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Hello all,
I have the 2013 stumpjumper evo carbon. Having just serviced my forks and putting the headset back together I notice how poorly sealed it is and how trashed the bearings are getting as a result (I've just had to replace the top bearing after less than a year) There is a small (~1mm) gap below the [url= 
]top bearing cover[/url] that leads right onto the top of the cartridge bearing. I've packed it with grease but it just washes out. Also the lower bearing is exposed around the fork crown with no kind of seal or cover present at all.
Is this normal or just a poorly designed headset!? Its an FSA branded tapered integrated job with campy spec top bearing - [url= 
]like this[/url]. I'm tempted to sandwich some o-rings in top and bottom and try to seal the gaps a bit better - anyone tried this? Or can I swap it out for something better sealed - not sure how that works with it being integrated?
I'm wanting to preserve the bearing races in the frame above all as I worry they will wear with the grit and muck and render the frame useless at some point...
I have the exact same issue, replaced both top and bottom bearings twice in the last year, never thought about using o-rings, might give it a try.
I tried using a Hope crown race that has a seal built in, but all it seemed to do was trap the water and I went through lower bearings eveing quicker
I can't really understand how they can design things like headsets/bottom brackets/pedals without an adequate seal. It just seems like a flawed product to me - and yet there are plenty of these products out there. You'd expect better on a high spec (and price) bike.
Interesting that you found the hope seal to be trapping water. I may well give O-rings a shot and just keep a close eye on it to see what gets past the seal. Will keep you updated.
[s]Stumpjumper[/s][b]All[/b] integrated headsets - poorly sealed.
I can't really understand how they can design things like headsets/bottom brackets/pedals without an adequate seal
They don't care.