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i still have the original headset fitted to my Scott Strike. I can't remember what make but when riding along it still lets me turn the bars and steer fine.
In the garage I noticed just how stiff and grindy it was to turn. Perhaps 10 years without being greased, oiled or noticed has had an effect.
i guess that if I try to open it up and grease it then the accumalated dirt, broken bearings etc will collapse and I will be left with something that no longer works.
Any harm done by riding one component into the ground? I can see that knackered chains will wear out other bits but the headset seems fairly self contained.
Given that it still basically works and I don't notice the stiffness when riding, is there any point in doing anything about it?
Pump some grease in an spend the money on something else
Use the bike for straight line rides only? 😆
Because you can get an FSA from on one for 15 squids, it will work really well and you can get on with worrying about something else instead. I'm never convinced if going up to CK is worth it but replacing something that is even a little graunchy really is
Depends if you can get replacement bearings easily, I'd have thought. As it is, you'll be damaging the headset race surface(?) & pitting would mean that replacing the bearing later is pointless (well that my understanding of it).
Just bung some grease in it, and it'll be fine.
Have you still not got a bolt for the shock mount yet?
I believe the term to describe that is 'Gritchy', as agreed on this here (well the old) site back in the day....
Well it is now raining so I will go have a look at it this morning
No elfin, the shock bolt is still held in place by luck
If the bearing is close to seizing then it will probably be scoring the steerer tube nicely.
So it depends how valuable the forks are.
What size hammer to replace a headset...
depends how valuable the forks are.
Probably not as valuable as the headset, knowing WCA..... 😉
WCA, replacing headsets with a hammer is a gentle, careful process, involving precise tapping in just the right places to avoid utterly borking the whole shebang. Size of hammer is irrelevant, the way it's used is critical...... 🙂
Well that's them fixed then.
1) Handle bars off.
2) Couldn't move the forks so smacked them with a broken table leg to 'ease' them out.
3) Various metal bits fell off but were too caked in mud to identify so chucked them in a glass of white spirit.
4) Scraped the bearing runs with a screwdriver wrapped in my teeshirt until I could see something shiney.
5) Rubbed them with a piece of paper soaked in white spirit and they seemed reasonably smooth.
6) Shook everything in the glass of white spirit for a couple of minutes.
7) Took each bit out, wiped off the remaining dirt and tried to identify what it was and where it went.
8 ) Slapped grease on everything and put the forks back on, just tightening the handlebars when I spot the brake hoses are round the wrong way so have to take the fork back off.
9) Put it all back together and it is now reasonably smooth
A decade of no maintenance and then 30 minutes to get it back to good in 9 easy steps!
just tightening the handlebars when I spot the brake hoses are round the wrong way so have to take the fork back off.
Always do that, so annoying!
Size of hammer is irrelevant, the way it's used is critical......
Rubbish - everyone knows a bigger hammer simply works better, does the job quicker, and makes you more attractive to the opposite sex...
DrP
I couldn't see a hammer so I pulled the leg off the workbench and used that.
Is that acceptable?
only if you don't have a rock nearby