haven't gone back to see if they make a tool that would fit in the fork I'm working on.
both tools.jpg
with 7-8 skt.jpg
height comparison.jpg
 
JohnnyD

JohnnyD

Well-Known Member
Great job on creating your own version of the tool. I thought that I saw in the ad for them that he made two sizes. I guess I will have to check.
 
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