Headsets

[Keith Willoughb]

Cycled up to Merthyr today (took me 3 hours to get there the
first time I did it. With the addition of slick tyres,
clipless pedals, and legs that aren't made out of spaghetti
any more, it took me 1hr 50 today)

Anyway, a mile from home, I hit a pot-hole. The wheel went
one way, the handlebars the other, depositing me neatly
into a bush.

Testing it, it was solid enough for me to cycle home -
steering was OK. However, if I hold the wheel, I can twist
the stem with only moderate effort (although it seems to
click into place when it's facing the correct direction)

Now, I'd suspected the headset (threaded) of being loose for
a week or so - some juddering under braking, the odd clunk.
I don't have a headset spanner, though, and I didn't trust
the LBS to do the job (I did ask him to tighten it when I
bought my rack from him, but he just tightened the lock nut,
not the headset cup) so I didn't do anything about it.

So, is this failure a symptom of a loose headset, or one
that's toast?

--
Keith Willoughby http://flat222.org/keith/ Simplify

[Tony Raven]

Keith Willoughby wrote:
> Cycled up to Merthyr today (took me 3 hours to get there
> the first time I did it. With the addition of slick tyres,
> clipless pedals, and legs that aren't made out of
> spaghetti any more, it took me 1hr 50 today)
>
> Anyway, a mile from home, I hit a pot-hole. The wheel went
> one way, the handlebars the other, depositing me neatly
> into a bush.
>
> Testing it, it was solid enough for me to cycle home -
> steering was OK. However, if I hold the wheel, I can twist
> the stem with only moderate effort (although it seems to
> click into place when it's facing the correct direction)
>
> Now, I'd suspected the headset (threaded) of being loose
> for a week or so - some juddering under braking, the odd
> clunk. I don't have a headset spanner, though, and I
> didn't trust the LBS to do the job (I did ask him to
> tighten it when I bought my rack from him, but he just
> tightened the lock nut, not the headset cup) so I didn't
> do anything about it.
>
> So, is this failure a symptom of a loose headset, or one
> that's toast?

Sounds more like the stem is not fixed properly - nothing
you can do to the headset allows the bars/stem to move
relative to the wheels. Is it a quill stem or ahead (the
latter has bolts at the back and a bolted cup on the top,
the former just a bolt on the top). I suspect a quill in
which case line the stem and wheel up and tighten the bolt.
For an aheadset you loosen the bolts at the back, snug the
bolt on top down until there is no wobble in the headset (do
not crank the bolt down tight) and then line the stem up and
retighten the bolts at the back.

Tony

[Keith Willoughb]

Tony Raven wrote:

> Keith Willoughby wrote:
>> So, is this failure a symptom of a loose headset, or one
>> that's toast?
>
> Sounds more like the stem is not fixed properly - nothing
> you can do to the headset allows the bars/stem to move
> relative to the wheels.

Ah, ok. That's me showing I don't understand how it all
works in there :-)

> Is it a quill stem or ahead (the latter has bolts at the
> back and a bolted cup on the top, the former just a bolt
> on the top).

Quill

> I suspect a quill in which case line the stem and wheel up
> and tighten the bolt.

I've done that, but it's as tight as it'll go, I think, and
it still happens. The stem also doesn't go up and down, it
just twists.

--
Keith Willoughby http://flat222.org/keith/ The dreams in
which I'm dying are the best I've ever had

[Tony Raven]

Keith Willoughby wrote:
>
> Quill
>
>
> I've done that, but it's as tight as it'll go, I think,
> and it still happens. The stem also doesn't go up and
> down, it just twists.

OK try a little disassembly, cleaning and greasing. To
disassemble undo the top bolt a bit (not completely) then
tap it with a hammer. It should drop down which is the clamp
undoing. You should then be able to apply a bit of brute
force and hammer to remove the stem from the top headset.
Once out you can see how it works with a sliding wedge.
Clean it up and grease it, especially the bolt threads (and
inside the steerer- that hole down the middle of the
headset), put it back together and tighten up tight.

Tony

[Keith Willoughb]

Tony Raven wrote:

> Keith Willoughby wrote:
>>
>> Quill
>>
>>
>> I've done that, but it's as tight as it'll go, I think,
>> and it still happens. The stem also doesn't go up and
>> down, it just twists.
>
> OK try a little disassembly, cleaning and greasing.

[...]

OK, ta.

--
Keith Willoughby http://flat222.org/keith/ "New songs and
true songs and songs to bring you"

[Simon Brooke]

in message <871xll7vag.fsf@flat222.dyndns.org>, Keith Willoughby
('keith@flat222.org') wrote:

> However, if I hold the wheel, I can twist the stem with
> only moderate effort (although it seems to click into
> place when it's facing the correct direction)
>
> Now, I'd suspected the headset (threaded) of being loose
> for a week or so - some juddering under braking, the odd
> clunk. I don't have a headset spanner, though, and I
> didn't trust the LBS to do the job (I did ask him to
> tighten it when I bought my rack from him, but he just
> tightened the lock nut, not the headset cup) so I didn't
> do anything about it.
>
> So, is this failure a symptom of a loose headset, or one
> that's toast?

Niether. No evidence of damage to the headset at all. It
does imply the cone is loose, however, which is potentially
more serious.

On the very top of the stem you see the head of a bolt
(often these days an Allan type). To release the stem from
the steerer, loosen this bolt and give it a tab downwards
with a rubber or wooden mallet. To fix the stem in the
steerer, tighten this bolt. Just now you need to tighten it
- and you *should* do so before you use the bike again.

--
simon@jasmine.org.uk (Simon Brooke)
http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; all in all you're just another click in the call
;; -- Minke Bouyed

[Keith Willoughb]

Keith Willoughby wrote:

> Tony Raven wrote:
>
>> Keith Willoughby wrote:
>>>
>>> Quill
>>>
>>>
>>> I've done that, but it's as tight as it'll go, I think,
>>> and it still happens. The stem also doesn't go up and
>>> down, it just twists.
>>
>> OK try a little disassembly, cleaning and greasing.
>
> [...]
>
> OK, ta.

OK, loosening the quill, giving it a tap, and retightening
it seems to have done the trick, for some reason. I'll leave
the disassembly, etc, for another day. :)

I'll still need to tighten the headset at some point, but I
begrudge the money for a headset spanner . . .

--
Keith Willoughby http://flat222.org/keith/ "Can I do you
now, sir?"