Specialised Secteur headset replacement.

[SpannerGeek]

My headset is on its way out. On inspection the manufactured parts seem of the cheapest quality: races pushed into the frame and ball bearing care cages to mimic a semi integrated zero stack headset. It looks like a press in system on the frame. Anyone an idea about aluminium frames from this manufacturer?

[Brucey]

yes, you probably need to go to a specialized dealer for a new headset (or at least the correct specification so you can waste your life trying to find the right thing for sale elsewhere), and you need to protect it/ service it regularly if you don't want the same thing to happen again. Don't worry too much about the parts being a loose fit in the frame BTW, IIRC they are often meant to seat on the tapers not the diameters, and if not it can usually be sorted out with loctite.

They use one of several hundred current proprietary headset types, most of which are IMHO examples of 'false variety'. In a way I don't mind this in the slightest, it makes my life a lot simpler, because it provides me with a very easy way to legitimately reject such bikes from possible Brucey ownership.

cheers

[tim-b]

Hi
You probably have the Mindset headset
I'm reasonably certain that you can carefully drift those parts out and replace them with the integrated (IS) type headset of your choice, you might need an additional spacer on the steerer because the IS headset is shorter (no cups)
This should give you a suitable Cane Creek headset, the SHIS number is common to several manufacturers
Regards
tim-b

[SpannerGeek]

After much searching of forums I finally found the answer: simply tap out the old rubbish mindset cups and fit any IS 41mm sealed bearing zero stack headset. Got a good quality Neco one this afternoon and fitted it in 10 minutes. The Specialised dealer wanted £103!!!

This will work on any Specialized alloy frame with only the diameter different on models, it's normally 41 or 44mm bearings that are required. No spacers were required and I now have a perfectly smooth and plush 'Upgrade'.

[Brucey]

that is a pretty good result; it could have been a lot worse than that....

cheers

[richardpenfound]

After much searching of forums I finally found the answer: simply tap out the old rubbish mindset cups and fit any IS 41mm sealed bearing zero stack headset. Got a good quality Neco one this afternoon and fitted it in 10 minutes. The Specialised dealer wanted £103!!!

This will work on any Specialized alloy frame with only the diameter different on models, it's normally 41 or 44mm bearings that are required. No spacers were required and I now have a perfectly smooth and plush 'Upgrade'.

Cheers for that. Would never have guessed this trick. Found your post this morning, Happened to have the right sealed bearings in a drawer, and now my bike (2013 Secteur Sport with FACT forks) works again.

Two things I would add:

1. There was an additional crown race on my forks that required removal.
2. It was necessary to add a small 1mm spacer to in between the top bearing cartridge and the steerer.

Point 2 is because the bottom section of the steerer is slightly broader in diameter than the top section. The bottom bearing cartridge fits nice and snug round the steerer but the top one doesn't. I think that's a fairly common thing, as I've fallen foul of it before on other bikes.

Point 1 felt like a bodge on the part of the manufacturer to make the forks fit with the crap headset supplied with the bike.

Anyway, as you say, a plush upgrade.