Smoother headset
I am in the process of cleaning and re-greasing the upper and lower bearings on my Tarmac Sora SL4 as it was quite gritty when turning the wheel, plus kept getting stuck in place if unused for a couple of weeks.
When I took it apart I found that the upper and lower bearings were quite rough when turned. Since cleaning and greasing they seem a lot smoother but having fit them back in, it still feels rough and scrapy when i turn the wheel.
Is there anything else I can do to help make it smoother? I looked at replacing the bearings, but appears that the lower bearing which is 1 3/8 is quite difficult to replace and would have to buy the whole headset new.
When I took it apart I found that the upper and lower bearings were quite rough when turned. Since cleaning and greasing they seem a lot smoother but having fit them back in, it still feels rough and scrapy when i turn the wheel.
Is there anything else I can do to help make it smoother? I looked at replacing the bearings, but appears that the lower bearing which is 1 3/8 is quite difficult to replace and would have to buy the whole headset new.
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Comments
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Presumably they are sealed cartridge type bearings rather than loose or caged ball bearings? My usual experience with these is that once they start to feel rough the best thing to do is just replace them. You can faff about picking out the seals to flush out the grease / dirt / corrosion and regrease, but it's hard to avoid damaging the seals.
How hard can it be to remove the bearings and find replacements via LBS, local bearing supplier or online?
Hmm, sounds like they might be proprietary ones, so maybe LBS or Spesh dealer are your only options...0 -
from experience with a spesh allez 2010 sora, to replace the headset you will need to buy one from specialized or a specialized dealer, they're around £30 if I remember correctly, or you could see if you can see if you can just replaced the caged bearings. When I tried to do this it was impossible to preload the headset for some reason and the bottom bearing wouldn't sit flush with the fork crown leaving a gap, but if you can it'll save you some dough0
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If they are open caged bearings with balls search replace mindset headset on here and get rid. Lots of us have on our speak bikes and its pretty easy and way better. If its already sealed cartridge then they should have size on the side. Post what year and model bike and I should have a link to what headset it is.0
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Echoing the above itll depend on the bearing type, ball an cage just remove and replace (clean up the bearing races) If its a sealed one if you get the measurements you should be able to get a replacement. with the sealed units once the grits in its very hard to get back out. In terms of removing them its pretty straight forward usually, I tend to have a small hook tool handy to get under them but often the bottom bearing drops out when you got to remove the fork.
In terms of bearings the headset is listed as 1-1/8" upper and 1-3/8" lower so you should be able to get them from your LBS if not someone like Evans or similar will be able to source originals. You shouldnt need a whole headset unless the bearing races have become damaged.0 -
Yeah, should have given a bit more detail on the bike... it's a 2014 Specialized Tarmac Sora SL4. This is the link from Evans cycles (if it works)
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/spe ... e-ec053059
Headset detail as per the link:
Headset:
1-1/8" upper and 1-3/8" lower, Cr-Mo cartridge bearings integrated w/ headset, 20mm cone spacer, w/ 20mm of spacersbaysixty wrote:from experience with a spesh allez 2010 sora, to replace the headset you will need to buy one from specialized or a specialized dealer, they're around £30 if I remember correctly, or you could see if you can see if you can just replaced the caged bearings. When I tried to do this it was impossible to preload the headset for some reason and the bottom bearing wouldn't sit flush with the fork crown leaving a gap, but if you can it'll save you some dough
^^ Interestingly spotted the same issue. I can tighten (preload) the top cap and it feels good when rocking back and forth but I've also noticed a small gap (1-2mm) between lower bearing and crown and the upper bearing and bearing cover or cap.
On a side note - was told that the compression ring should hold the fork in place when it's fitted... not the case with mine - whole thing fell out when i turned away for 5 seconds to get more grease!!0 -
Sorry you need the version of this
http://service.specialized.com/collater ... 3_RevB.pdf
That runs to 2014 (I don't have it) or ask a Spesh Concept Store and they will know0
