A new fork's steerer comes long. The mechanic decides where the cut goes based on the stack height of stem, headset, and any spacers above and below the stem, and the cut has to land square because a steerer cut off-axis means the stem clamps unevenly and the bar twists under load. Getting the cut square is what the saw cutting guide does; getting the cut to the exact right length is what the gauge does. The 1604.1/2PLUS is the measurement piece that pairs with the saw cutting guide to remove the eyeballing from steerer cuts. How it works The 1604.1/2PLUS slides onto the Unior steerer-tube saw cutting guide. The cutting guide has a series of saw slots at fixed positions along its length; the gauge attaches to the guide and shows the steerer length corresponding to each slot through measurement windows. The mechanic's workflow: Mount the cutting guide onto the steerer at roughly the target cut height. Slide the gauge onto the guide. Read the steerer length through the gauge windows; align the desired length to the corresponding saw slot. Cut through the slot. The blade lands exactly where the gauge said it would. The gauge converts the cutting guide from “cut here, somewhere in this slot” to “cut here, at this precise length.” On a new fork install where the stack-height math has been done in advance, that precision is the difference between a clean re-install and a fork that has to come back out for a second cut. Spec Pairing: designed to work with the Unior saw cutting guide for steerer tubes Function: measurement reference at each cutting slot Geometry: windows align with the cutting guide's saw slots Compatibility The 1604.1/2PLUS pairs with the Unior saw cutting guide for steerer tubes. The gauge is not a standalone tool; the cutting guide provides the saw blade's working slot, and the gauge provides the measurement reference. Together they make the cut accurate; the gauge alone doesn't cut anything. When to use it Three workflows land a mechanic on this product: New fork install on a build. The steerer comes long and has to be cut to match the planned stack height. Re-cut on a refurbished fork. A fork that's lived under one rider and is now going under another may need a longer-or-shorter steerer for the new stack. Frame change with a re-used fork. A frame swap that changes the head-tube length changes the required steerer length; the gauge sets the new cut. Built in Zreče, Slovenia Unior has been forging hand tools in Zreče since 1919, and sponsors professional road and mountain-bike race teams. The 1604.1/2PLUS is a complement to the cutting guide rather than a competitor with it; the gauge does the measurement work that the cutting guide on its own can't, and the two together cover the full steerer-cut workflow. Pro tip from our mechanics Always cut the steerer after test-fitting the full stack. The stack-height math should give you the right answer, but spacer compression under bar clamping and stem-internal-clearance assumptions sometimes shift things by a millimeter or two. We test-fit the stem, headset, and spacers without cutting, mark the actual cut line with the gauge, then take everything apart for the cut. A second cut is faster than a steerer that's been cut too short. Where this fits in the headset workflow: Bearing and headset service: a workshop guide →
