I've posted about headsets before but I'm starting to get into doing my own maintainence and somewhat lacking in confidence so thought I'd double check. Learning from books/DVDs is okay but however good they are, it can't be the same as having someone who knows what they're doing actually tell you that you've done it right!
I've tended to be a tad nervous about headset adjustment (standard 1 1/8th threadless type) as I picked up the notion somewhere that a loose headset might cause headtube ovalisation and I'm a bit worried that I might not get things 100% right. A bit of question asking and research suggests that this probably isn't the case (although a loose headset might make ovalisation easier in instances of hard frontal impact) so I'm a bit more comfortable about having a go. I just wanted to check that I needn't worry about headset ovalisation (and I can't imagine that I could get things too badly wrong) and whether it really is as simple as removing all detectable play and tightening up the stem.
Sorry if this is basic stuff but it's good to be sure.
Headsets are simple. Lock front brake, rock bike back and forth. Play? Too loose. Tighten. No play? See if bars turn smoothly with wheel off ground. Smooth? Go ride. Not smooth? Service or loosen.
I've posted about headsets before but I'm starting to get into doing my own maintainence and somewhat lacking in confidence so thought I'd double check. Learning from books/DVDs is okay but however good they are, it can't be the same as having someone who knows what they're doing actually tell you that you've done it right!
I've tended to be a tad nervous about headset adjustment (standard 1 1/8th threadless type) as I picked up the notion somewhere that a loose headset might cause headtube ovalisation and I'm a bit worried that I might not get things 100% right. A bit of question asking and research suggests that this probably isn't the case (although a loose headset might make ovalisation easier in instances of hard frontal impact) so I'm a bit more comfortable about having a go. I just wanted to check that I needn't worry about headset ovalisation (and I can't imagine that I could get things too badly wrong) and whether it really is as simple as removing all detectable play and tightening up the stem.
"Ovalization" only happens to integrated headsets. What is an integrated head set? Look it up.
A badly adjusted headset can damage the balls or races. The latter is the more serious eventuality, since it would mean replacing all races including the fork crown race. But do not worry; adjusting the headset is easy, and at worse a bit tedious if you have to follow the method of successive approximations.
"landotter" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Headsets are simple. Lock front brake, rock bike back and forth. Play? Too loose. Tighten. No play? See if bars turn smoothly with wheel off ground. Smooth? Go ride. Not smooth? Service or loosen.
It's really that simple.
Another method I seen recommended (Park Tools I think) suggested lifting the bike up so the front wheel lower than the rear. Turn the wheel to the side and let it go. The headset should be loose enough so that the wheel/fork return to the middle, but not so loose that it swings back and forth until it stops in the center.
I use landotter's method to make sure it is tight enough, and I check to make sure it isn't too tight with this method.
