Replacement headset woes.

BikerGroveish
BikerGroveish Posts: 183
edited July 2018 in Workshop
I’ve just replaced the upper and lower headset bearings on a Carbon Boardman road bike which I got on EBay. I checked the dimensions of the head tube and steerer and the head tube is 1 1/8 to 1.5” tapered. The old bearings fitted nice and snug but the new lower bearing isn’t as snug fitting. It’s not a big problem because I can get the pre load I need but when The fork dropped down a bit as I was removing the bike from the stand before I put the stem and bars back on the bottom bearing came out very easily where as I had to tap the old one out. There isn’t any play in the system but I was a bit surprised about the amount of difference in the fit of the old versus new bearing. Is this expected?

Comments

  • tackleberry
    tackleberry Posts: 82
    So long as you can pre-load such that there is no play everything should be fine. I did the same on a 2012 Boardman frame with a tapered head tube and all was (is) well. So long as the bearing specs match it's all good. Besides, having to tap out the bearings could be interpreted as a sign of being too snug.
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    Just use a little bearing lock to prevent any movement, if it moves it can cause a wear issue.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • BikerGroveish
    BikerGroveish Posts: 183
    The Rookie wrote:
    Just use a little bearing lock to prevent any movement, if it moves it can cause a wear issue.

    The new bearings came with a selection rubber o rings that the old ones didn’t have. I guess the manufacturers are used to head tubes going out of shape a bit and give you gasket rings to make the new bearings fit as well as the old ones. I put one of the o rings into the bottom of the head tube and it’s as snug as the old one was again.

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