I’m interested in just filling up with ball bearings alone. Where do I buy these from & what size?
I did exactly this a while ago, replaced caged bearings with loose balls.
1. Yours are
probably 5/16". It's difficult to measure a single one though, without precise tools. Here's a tip I read - get lots of them, maybe 10 or 20, lay them together, perhaps in the fold of an open book (in the spine). Measure that, then divide by the number of balls.
2. Buy required number of balls. Or even more, a lot more. I get them from Simply Bearings, these are what I got (for the headset):
https://simplybearings.co.uk/shop/p...-Chrome-Steel-Ball-Bearings/product_info.html
Yes, I did actually buy a pack of 500! You'll see it's the "sweet spot" where the price per ball gets very low, but there's nothing much extra to be gained by buying a thousand. I've only changed them once. By my reckoning I can do another 10 headset bearing changes before I run out. Or before I die, which I suspect will happen sooner.
3. Load up the races with grease. I use this:
Comma CV Grease. Why? Because the lubricant needs of a headset are a lot lot different to that of wheel, bottom bracket, or pedal bearings. Your headset isn't constantly spinning at speed. Unless you're a really bad cyclist. Mainly you want it to turn freely, withstand forces of the headtube putting pressure on the steerer, and especially stay put and stop rust taking hold. So thick and goopy is good. Again, I bought a full tub of that, which will see me out. Warning, it's black. Very black. Blacker than the blackest thing in the kingdom of Blackland. If you get it on your clothes you will never get it out. I daresay any reasonably thick grease that won't wash out easily will do.
4. Add balls, loose. The grease will hold them in place. Here's a picture of the top cup of mine:
Add more grease on top of that. Then add the top race. Well, I suppose it's a "cone", really. You could smear that with grease beforehand, I guess. A dualco grease gun, or similar, really helps:
Dualco grease gun. I have separate grease guns for headset grease, wheel bearing grease and silicon grease (well actually a syringe), permanently loaded.
Be warned, the thinner oil component of that CV grease does seem to separate out a little bit. So I stand the grease gun in an old Boots No 7 jar to stop it making a mess. I use the No7 on my face, it has no practical use on a bike.
5. Do the same on the other headset. The order of work should be:
5a, turn the frame upside down, do the bottom headset.
5b. use a bungee to keep the fork in place because if you don't it will fall out when you do 5c.
5c. turn the bike right way up to do the top headset.
5d. intall spacers/stem etc.
I personally don't use stainless steel balls. Because:
a. They are softer than chrome steel.
b. If corrosion does happen they will encourage corrosion in the races, because of their position in the galvanic chart. At least that's how it's been explained to me. And the races are way harder to replace than the balls.
Once you've done it a little grease may "weep" at first. Wipe it off, especially if you've used the super black staining stuff that I use.
I also use Grade 10. Lower grade numbers are better (more round, more consistent). Various people say "Grade 25 is good enough", but the price difference is so small I just go for 10. And anyway, Simply Bearings only sell Grade 10 or 100.
Some people may think, or even say, that some of those elements are "over the top". Which they have said. People have been saying that to me my whole life, and I don't give a toss. Servicing a headset isn't something I'm going to do very often, so I may as well do it well as possible, for hardly any money.
Oh, a front mudguard will work wonders saving the lower headset, especially if you ride in the wet a lot.
