subject: How to Inspect the bike headset ? [print this page] How to Inspect the bike headset ? How to Inspect the bike headset ?
Headsets are designed to last a long time, but even the best headsets can wear out, especially if they aren't cared for. One way to check whether your headset has issues is to test it for looseness. Here are three checks you can try:
Straddle the frame of your bike with your hands firmly clenching the brakes. Try rocking the bike back and forth.
Stand astride the front wheel facing your bike with the wheel pinched between your legs and your hands on the handlebars. Try wiggling the handlebars back and forth.
Lift the front wheel off the ground and strike the tire with your hand, while listening for vibrations.
With the bike in a stand, grasp the fork and the frame and try to flex the fork to see if there is any play in the headset. Lift the front wheel off the ground and turn the handlebars back and forth. If they feel tight and don't move smoothly, you may have tightened the headset too much. With the wheels off the ground and the back wheel higher than the front, the front wheel should swing like a pendulum freely back and forth.
If, with any of these procedures, you feel play in the stem, it could mean that you need to either adjust or replace the headset.
Here are some other signs of headset problems:
The handlebars and fork rattle when you ride.
The handlebars don't turn smoothly.
You have trouble riding in a straight line.
Although headsets don't need to be adjusted very often, over time all the turning you do on your bike and all the bumps and jolts the headset receives from the road may cause the headset to loosen. If you inspect the headset following the steps in the preceding section and find looseness, follow these steps to adjust it.
If adjustments don't alleviate looseness or other issues with the headset, you may need to overhaul it. Headsets can take a lot of abuse, especially if you ride on challenging terrain or in bad weather, so an overhaul that replaces bearings and packs them in fresh grease can go a long way toward improving and extending the life of your bike's steering system.
If you replace a headset with the same model, you'll be able to install it yourself in most cases you won't have to press the head-tube cups into the frame because you can reuse the ones currently in place. However, if you change headsets, you'll need your local bike shop to install it. Special tools along with skill and expertise are required for removing headset parts from a bike frame and installing new ones.
