Headsets

Keith Willoughby said:

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

Tony Raven said:

Keith Willoughby said:

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 :-)

Quoted message said:

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

Quoted message said:

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

Keith Willoughby said:

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

Tony Raven said:

Keith Willoughby said:

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"

Keith Willoughby said:

Tony Raven said:

Keith Willoughby said:

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?"

in message <[email hidden]>, Keith Willoughby

(') said:

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.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

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