Anyone know how to service a headset?

Kieran_Burns

Got home tonight and mine sounds like there is sand and gravel in there. Really horrible noise...

The bit between the bars and the forks is a black zone to me... I have NO idea where to start sorting things in there.

NeXXus

Clean/degrease/regrease(lithium)/reassemble

If still gritty or notchy replace headset

EKE_38BPM

NeXXus wrote:

Clean/degrease/regrease(lithium)/reassemble

If still gritty or notchy replace headset

Wot e sed.

Kieran_Burns

Well, yes but how do I even get in there?

leeefm

Slacken off stem bolts
Undo steerer tube top cap and remove
Make sure stem bolts are slackened off completely now, so that the stem can be removed
Remove any washers that lie beneath the stem spacers
Slide out fork carefully, so that no bits fall out

Best to do this in a stand.

leeefm

When I say "stem bolts" I mean the ones that lock the stem to the steerer tube, just to be precise. No Need to remove the stem from the bars.

NeXXus

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Well, yes but how do I even get in there?

Loosen brake caliper mount bolt and retain washers

Remove stem top cap and loosen stem bolts - slide stem/bars off

Fork should come out with gentle persuasion or use of a BFH

nicklouse

Read the info in my sig. Both have all the info you could ever need including how to ID what type of headset you have.

freezing77

http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/categories/headset-service

TLDR as above

redvee

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Got home tonight and mine sounds like there is sand and gravel in there. Really horrible noise...

The bit between the bars and the forks is a black zone to me... I have NO idea where to start sorting things in there.

N+1 is much easier.

graham.

Helpful tip.
Take a picture at each stage of dis-assembly.

fatsmoker

And be careful all those spacers and washers don't fall on the floor in a random order, leaving you scrathing your head about re-assembly.

Kieran_Burns

fatsmoker wrote:

And be careful all those spacers and washers don't fall on the floor in a random order, leaving you scrathing your head about re-assembly.

This is the bit that has me most worried

leeefm

Graham. wrote:

Helpful tip.
Take a picture at each stage of dis-assembly.

Excellent idea. Used it myself a few times with other non bike-related stuff

DrLex

leeefm wrote:

Graham. wrote:

Helpful tip.
Take a picture at each stage of dis-assembly.

Excellent idea. Used it myself a few times with other non bike-related stuff

Yup- wiring on ceiling roses last month; dissembling cassette & axle to swap a bearing a few weeks prior.

greg66_tri_v2.0

Kieran_Burns wrote:

fatsmoker wrote:

And be careful all those spacers and washers don't fall on the floor in a random order, leaving you scrathing your head about re-assembly.

This is the bit that has me most worried

Which is why you really should skip straight to the "replace headset" stage.

Stuff breaking is God's way of telling us to replace it.

andrewc3142

The smartass answer to your title (which I think you often like) is yes.

Good advice above, but the details depend on what type of headset you have. I'd suggest starting here:

http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/headset-standards

The Park Tool vids are generally pretty good. Also those by shyflirt1, especially for older bikes.

Headsets are like bb's in that they seem more scary than they actually are, given some reasonable confidence, but on the other hand may be one of the few jobs to take to the LBS.

slowbike

Tricross is easy... As said - remove the stem from the steerer and drop the forks out. You'll get a bb race out of the top and the bottom, clean, grease and reassemble.

Trick is to remember what came out in what order and which way round, but it's not that tricky ...
Take the top lot off first, don't clean them, just put a cable tie through them to keep them in order and put to one side. Now go onto the bottom lot, one that's replaced you can do the top lot knowing they're still in the right order....

vorsprung

The difficult bit isn't disassembly or reassembly
It's finding the correct type and size of bearings for the seemingly random non standard systems that headsets use
For example, the Specialized Roubaix headset is about the only thing from all my bikes that I don't even bother to try and service. I just book it in to the shop and let them order the parts

All the bikes I've built up myself have Hope headsets to mitigate this problem

Kieran_Burns

It's the Felt that's got the problem (although at some point the Tricross will need doing as it is slightly notchy)

Kieran_Burns

Well, the bearings are completely shot. The top ones were basically a rusted pile of poo and fell apart the moment I tried to move them.

They're the cage and bearings type.

The Felt site says this:

By using a ControlTaper head tube with 1-1/8” upper bearings

and 1-1/2” lower bearings, Felt is able to significantly improve front-end

stiffness and steering precision without adding weight to the frameset.

from: http://www.bikeroar.com/products/felt/f65x-2012/specs

Everything needs replacing so any advice would be very much appreciated

itboffin

Damn you too hell, I just walked into the garage to get more beer and thought oh crap I meant to service the commuter this weekend, sure enough the bloody headset has seized solid

I'm blaming you.

Anyway I've bodged it with a thick layer of Phil woods bearing grease.

You owe me a headset or something, git

UndercoverElephant

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Everything needs replacing so any advice would be very much appreciated

You'll need a tool to knock out the old one, another to press in the new one and a new headset. Plus a tool to remove the crown race and a piece of plastic pipe to pop on the new one. For the headset (of which you'll have to work out which of the many versions you need) I highly recommend the Cane Creek 40 series. For the rest, I think I recommend your LBS.

Wheelspinner

I did just get one of these the other day... a few frames needing build-up and decided my shonky blocks of wood and threaded rod were a bit, er, amateur..



That's not helping, is it?

Kieran_Burns

don't think the crown race needs doing, it's 'just' the bearings that are shot, so I need something to replace them.

Wiggle have recommended:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/token-tk070-sem ... d-heggset/

and they do a 1 1/8" - 1 1/2" taper set in black which is what I think I need

UndercoverElephant

Kieran_Burns wrote:

don't think the crown race needs doing, it's 'just' the bearings that are shot, so I need something to replace them.

Wiggle have recommended:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/token-tk070-sem ... d-heggset/

and they do a 1 1/8" - 1 1/2" taper set in black which is what I think I need

Crown race is specific to the headset. I wouldn't buy that one due to the unpalatable use off the word egg.

The Rookie

If its just the bearings, get to your LBS and get a handful the same size, personally I don't like cages (weak point but reduces cost), plenty of grease, insert as many balls as you can round inside the bottom cup, insert forks, repeats with top, fit top race and wedge and rebuild, easy 10 mins job. Halfords sell perfectly good bearings if you are stuck for time to get to an open LBS.

Kieran_Burns

I have the replacement HEGGset here. Looks pretty simple to do, but removing the old cups in the frame may involve some careful hitting with a bloodybigyommer

First.Aspect

KB you have committed a serious Karma crime.

My headset is seized.

veronese68

That's 2 headsets KB has done for by remote. Should we gather a lynch mob?

Kieran_Burns

Veronese68 wrote:

That's 2 headsets KB has done for by remote. Should we gather a lynch mob?

Is that you on the left?