Cycling Equipment · Public discussion

Popping Headset

Started by dwj444 · · Last activity · 4 posts · 1,196 views

← Back to Cycling Equipment

This thread is locked and is currently read-only.

Thread details

What we know about this thread

Original section
Cycling Equipment
Published
27 May 2004
Last activity
29 May 2006
Original author
dwj444
Posts
4
Discussion status
Public discussion
Total views
1,196
Views / 30 days
0
Topics
Torque wrenchesBolt torque specsSingle-speed and fixed-gear

The navigation and discussion metadata provide context. Posts remain in their original chronological order.

Showing posts 1–4 of 4
Posts remain in their original chronological order.

Text size
  1. Original post
    dwj444
    Archived post
    #1

    I'm commuting around Washington DC on a 2003 Bianchi Pista (fixie). I'm 6'1" and 185lbs and I ride pretty hard, but I've never had any mechanical problems with the bike and am overall, very happy with it.

    Recently though, I've been hearing a popping noise that seems to be coming from the headset. I can't make the noise on cue, although I can reasonably expect to hear it now at least once or twice every time I go out. I usually get the noise when I'm out of the saddle and whipping the bars back and forth (when climbing, for instance), although the intensity of the whipping motion doesn't seem to have any affect (IE, I can be barely moving, doing a track stand, or really tearing up a hill, and the popping sound may occur at any moment regardless).

    The mechanic at the LBS looked at it with me. I had already tightened everything on the headset and made all the relevant adjustments. He said that unless the fork was moving during braking (I have a Tiagra brake on the front) it probably wasn't the headset. He didn't have any ideas about what it might be instead though.

    I'm perplexed and concerned -- I don't want something popping while I'm in traffic and then I suddenly lose steerage of the bike or my handlebars suddely drop off or something.

    Does anyone have any idea what's going on with my bike or what I might do to correct this problem?

    Thanks!

    Report
  2. meehs
    Archived post
    #2

    Were you able to get your bike to make the noise when the mechanic was with you? It's hard to determine the source of the noise without being there to hear it. Based on what you said, you might want to check your bar/stem interface. Loosen the bar clamp (or remove the face plate) thoroughly clean both the clamp area on the handlebar and the inside of the bar clamp on the stem and then apply a very light coat of grease on the handlebar and reinstall it. Make sure you tighten the clamp snugly but not overtight (to the recommended torque spec if you have a torque wrench). If you have a removable faceplate with multiple bolts, it's also important that each of the bolts are tightened evenly.

    Report
  3. dwj444
    Archived post
    #3

    I wasn't able to get the noise to repeat while I was with the mechanic.

    However, I did try taking apart the headset this afternoon to see what was going on in there. It seemed very dry in there to me, and I wonder whether or not I've just worn away the lubrication that needs to be between the actual headset clamp and the top of the fork. I lubricated it a bit and rebuilt it. We will see tomorrow on the ride to work, whether or not that does any good.

    If that doesn't work, I'll take the bars off and look at that. I have a pair of Nitto pursuit bars on the bike. I've always wondered at the small amount of flex in the bars (no other bike I've ever ridden has had flex in the bars); maybe there's something to that idea . . .

    Report
  4. jwedeking
    Archived post
    #4

    I also have a popping problems and on my ride its comming from my head set. If you lock the front brake and push the bicycle foward and backward these will produce the popping noise.

    I have a felt F35 and I've faught this issue for over year, it comes and goes and it seems tied to the weather, if cool the headset will lossens and starts popping.

    Does your bicycle seem to produce these noise if the weather changes, more specifically the temporature?

    Report

Keep exploring

Browse the sectionCycling Equipment Return to CyclingForumsStart at the home page Search discussionsFind another thread

Active in the last 60 minutes

Active in this thread

0 users · 0 guests ·0 bots ·0 total

No signed-in users are active right now.

No known search crawlers active right now.