Headset Bearings - Help!

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softlips
Posts: 667
Joined: 12 Dec 2016, 8:51pm

Headset Bearings - Help!

Post by softlips »

My winter bike is a Planet X London Road and the headset bearing feels a little worn. Planet X say I require:
Headset / Tapered 1 1/8th" - 1.5 Integrated.

They look to be out of stock - please can anyone point me in the right direction to get one the same spec?

A link would be appreciated - I have looked myself but there seems to be so many choices!
Thank you!
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Redvee
Posts: 2465
Joined: 8 Mar 2010, 8:58pm

Re: Headset Bearings - Help!

Post by Redvee »

Wiggle sell a similar headset under their Lifeline brand but again this is out of stock but does give you more information.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-1-18-1 ... bon-cap-1/
Brucey
Posts: 44529
Joined: 4 Jan 2012, 6:25pm

Re: Headset Bearings - Help!

Post by Brucey »

if you remove the old bearings they should have numbers on them which will enable you to search for the correct bearings. Failing that , measure them accurately and identify them that way.

cheers
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
tim-b
Posts: 2093
Joined: 10 Oct 2009, 8:20am

Re: Headset Bearings - Help!

Post by tim-b »

Hi
You probably only need the bearings
Wych bearings (link) are very good, with phone and email for queries
Regards
tim-b
~~~~¯\(ツ)/¯~~~~
softlips
Posts: 667
Joined: 12 Dec 2016, 8:51pm

Re: Headset Bearings - Help!

Post by softlips »

Thanks everyone.
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Gattonero
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Joined: 31 Jan 2016, 1:35pm
Location: London

Re: Headset Bearings - Help!

Post by Gattonero »

softlips wrote:My winter bike is a Planet X London Road and the headset bearing feels a little worn. Planet X say I require:
Headset / Tapered 1 1/8th" - 1.5 Integrated.

They look to be out of stock - please can anyone point me in the right direction to get one the same spec?

A link would be appreciated - I have looked myself but there seems to be so many choices!
Thank you!


Pretty much all the integrated headset bearings have 45º outside angle, but the inside angle can be 36º or 45º. Also the lenght of the chamfer can be slightly different in the same size of bearings (why people do complicate things in such way, is hard to figure! :? ).

Take a set of verniers and measure the bearing, is very likely it's only the bottom one in need of replacing, as it's the one that gets all the road-spray.
The top bearing it needs neglicence for making it so bad to need replacing, either by overtightening the headset (recently there seems to be a lot of concern about "play in the bearings") or by leaving the bike often exposed to elements and not making it dry/expelling the moisture.
The typical "factory assembly" with no grease on the parts is also a cause of premature failure.

Anyway, your bottom bearing is most likely a 52mm 45º bearing, very common size. It's not a bad idea to carefully remove the seal and squirt some more -good quality- grease inside the cartridge.
Also clean and grease the inside of the headtube where the bearings go, and the crown-race
It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best,
since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.
Thus you remember them as they actually are...
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Sweep
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Joined: 20 Oct 2011, 4:57pm
Location: London

Re: Headset Bearings - Help!

Post by Sweep »

Gattonero wrote: (why people do complicate things in such way, is hard to figure! :? ).

Or indeed spec cartridge bearings in the manufacturing :)
Well remember trying to get the spec for some bearings from Dahon for one of my bikes - the ***wits couldn't tell me.
Sweep
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Gattonero
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Location: London

Re: Headset Bearings - Help!

Post by Gattonero »

Sweep wrote:
Gattonero wrote: (why people do complicate things in such way, is hard to figure! :? ).

Or indeed spec cartridge bearings in the manufacturing :)
Well remember trying to get the spec for some bearings from Dahon for one of my bikes - the ***wits couldn't tell me.


There's nothing wrong with cartridge bearings as longs they're used in sizes that are easy to get hold of, read: "known sizes and not odd".
In particular, in a headset they brilliantly solve the problem of rusty/corroded parts. I.e. a rusty or pitted crown-race can be expensive and difficult to find for a given headset with loose ball-bearings, plus if the races in the headset cups are rusty/pitted as well then the whole headset goes in the bin. With cartridge bearings one can refresh all the moving parts in one go, standard quality headset bearings cost about £5 so it work out cheaper than buying a new crown race+ball bearings.
The problem is that average quality for headset cartridge bearings is poor for material, production and lubrication. If we add the usual "factory installation" with no grease to protect the bearings from water leaking in, there it goes their very short life. Their lower load ability when compared to loose ball-bearings isn't the problem, the 99.9% of cartridge bearings go rusty well before they actually "wear".
It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best,
since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.
Thus you remember them as they actually are...
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Sweep
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Joined: 20 Oct 2011, 4:57pm
Location: London

Re: Headset Bearings - Help!

Post by Sweep »

Thanks for the detailed reply gatto.

I bow to your way way deeper knowledge of these things.

Put my earlier post down to my Dahon experience where the bearings wore or rather destructed quite dramatically :(

My expedition bike and also I think my Hewit tourer do have cartridge bearings - both quite recent - must take them apart soon to check their condition.
Sweep
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