Ticking headset

Quoted message said:

I have an Inbred (steel mountain bike) with rigid forks
and a Cane Creek S2 headset.

I've recently had the stem changed and the headset has
been adjusted so that there is no play in the headset.

I have just noticed though that if I apply the front brake
and rock the bike there is a slight ticking/clicking noise
which seems to be coming from the top race. I was
wondering whether this is okay? Would it just be the
bearings moving against the race as force is applied to
the steerer or do I need to tighten the headset?

I can detect no play in the headset, either whilst rocking
the bike or by grabbing the forks and trying to move them
against the frame.

Thanks for any thoughts, PJay

Your headset needs to be tightened. As with most bearings,
it will do better with a small preload, so tighten, check,
repeat until it's slightly past the no-click position.

If that doesn't silence the clicking, it could be a race
moving in the frame. Could also be the handlebar in the
stem. Bood luck.

--
Ted Bennett Portland OR

"Paul Davis" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I have an Inbred (steel mountain bike) with rigid forks
and a Cane Creek S2 headset.

I've recently had the stem changed and the headset has
been adjusted so that there is no play in the headset.

I have just noticed though that if I apply the front brake
and rock the bike there is a slight ticking/clicking noise
which seems to be coming from the top race. I was
wondering whether this is okay? Would it just be the
bearings moving against the race as force is applied to
the steerer or do I need to tighten the headset?

I can detect no play in the headset, either whilst rocking
the bike or by grabbing the forks and trying to move them
against the frame.

Thanks for any thoughts,

Answer 1. If you have a good lawyer, you do not have a
problem: in the event of injury, someone, somewhere, will
owe you a lot of money.

Answer 2a. A little freeplay in the headset is normal, so
ticking may not be cause for alarm.

Answer 2b. The stem might have some free play in the steerer
tube. The expansion bolt or wedge or whatever your
particular stem uses only grips at the bottom, which can
leave the part emerging from the top of the steerer with a
little harmless free play.

In view of 1. above, I wish to point out that I know nothing
about bicycles and anyone who acts on the opinions stated
above does so at their own risk. In fact, I doubt that 2a or
2b are anything to do with me. Furthermore, I deny that I
ever even posted this.

Now that the Administration has legalised torture of
foreigners, maybe I should just resign from the Internet
altogether.

"Paul Davis" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have an Inbred (steel mountain bike) with rigid forks
and a Cane Creek

S2

Quoted message said:

headset.

I've recently had the stem changed and the headset has
been adjusted so

that

Quoted message said:

there is no play in the headset.

I have just noticed though that if I apply the front brake
and rock the

bike

Quoted message said:

there is a slight ticking/clicking noise which seems to be
coming from the top race. I was wondering whether this is
okay? Would it just be the bearings moving against the
race as force is applied to the steerer or do

I

Quoted message said:

need to tighten the headset?

I can detect no play in the headset, either whilst rocking
the bike or by grabbing the forks and trying to move them
against the frame.

It's possible that the creak is coming from the headset cups
that are pressed into the frame... if they just shift a tiny
bit, it might cause a noise.

I thought that this might have been the reason for my
headset creaking when I brake really hard on the front, but
it turns out it's not the headset cups. I've begun to wonder
if it's the stanchions in the crown (not likely) or the
various parts of the headset against the steerer (possible),
but I've begun to live with it, since chances are that I'm
going to break the fork I'm riding right now.

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

"ZeeExSixAre" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Paul Davis" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have an Inbred (steel mountain bike) with rigid forks
and a Cane Creek

S2

Quoted message said:

headset.

I've recently had the stem changed and the headset has
been adjusted so

that

Quoted message said:

there is no play in the headset.

I have just noticed though that if I apply the front
brake and rock the

bike

Quoted message said:

there is a slight ticking/clicking noise which seems to
be coming from

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

top race. I was wondering whether this is okay? Would it
just be the bearings moving against the race as force is
applied to the steerer or

do

Quoted message said:

I

Quoted message said:

need to tighten the headset?

I can detect no play in the headset, either whilst
rocking the bike or

by

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

grabbing the forks and trying to move them against the
frame.

It's possible that the creak is coming from the headset
cups that are pressed into the frame... if they just shift
a tiny bit, it might cause a noise.

I thought that this might have been the reason for my
headset creaking

when

Quoted message said:

I brake really hard on the front, but it turns out it's
not the headset cups. I've begun to wonder if it's the
stanchions in the crown (not

likely)

Quoted message said:

or the various parts of the headset against the steerer
(possible), but

I've

Quoted message said:

begun to live with it, since chances are that I'm going to
break the fork I'm riding right now.

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

My bottom bracket creaks quite loudly when I pedal hard up
hills but since I got myself a portable MPG player with
earplugs it doesn't bother me any more.

Marty

Thanks,

I have tightened up the headset a little and the ticking has
gone, the steering is still nice and smooth.

Just out of interest, since the ticking was only coming from
the top race does it mean that by tightening things up until
it stoppen that they bearings in the lower race will be
under more load?

Thanks again, PJay

Quoted message said:

Thanks,

I have tightened up the headset a little and the ticking
has gone, the steering is still nice and smooth.

Just out of interest, since the ticking was only coming
from the top race does it mean that by tightening things
up until it stoppen that they bearings in the lower race
will be under more load?

Thanks again, PJay

No. The bottom race carries most of the load whether the
bearing is correctly adjusted or not. The top race's main
job is to locate the steerer tube in the center of the
head tube.

--
Ted Bennett Portland OR

Ted Bennett said:

Quoted message said:

Just out of interest, since the ticking was only coming
from the top race does it mean that by tightening things
up until it stoppen that they bearings in the lower race
will be under more load?

No. The bottom race carries most of the load whether the
bearing is correctly adjusted or not. The top race's main
job is to locate the steerer tube in the center of the
head tube.

The question was "*more* load?". Tightening the
headset increases preload on both upper and lower
races, does it not?

~PB

Quoted message said:

Ted Bennett said:

Quoted message said:

Just out of interest, since the ticking was only coming
from the top race does it mean that by tightening
things up until it stoppen that they bearings in the
lower race will be under more load?

No. The bottom race carries most of the load whether the
bearing is correctly adjusted or not. The top race's
main job is to locate the steerer tube in the center of
the head tube.

The question was "*more* load?". Tightening the
headset increases preload on both upper and lower
races, does it not?

~PB

Yes, of course. But that preload is far smaller than the
load due to the weight of the bike and rider, and even
smaller than the transient loads.

--
Ted Bennett Portland OR