Put headset back together - feels notchy

dakidcp

Hiya guys,

I'm hoping someone can help me. I stripped and regreased my headset (quill, not aheadset) over the weekend, and I'm now getting a notchy feel when I spin the front forks. It's free-moving, but doesn't feel smooth (certainly not as smooth as the aheadset on my tricross). I don't think it can just be that I've tightened too much, because if I slacken off even a tiny bit, I start to get play back in it.

It's a non-integrated headset, with bearings in cages top and bottom, a crownrace on the forks and a race at the top in the lower bolt.

One thing that might make a difference is that - while my headset spanner is still on order - I am having to tighten up the lockring without holding the bottom race-nut. This means lots of readjustment and trial and error while I tighten up the top nut so that it tightens up to remove play, but doesn't get so tight it doesn't move freely.

It's possible that I've put it back together wrong, but I've double and triple checked, and it seems perfectly right to my mind.

Can someone please tell me if I've done something obviously stupid?

Thanks,

DaKid

<hr noshade size="1">"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live."
<i>Mark Twain</i>

simmers

Races in the wrong way round? (Been there, done that!). Grit in the bearings from when you degreased it? (Likewise). Missed out a spacer/put it in the wrong place? (Guilty as charged).

Is it possible to find an exploded diagram of your particular headset online so you can confirm it went back together correctly?

Unknown

The crown race is probably pitted. I don't know if you inspected it during the service, but that is the most common disease of an old style headset, caused by the balls making little indents on the race.

If so a replacement headset cures it, and a roller bearing headset ensures it won't return.

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Nobody ever got laid because they were using Shimano

monty_dogcp

With open cage bearing headsets, there's very little to get wrong - you may have slightly over-tightened which makes any notchiness more perceptable, but apart from refitting with loose balls - you can add an extra ball or two to take up the spaces from the cage and so the balls are less-aligned with the notches. Also run your finger around the inside face of the lower cup to see if there are any indentations.

dakidcp

See, I'm sure I checked all that when I did it. There is a black, plastic disc down the bottom, but I think it's just meant to help keep the bearings in, and I'm sure it's not interfering with the crown race.

I guess it's time to take it all apart for the fourth time and double-check again. Doubt very much, given how much use the bike's seen, that it'd need a new headset, so fingers crossed [:D]

<hr noshade size="1">"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live."
<i>Mark Twain</i>

dave5ncp

You'll knacker it permanently if you seriously over tighten.

<font color="purple"> <font size="1"><i>please pretend there's a horizontal line here. I couldnt work out how to put one in.</i></font id="size1"></font id="purple">
You stir my natural emotions

maddog_2cp

it's called <i>brinelling</i>, when the race becomes pitted where the balls tend to rest.

New race is needed. If you'd got the placky disc in the wrong place then the headset might be stiff, but not notchy.

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Drop bars are a historical accident...... discuss</font id="purple"></font id="size1">

dakidcp

If this were the case, is there any reason I'd have to get a new race, or if I was happy to put up with it for a while, would there be any problems beyond this notchy feeling when turning the bars?

<hr noshade size="1">"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live."
<i>Mark Twain</i>

maddog_2cp

It'd piiss me off straight away. And riding no-handed would be fun......

Depends how bad it is and how bothered you are about your bike.

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Drop bars are a historical accident...... discuss</font id="purple"></font id="size1">

dakidcp

It's an old bike that I rarely use, and that I'll only use for shorter-distance canal-path and shopping trips, or when it's peeing it down with rain. And it's not so bad that I couldn't put up with it for a month or two until I got it sorted (it's really quite a subtle feel, rather than an obvious one). But I presume that means there's nothing really bad it would do to the bike though, which is good. Thanks [:)]

<hr noshade size="1">"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live."
<i>Mark Twain</i>