Do you grease up when pressing a headset?

spearmint_wino

I'm re-fitting a 1" headset to an old steel mtb, done a lot of searching but can't find out whether you should grease the cups to aid their insertion. What to do?

gt-arrowhead

Theres no point, all of the grease (or at least the vast majority of it) will be squeezed out when you put the headset in.

Grease is only used in parts that are supposed to move and the cups dont move in the frame. You can use grease to aid insertion on most things but i dont think it will actually make any difference with headset cups.

bikaholic

Yes, smear some grease onto the sidewalls of the headtube before pressing the cups in. All mating surfaces should have a layer of grease inbetween them.

Then, pack some grease into the cups themselves to act as a waterproof barrier even if the headset has sealed bearings. Not all bearing races are made of out stainless steel so you will find rusted parts over time if you omit this step.

ricardo_smooth

bikaholic wrote:

Yes, smear some grease onto the sidewalls of the headtube before pressing the cups in. All mating surfaces should have a layer of grease inbetween them.

Then, pack some grease into the cups themselves to act as a waterproof barrier even if the headset has sealed bearings. Not all bearing races are made of out stainless steel so you will find rusted parts over time if you omit this step.

THIS

stubs

A smear of copper grease. It stops Galvanic corrosion and means the cups will come out without the use of big hammers.

spearmint_wino

Thanks, a thin layer it is then

jt_intheuk

Plus pop them in the freezer for a couple of hours before hand to aid of insertion. Thats what I did anyway.

ricardo_smooth

jt_intheuk wrote:

Plus pop them in the freezer for a couple of hours before hand to aid of insertion. Thats what I did anyway.

overkill and not necessary if using the correct tools