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/FAQin-
dex.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.

Quoted message said:

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

Quoted message said:

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.