Collapsed bearings

vernon levy wrote:
..............

Quoted message said:

I dismantled the bars and headrace when i discovered to my surprise,
that the cage that was used to seperate the ball bearings had worn
paper thin and had collapsed upon itself. There didn't appear to be
any signs of the bearing receiving any lubrication at all - the cage
and balls were dry and covered with a patina of fine rust.

The bearing surface fixed to the steering head seems fine.

Check all remaining parts in the headset (upper & lower) for any signs of
pitting or dimpling. If ok, just fitting new balls should get you going
again. Loose balls can be used if you like.

Instructions:
URL:http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/FAQindex.shtml#headset

Quoted message said:

Has anyone else had a similar experience with collapsed bearings?

I have with a bottom bracket that had been neglected for years.

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The bike has only done 150 miles from new. BTW making a warantee
claim is probably impossible as I bought the bike s/h and don't know
which shop it came from.

Perhaps it had /really/ done more like 150,000 miles? Very unusual to get
a mashed headset like that, full stop.

Quoted message said:

I'm amazed at the collapse. It's probably
one of the cost cutting measures employed by Raleigh to trim costs.

Even the cheapest headsets will last a long time if fitted and adjusted
properly, but maybe Raleigh (or whoever assemble for them now) didn't fit
it properly.

~PB

vernon levy said:

I dismantled the bars and headrace when i discovered to my surprise, that
the cage that was used to seperate the ball bearings had worn paper thin and
had collapsed upon itself. There didn't appear to be any signs of the
bearing receiving any lubrication at all - the cage and balls were dry and
covered with a patina of fine rust.

Not at all unusual which is why, when I get a new bike, I strip it down,
grease all the bearings, tension the wheels, tighten the bolts etc. I took
back a rusted pedal bearing once and the shop got annoyed at me for stripping
it apart. Never shopped there again.

Tony

Reply to vernon levy

Quoted message said:

I dismantled the bars and headrace when i discovered to my surprise, that
the cage that was used to seperate the ball bearings had worn paper thin and
had collapsed upon itself.

Oddly enough, I found the same thing yesterday when I was moving
all the components from my bent old frame to my shiny lighter new
frame. (I wasn't going to reuse the headset anyway, G*d only knows
how old it was): the top cage was in bits, bearings everywhere. It
was well worn, and the crash that bent the old frame probably finally
did for it.

Quoted message said:

There didn't appear to be any signs of the
bearing receiving any lubrication at all - the cage and balls were dry and
covered with a patina of fine rust.

Bikes dry out in storage; I hate to say it, but if I were you I'd
strip & check every greasable bit on the bike.

--
Mark, UK.
We hope to hear him swear, we love to hear him squeak,
We like to see him biting fingers in his horny beak.

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

Quoted message said:

At the weekend I had a strange experience with the head race on my

Raleight

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R100.

...........

Quoted message said:

I dismantled the bars and headrace when i discovered to my surprise, that
the cage that was used to seperate the ball bearings had worn paper thin

and

Quoted message said:

had collapsed upon itself. ........

Has anyone else had a similar experience with collapsed bearings?.........

No, but I know a man who has. A couple of weeks ago I went to an LBS in
search of loose balls for a headset bearing. The mechanic was most approving
of my choosing "the old-fashioned way of doing it." I said that I'd read
(here no doubt) that caged balls tended not to change location within the
bearing as much so increasing the risk of pitting. He replied that an even
more compelling reason was the risk of a cage collapsing. So he'd obviously
come across it before. And now I believe him.

tony R.