HEADSET BEARING EXPECTED LIFE SPAN

[Slave]

Jules, depends on the set you put in.

 

I have an old bike and it takes a "universal bearing set".

 

Cost was ZAR 40 at LBS.

 

So far no problems like before.

[MoreTrails]

Why don't you guys find a bearing supplier, get them to match up the stuffed (correct sized) one with something like and SKF or FAG bearing? Bearings will them probably outlast anything you get from the LBS???

 

Maybe worth it in cost to....

 

[Slave]

Thing is about local stuff, The local labour cost is high. Tooling to make the bearings is probably not owrth the effort and cost.

 

But I agree. The quality of this cheap chinese stuff is appalling.

[Slave]

'nother update.

El cheapo still working fine. Now going on close to 800 k's.

 

Has lasted longer than any other I have had. Must have been the way I installed previous headset bearing.

 

Moretrials. One of my gripes / rants in life is the price we pay for (bike) stuff. One bike tyre costs more than one car tyre. My car 175X65X14. My bike 700X23C

 

Car tyre 80,000 k's, Bike tyre, 5000. So what I save on petrol on the bike, I spend on tyres.

 

A rear wheel bearing set was R150 a couple years ago. (tapered roller bearings and this was the expensive set). El Cheapo headset bearing, made in that land that banned the Dali Llama, R40.00.

 

Go figure.

 

Some years ago, I paid R20 for a Chin Sheng tyre. Lasted 1500 km and it was fininshed. Moral of the story, Don't buy cheap chinese stuff if you can help it.  

 

Oh, and do the job right first time, that helps too.