Noisy, stiff headset - whats the problem here?

38141

I've included an image of a MTB for illustration, the green encircled area being the area of concern. What should I do to resolve this problem? I've already ripped open the stem with an allen key and taken off the handlebars to have a look inside.

Its only stiff/noisy when riding the bike - if you turn the handlebars when there is nobody on the bike there is no problem.

When I got the bike the handlebar height had already been raised - could this be the reason (someone went adjusting the height)?

kona

there are two different types of headset,
a Aheadset such as the one in the pic you provided.
the stem on these can rarely be just raised, you need a combination of spacers(if you have the steerer tube length) or a special riser.

the other is a threaded heatset, common to all cheap bikes and old bikes, they are the ones you can raise up by unscrewing a bolt and lifting.

which one do you have??

if its the Aheadset, if it wasnt raised properley(very common) then your headset is damaged and i wound strongley reccomend you go to your bike shop and get it fixed, as a loose or damaged headset is dangerous.

my guess is who ever owned your bike didnt have a clue, went to adjust the headset, and it fell apart, and he botched it back together, the tightness sounds like either too much preload or you have a bit in the wrong place.

if its the threaded on there is a lock ring and a nut you can loosen to get tid f the stiffness.

38141

It would be the second one - threaded.

Are there ball bearings involved in this part of the bike?

Morgan

You can read up on them here - might help you figure out the problem:

http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=127

Mr. Grieves

Yep there are ball-bearings in the cups where the fork enters and leaves the frame. They may be loose or in a retainer. I've found that park tool link and others useful.

I have a slightly different problem with my threaded headset. When I adjust it, I can't seem to find a point where the bars turn easily with no stiffness, and there's no movement when I rock the bike while holding the front brake. It seems always to be either too tight or too loose.

Also, when I tighten it so that there's no play, after a week or two of riding, it gradually loosens and I have to tighten the adjustable ring again, despite the fact that the lock nut is completely tight.

Does anyone know what the problem here could be? Could it be something wrong with the fork?

kona

Mr. Grieves wrote: »

Yep there are ball-bearings in the cups where the fork enters and leaves the frame. They may be loose or in a retainer. I've found that park tool link and others useful.

I have a slightly different problem with my threaded headset. When I adjust it, I can't seem to find a point where the bars turn easily with no stiffness, and there's no movement when I rock the bike while holding the front brake. It seems always to be either too tight or too loose.

Also, when I tighten it so that there's no play, after a week or two of riding, it gradually loosens and I have to tighten the adjustable ring again, despite the fact that the lock nut is completely tight.

Does anyone know what the problem here could be? Could it be something wrong with the fork?

sounds like its badly worn tbh.

they are handy enough, just keep at it and you will get it, sometimes you may need to hold the bolt under the lockring when you tighten it.

kona

38141 wrote: »

It would be the second one - threaded.

Are there ball bearings involved in this part of the bike?

any part of a bike which has a rotational motion will have ball bearings, with the exception of high end bikes which may use other systems.

if it stiff/noisey, either you strip it and replace the bearings or get a bike shop to do it.

you may get away with packing it with grease