bearing set in a ring.

[flowerpot]

Please can someone advice me on this, I wish to replace some bearings on my steering on a push bike. The bearings are in a circular case.. which consisit of 16 ball bearings which it is just under an inch and half ( OR 37 mm). in diamtia..

I have been looking on websites for these bearings, but alas cant find them..Is this a regular size.
some of them I find on these websites will have 1 less in or 1 more in them or some with a lot more in them,..

But cant find any with 16 in them is this normal?

Anybody got any ideas..


flowerpot

[meic]

The bearings are almost always 3/16ths. However there is apparently no standard for the cages that they come in. So every bike could be different.
One answer is to do what they always did in the past and use loose ball bearings, sticking them in place in grease. It is fiddly but everyone used to do it in the past.
Use as many ball bearings as will fit in the race and then take one out so they have room to move.

[rogerzilla]

As long as the diameter is the same, the precise number of balls doesn't matter (although more is better). Old Sturmey-Archer axle bearings used 8 balls per side, now they use 7.

What bearing is this for? If it's a headset then they are most likely to be 5/32", but may be 3/16". Generally:

front hubs 3/16"
rear hubs and bottom brackets (cup and cone type) 1/8"
headsets 5/32" or 3/16"

Pedals are often 1/8" but Shimano SPD pedals use 3/32", which is minute.

[Mick F]

I find it strange that balls are usually referred to as being Imperial.

My Campag ones are all specified in Metric.
Also, my headset has different size balls top and bottom.

[fatboy]

It is actually beneficial for the steering headset to have the bearings loose and not in a cage. This is because you have more balls to spread the loads and are less likely to get "indexed steering" in which the balls have dented a little dip in the corresponding bearing cup.

Why do you need these bearings? If you have a problem with the steering you often have to change the lot and that's readlly a job for a bike shop.

[Punk_shore]

I find it strange that balls are usually referred to as being Imperial.

So far as I'm aware Mick, this is a quirk of history. Much bicycle development was carried out in Britain and the United States of America. A body such as the Bicycle Association should be able to provide a definitive answer.

Don't forget that our American cousins are on the King James imperial standard.