Headset bearing problem??

Hurricane Warrior

I have a Boardman Race 2013 as my commute/winter bike, I took it to halfords to change the bearings in the headset and it was still noisey. So I thought I'd do it myself the only thing is I have checked it and checked it but the top headset dust cap just won't sit flush with the frame so to speak.

I asked for the bearings in halfords and they gave me the cage ball bearing type I'm wondering if it should have been a different bearing type??

a link for my bike, it clearly says its a integrated headset

http://www.boardmanbikes.com/road/road_race.html

these were the type of bearings I was given??

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_210157

I'm wondering if when they repaired it previously they put in the wrong ones, they may not have, I just don't understand why it just won't sit flush I have put everything back in the right order and made sure the fork is correctly through??

mitchgixer6

Can you post a picture of the issue at all?

Most bikes will have a gap between the headset cover and the frame else the bars wouldn't turn. See the post a few down for some one describing this issue.

Those bearings they supplied are usually what's inside the cartridge bearing if you take the seal out. They may well have done that and purely replaced the balls and not the full cartridge bearing.

simonj

I reckon it should have been something that looks more like this, probably not this exact one, but looks like this :-

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_210157

I would have thought you buy the bearings as cartridges, loose bearings I thought were for different (older style) bearings.

Monty Dog

Almost certainly a cartridge headset - demonstrates the perils of buying a bike from a shop that knows nothing about bikes :roll: Can't you remove the bearings and take them to your LBS and ask them for replacements?

mitchgixer6

Indeed that's definitively a cartridge bearing, but if you remove the seals from a headset bearing like that it will have those ball bearings inside. Agreed you should really replace the full bearing, but it would be possible to remove the ball bearings and replace and keep the original holder.

Hurricane Warrior

I tried to upload the photo which was too big so here's a link to my flickr page

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sisavedby ... 4391267271

Thanks for your help

sungod

very dodgy

may be an illusion, but it looks like the dust cap (the conical bit) is not sitting level on the bearings, or the bearings themselves are wonky, which seems possible given what happened

do not ride it like this, the spec says the fork is full carbon, so it has a carbon steerer tube, if that gets gouged by misaligned parts you'll have to replace it

can you take a pic of what's under the dust cap? ideally also measure the diameter of the bearing seats

otherwise, might be bet to cut your losses and go to a proper bike shop

Hurricane Warrior

Thanks I'll get round to it asap might take a few days with work and all

Hurricane Warrior

Managed to get it done and have added a flickr link as easier

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sisavedby ... 167477473/

hope it makes sense

mitchgixer6

Aye, that's definitely not right! There should be cartridge bearings in there. The point I was making earlier is that those bearings are usually what are found inside the cartridge (all be it a smaller version). They shouldn't be sitting in the frame open like that.

I'd take that back and go to town on them and demand they put it right.

sungod

ok, deep breath...

[edited with corrected (i think) headset size/model]

looks like it's 44mm id, low profile semi-integrated headset, 1 1/8" steerer, i think with caged bearings, as they've given you

download this...

http://www.vanbokhoven.de/downloads/anl ... e_2010.pdf

look at page 3, this looks like it might be your headset, "no.10", it shows what order things go in and the correct orientation, it looks like you have both sets of bearings the wrong way up


but...

you have a big gap between top of steerer and top of stem, this is bad, normally you'd want the top of the steerer tube flush with or a smidge above the stem...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sisavedby ... /lightbox/

...i'd move one of the (5mm?) spacers from under the stem (if that causes the topcap to bottom out on the steerer bung, just add the spacer back above the stem)


also, the crown race visible here...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sisavedby ... 167477473/

...looks badly worn/pitted, think i'd replace it

but for this, i really i suggest going to lbs, ask them to fit a new headset, you could diy but removing a crown race is easiest with the correct tools (as is fitting the new one)

Hurricane Warrior

I have had problems with the headset since I've had it, and it's not even a year old yet, surely it shouldn'y have worn this quick. Would I have a case to have it replaced do you think??

sungod

if it's been trouble since the start, that was the time to complain

it's not a high cost item, imho far less than the time/effort to just fix it than complain

but i need to revise what i said, for some reason i imagined the pic with the rule was with the cup out, of course it isn't, silly me!

so it's not a no.10ay, i think it's a no.10, which is in the same pdf, but on page 3 instead of page 14

the equivalent with angular contact bearings would probably be the no.9 types