Help with Headset

JesseD

Started to strip the road bike to clean/grease ready for the season and as the headset was gritty took it out to re-grease and discovered it was rusted and basically knackered, so it looks like I need to replace the bearings however the ones in there were so rusted I couldn't make out any markings/specs on them!

I googled the bike spec and the Felt website says it is a FSA NO.38/42B headset which are 1.125 and a 1.5 sealed bearings.

CRC seem to stock them but I am unsure if there are the right ones, anyone confirm for me?

FSA Bearing TH-073E ACB 1.5
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/uc/e ... prod134153

FSA Bearing TH-873E ACB
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/uc/e ... prod134043

Thanks

defycomp2

Sort your sizes then go here:

http://www.airebearings.co.uk/Bike-bearings.php?sid=4&Title=Headset%20bearings

JesseD

Cheers DefyComp2 - They are a lot cheaper than anywhere else I have seen inc eBay.

Issue I am having is that the bearings I have taken out are so badly corroded and pitted on the external casing that I am unable to make out the writing on the side. I have tried using soap and water, elbow grease and solvents to get rid of the rust and muck to at least give me a fighting chance of making out the writing but to no avail.

The the lower bearing I can make out to be 1.5" 36deg x 45deg, but the upper bearing I believe to be 1 1/8th" but am unsure of the angles or internal/external diameters, I have searched the net high and low for the dimensions but my searches have come up fruitless?

JesseD

After some more detective work I managed to find the exact bearing sizes for the upper and lower bearings and ordered from Aire Bearings, £14.50 in total which isn't bad, I reckon around half the price of the bearings if I bought them from my LBS and seeing as I am not in a rush then all good.

Just hope the bearings from Aire are of a decent if not better quality than the TH Industries ones that were supplied as standard.

arlowood

JesseD wrote:

After some more detective work I managed to find the exact bearing sizes for the upper and lower bearings and ordered from Aire Bearings, £14.50 in total which isn't bad, I reckon around half the price of the bearings if I bought them from my LBS and seeing as I am not in a rush then all good.

Just hope the bearings from Aire are of a decent if not better quality than the TH Industries ones that were supplied as standard.

Great that you've solved the bearing sourcing problem.

Maybe it would be helpful if you could spell out the sizes you bought (OD/ID plus angles) so that others with the same issues could benefit.

JesseD

Arloworld - good idea, I should have thought of that!

The lower bearing code is - ACB518K (40x51.8x8 - 36/45)
The upper bearing code is - MH-P08H8 (30.15x41.8x8 - 45/45)

The FSA ones I originally listed were wrong in case anyone thinks these are the same, I will report back on the quality of the Aire Bearings when they are delivered.