Tuesday, across the two bridges, back with a detour to blackness, just for the heck of it, lovely calm water no waves, actually could see the tide moving in , lovely ! BUT ! was using my sons bike, just for a change, its a two/three (cant keep up now, I am too old !)year old, Carrera mtb thing, all very nice, works well, except for one problem I discovered ! Now ive been riding bikes since adam was aboy, so have mastered the look ma no hands technique quite well, so as I was trying to do up and down zips and check my watch I very quickly realised that I couldn't ! I honestly thought I had some serious balance problems, I did have a sore ear ! I stopped and had a wee check, lifted the front of the bike up, supported on rear wheel, brake applied, tilted handlebars a bit to either side, and ......nothing, it just stayed there, I suspect the headset/steerer bearing has seized !It states its a cartridge type inside on the top of the bars/tube , so I assume this is a fairly easy repair ? old out and new in ? sealed for life, no lube or grease required ?
or do I now need a full set of space shuttle tools and equipment to repair it ?
all sugestions and tips gratefully received !
Scott
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Stuff
good ride and bad bike !
(4 posts)-
Posted 11 years ago #
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*probably* an aheadset, I'd say follow the Sheldon Brown link on the front page and compare the diagrams with what you've got, they all need plenty grease on assembly though ;-)
Posted 11 years ago # -
Before you go worrying about the bearings themselves try resetting the preload. There's plenty of guides out there but here's a quick version:
-Loosen the pinch bolts at the back of the stem and the steerer tube one on top.
-You *should* now find the bars turn properly but there may be looseness/rattling. Make sure the forks are turning with the bars and not just the stem on the steerer.
-Tighten the steerer tube bolt on top slowly until the bearings begin to bind again. You want it as loose as possible without it rattling or shaking about. Then tighten the pinch bolts to lock it all into place.
Done. Compared to messing about with quill stems and threaded locknuts it's a dawdle. Replacing cartridge bearings is for a headset at least very straightforward too if it needs to be done. You can also regrease cartridge bearings despite them being 'sealed' though it's not often worth the hassle or even the cost of the grease.
With it being an mtb I imagine it's been ridden through all sorts of filth with no mudguard to protect the headset. That's basically a death sentence for a bearing. I've never killed a headset on road but I fairly rip through them offroad.
Posted 11 years ago # -
thanks people ! will deffo try the adjustment thing, although it is a mtb it was my sons , hes not exactly a mudplugger ! will let you know !
Thanks ,ScottPosted 11 years ago #
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