Is my head tube oval?

[big Pete]

Hi all,

I have a Norco bush pilot that I use(d) for off road use. I now use it as a winter commuter bike. I have noticed that my steering has a notch in the strait position. It uses a threaded system for the stem and fork connection. I am just wondering if I oval-ised my head tube or I just need a new head set? How do you see if the head tube is oval-ised?

Thank you very much


Pete

 

[Hank Wirtz]

On Dec 21, 7:53 am, big Pete <big.Pete.31y...@no-
mx.forums.cyclingforums.com> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I have a Norco bush pilot that I use(d) for off road use. I now use it
> as a winter commuter bike. I have noticed that my steering has a notch
> in the strait position. It uses a threaded system for the stem and fork
> connection. I am just wondering if I oval-ised my head tube or I just
> need a new head set? How do you see if the head tube is oval-ised?
>
> Thank you very much
>
> Pete
>
> --
> big Pete

I highly doubt that you ovalised it, since that's usually caused by a
loose headset, which wouldn't have the notch.

You might not even need a new headset. If you rebuild it with loose
balls instead of retainers, the balls won't line up the same way as
before and the indexing will be gone. Not that the indexing really
hurts anything, anyway.

 

[Werehatrack]

On Sat, 22 Dec 2007 02:53:15 +1100, big Pete
<[email protected]> may have said:

>
>Hi all,
>
>I have a Norco bush pilot that I use(d) for off road use. I now use it
>as a winter commuter bike. I have noticed that my steering has a notch
>in the strait position. It uses a threaded system for the stem and fork
>connection. I am just wondering if I oval-ised my head tube or I just
>need a new head set? How do you see if the head tube is oval-ised?

The overt symptom of a wallowed head tube is steerer radial motion
under load or, in bad cases, play in the cup where it goes into the
frame. This is rare; it takes a hard hit to change the shape of the
head tube, and you'll bend the fork first. The type of symptom you're
seeing is almost always due to a worn headset. Take it apart and
examine the cones; I'm betting that you'll find a pitted or corroded
spot in one of them.

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

 

[A Muzi]

big Pete wrote:
> I have a Norco bush pilot that I use(d) for off road use. I now use it
> as a winter commuter bike. I have noticed that my steering has a notch
> in the strait position. It uses a threaded system for the stem and fork
> connection. I am just wondering if I oval-ised my head tube or I just
> need a new head set? How do you see if the head tube is oval-ised?

all is revealed:
http://draco.acs.uci.edu/rbfaq/FAQ/8f.13.html
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

 

[Rex Kerr]

Hank Wirtz wrote:
> You might not even need a new headset. If you rebuild it with loose
> balls instead of retainers, the balls won't line up the same way as
> before and the indexing will be gone. Not that the indexing really
> hurts anything, anyway.

If that fails, I've also had luck with changing the size of bearings in
one of the cups. I had a beater bike that had really bad indexed
steering, so bad that it almost caused a crash a few times when riding
off-road since I couldn't compensate for gravel and small rocks. I put
smaller bearings in the bottom cup than the ones that it came with and
it's now extremely smooth, such that you'd never suspect that anything
was ever wrong with it.

 

[Tom Sherman]

big Pete ? wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I have a Norco bush pilot that I use(d) for off road use. I now use it
> as a winter commuter bike. I have noticed that my steering has a notch
> in the strait position. It uses a threaded system for the stem and fork
> connection. I am just wondering if I oval-ised my head tube or I just
> need a new head set? How do you see if the head tube is oval-ised?...

JB frets over this issue, while jb indents.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
POST FREE OR DIE!

 

[Werehatrack]

On Sat, 22 Dec 2007 22:28:04 -0600, Tom Sherman
<[email protected]> may have said:

>big Pete ? wrote:
>> Hi all,
>>
>> I have a Norco bush pilot that I use(d) for off road use. I now use it
>> as a winter commuter bike. I have noticed that my steering has a notch
>> in the strait position. It uses a threaded system for the stem and fork
>> connection. I am just wondering if I oval-ised my head tube or I just
>> need a new head set? How do you see if the head tube is oval-ised?...
>
>JB frets over this issue, while jb indents.

You, sir, are having entirely too much fun flogging a certain bit of
equine taxidermy.

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

 

[datakoll]

On Dec 21, 2:53 pm, A Muzi <[email protected]> wrote:
> big Pete wrote:
> > I have a Norco bush pilot that I use(d) for off road use. I now use it
> > as a winter commuter bike. I have noticed that my steering has a notch
> > in the strait position. It uses a threaded system for the stem and fork
> > connection. I am just wondering if I oval-ised my head tube or I just
> > need a new head set? How do you see if the head tube is oval-ised?
>
> all is revealed:http://draco.acs.uci.edu/rbfaq/FAQ/8f.13.html
> --
> Andrew Muziwww.yellowjersey.org
> Open every day since 1 April, 1971

ol JB sure can write can't he?

 

[[email protected]]

That is a question you need to ask your wife, girlfriend or boyfriend,
depending on your preferences.

 

[datakoll]

problem can be elliptical wear at the crown race from lack of service
or greasewash out in severe conditions.
try repacking with new bearings and Castrol Marine Grease in a tube
from Wal-grease is beige.
The elliptical and non adjustable surfaces out torque the rebuild even
using liberal quantities of red and blue locktite on a sanitary thread
surface. A coula miles down the road and expletive deleted it's loose
again.
No, that's not clumsy you, the race is shot and you gotta get a new
one.
take it off after cleaning and PCBlaster with a propane torch smokin'
and a machete (Wal) tapped with a hardwood block offa skid.

ovalization? if the cups fell out? cups don't fall out, gotta punchem
out. I have a tool looks like a vitamin pill stretches acroos the cup
edges and tap tap out eases the cup. But the easier the cup comes out,
the more probable ovalization. paint it or linseed the inside pipe
before sticking the cups back in.
inspect for rust.
if ovalized, Locktite has slipfit liquids for solving the refit but a
clean surface is a good idea. Farmall hardware has a circular brush to
fit.

 

[datakoll]

could be the notch is in there caws the tube dimensions were sloppy
when new, the cups never fit snug?

 

[A Muzi]

>> big Pete wrote:
>>> I have a Norco bush pilot that I use(d) for off road use. I now use it
>>> as a winter commuter bike. I have noticed that my steering has a notch
>>> in the strait position. It uses a threaded system for the stem and fork
>>> connection. I am just wondering if I oval-ised my head tube or I just
>>> need a new head set? How do you see if the head tube is oval-ised?

> A Muzi <[email protected]> wrote:
>> all is revealed:http://draco.acs.uci.edu/rbfaq/FAQ/8f.13.html

datakoll wrote:
> ol JB sure can write can't he?

It's a great resource, largely developed by Mr Brandt, with good
organization and clear writing.
Not that our FAQ is perfect, but it sure is a good start.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

 

[datakoll]

On Dec 24, 8:18 pm, A Muzi <[email protected]> wrote:
> >> big Pete wrote:
> >>> I have a Norco bush pilot that I use(d) for off road use. I now use it
> >>> as a winter commuter bike. I have noticed that my steering has a notch
> >>> in the strait position. It uses a threaded system for the stem and fork
> >>> connection. I am just wondering if I oval-ised my head tube or I just
> >>> need a new head set? How do you see if the head tube is oval-ised?
> >  A Muzi <[email protected]> wrote:
> >> all is revealed:http://draco.acs.uci.edu/rbfaq/FAQ/8f.13.html
> datakoll wrote:
> > ol JB sure can write can't he?
>
> It's a great resource, largely developed by Mr Brandt, with good
> organization and clear writing.
> Not that our FAQ is perfect, but it sure is a good start.
> --
> Andrew Muziwww.yellowjersey.org
> Open every day since 1 April, 1971

a rare bird