Headset Maintenance Issue

[TyronLab]

Ahoy peeps.

 

So, being an avid DIY-er I decided to tackle a "quick" headset service last night as on longer rides I noticed my headset starting to creak. After a quick browse of GMBN's YouTube channel I was under the impression I was fully equipped to do this service.

 

For reference and nomenclature:

 

 

Everything went swimmingly and I found the creak culprit (dirty upper cartridge bearing), until I tried to re-fit the compression ring back into the upper seal. On my Silverback Sola this compression ring was fit into the seal when I took the headset apart, and was not a loose component as in the videos I saw. I decided to remove it by collapsing it with a long-nose plier. I assumed that because it was "fit" into the upper seal it should go back there, not be loosely fit onto the steerer tube as I would later figure out, and thus the issues started...

 

After an hour and a half of struggling, forcing, prodding and swearing I had warped and burred up the compression ring quite badly trying to get it back into the seal. After sitting back and analyzing it (too late, of course) I realised that I could just have fit the compression ring back onto the steerer and the seal should have located itself onto the ring's upper cylindrical portion.

 

The compression ring still fits over the steerer, but due to the upper cylindrical section being warped it doesn't mate into the upper seal, so when tensioning up the headset there's a 2mm gap between the seal and the upper race.

 

Being extremely strapped for cash at this stage, I'm considering the following options:

• (Optimistic solution) Trying to source a replacement compression ring from a LBS or online. I doubt I'll be able to find this locally and the shipping on having it sent here from overseas will probably total up to as much as a new headset.
• (Hack solution) Cut the upper cylindrical section of the compression ring off. This will allow the upper seal to sit in its right location and the headset to function normally and seal when tensioned. Obviously this is a bit of a hack, but desperate times calls for desperate measures.
• (Expensive solution) Buy a new headset.

 

Your thoughts and comments appreciated.

[Dicky DQ]

As jy ..... No wait not Friday yet. As you were.

[David Marshall]

If your LBS keeps a "magic box" you may find a suitable compression ring in it.

[bikebloke]

heres the problem ............." was not a loose component as in the videos I saw. I decided to remove it by collapsing it with a long-nose plier."

 

go to your local bike shop and ask the workshop nicely to look in thier bits box

[Spoke101]

Ahoy peeps.

 

So, being an avid DIY-er I decided to tackle a "quick" headset service last night as on longer rides I noticed my headset starting to creak. After a quick browse of GMBN's YouTube channel I was under the impression I was fully equipped to do this service.

 

For reference and nomenclature:

 

 

Everything went swimmingly and I found the creak culprit (dirty upper cartridge bearing), until I tried to re-fit the compression ring back into the upper seal. On my Silverback Sola this compression ring was fit into the seal when I took the headset apart, and was not a loose component as in the videos I saw. I decided to remove it by collapsing it with a long-nose plier. I assumed that because it was "fit" into the upper seal it should go back there, not be loosely fit onto the steerer tube as I would later figure out, and thus the issues started...

 

After an hour and a half of struggling, forcing, prodding and swearing I had warped and burred up the compression ring quite badly trying to get it back into the seal. After sitting back and analyzing it (too late, of course) I realised that I could just have fit the compression ring back onto the steerer and the seal should have located itself onto the ring's upper cylindrical portion.

 

The compression ring still fits over the steerer, but due to the upper cylindrical section being warped it doesn't mate into the upper seal, so when tensioning up the headset there's a 2mm gap between the seal and the upper race.

 

Being extremely strapped for cash at this stage, I'm considering the following options:

• (Optimistic solution) Trying to source a replacement compression ring from a LBS or online. I doubt I'll be able to find this locally and the shipping on having it sent here from overseas will probably total up to as much as a new headset. Your LBS is your best bet and there scratch patch. Any store that's been around a while should have a few compression rings lying around, just be careful you get one that is compatible with your top seal and has the correct angle chamfer as your top bearing Cane Creek should be 36°.
• (Hack solution) Cut the upper cylindrical section of the compression ring off. This will allow the upper seal to sit in its right location and the headset to function normally and seal when tensioned. Obviously this is a bit of a hack, but desperate times calls for desperate measures. Definatly don't do this as top seal will probably not compress the ring enough and your fork will feel loose/knock  in the frame.
• (Expensive solution) Buy a new headset.

 

Your thoughts and comments appreciated.

[PingPong]

If memory serves me most manufacturers use a similar compression ring so I checked my toolbox and I have an old FSA one that looks the same, only black. So yip most LBS's should have one lying around. Just wondering if you came right with the creeking sound? Have you tested it or are you hoping you found the problem? Why I ask I have had a few silverbacks with the same complaint, more a clicking sound than a creek. You will be amazed where the sound is coming from. Not the headset but the fork. All the silverbacks were running a rock shox and it was found the sponge ring behind the wiper seal had dried up causing a creeking or ticking sound. It seemed to amplify in the headset

[TyronLab]

So after topping about this the whole day yesterday and puzzling it out, I ended up fixing it.

 

It turns out that whoever did the headset service last time installed the compression ring upside down. I found it strange from the start that they would design the compression ring's taper to interface with the square edge of the upper seal's washer. That, along with the fact that all of the photos I saw of similar headset designs showed the compression ring resting inside the upper bearing, not on top of it.

 

So I flipped the ring around so that the compression ring's taper mates with the taper on the upper bearing, installed and tensioned the headset and hey presto, no gap between the upper seal and upper race, and no knock. Headset feels smoother than ever.

 

Hopefully this also sorts out the dirt ingress I saw during servicing.

 

Thanks everyone for your inputs!

 

If memory serves me most manufacturers use a similar compression ring so I checked my toolbox and I have an old FSA one that looks the same, only black. So yip most LBS's should have one lying around. Just wondering if you came right with the creeking sound? Have you tested it or are you hoping you found the problem? Why I ask I have had a few silverbacks with the same complaint, more a clicking sound than a creek. You will be amazed where the sound is coming from. Not the headset but the fork. All the silverbacks were running a rock shox and it was found the sponge ring behind the wiper seal had dried up causing a creeking or ticking sound. It seemed to amplify in the headset

 

I have a race coming up this weekend where I would usually have this issue, so I'll report back on the results. My upper bearing's internals were filthy though, and there was some scoring on the upper bearing race, which I believe was the noise I was hearing. During extended off-road rides with a lot of turns the bearing would heat up, expand slightly, and due to it being full of grit lock up. It would then turn in the race, causing the creaking sound whenever I turn the bars.

 

That's what I think.