Head Tube/forks 'locking' into place

[Crackle]

As said: I'd go for slightly loose headset, hammered by vibrations. I've written an old threaded headset off on a ride when it came loose and there was nothing I could do but finish the ride. Took it to the shop and they showed me the damage. It surprised me.

 

[NorthernSky]

from what has been said i'm sure the vibrations from the car have maybe dented the races then AND stripped grease away
i've maybe accelerated the problem a lot. the bike is a few years old now and the headset has never been regreased or anything

replacement races should be easy to source right?

i don't mind taking to a bike shop if it's a bigger job than i can handle though

 

[Yellow Saddle]

It is a small point perhaps, but worthwhile nevertheless to note that these dents are not hammered in but eroded. If you think a bearing can be damaged like that by hammering, try it at home. Wear safety glasses, put the dog away and hammer a ball onto a piece of race. You'll notice that you have to hammer extremely hard just to get a small dent. This dent shows up as a dent caused by displaced material, with a ripple alongside. Headsets wear molecule by molecule that welds and then breaks off.
When hammered, the surface is shiny. When eroded, it has a milky or satin finish.

 

[mickle]

The slipstream from a car at speed can strip the grease out of a headset bearing on a roof mounted bike. If the bearings are a bit worn already then the lack of lube will highlight the problem. Tie a rag around the headset next time.

As if.

 

[mickle]

hi folks

I had my bike in a roof rack. I was doing silly speeds to a sportive I was late for
well since that I've encountered a strange problem

how do I describe this: if you turn the handle bars, when you get to the centre they seem to jerk and lock into place (straight on)
I can still ride the bike, but you feel it every now and again
what could cause this?
there is nothing obvious on the outside
have I done something to the bearings?

thanks

What sort of speed is 'silly'?

 

[midlife]

Fretting = False Brinelling

still wrecks the headset though

Shaun

 

[NorthernSky]

just took apart there as much as i could, the top race has a split in it, is this correct?
i've put back together and the indexing has pretty much gone, i didn't do anything though

might need to disassemble again when i get more time

 

[Yellow Saddle]

No, the top race doesn't have a split in, that's the compression ring/centering sleeve. Something else is going on with your headset.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

I have a nice little video here of a very indexed headset which I embedded into a PowerPoint presentation some years ago for training our apprentices. However, I can't figure out how to separate the video from the PPT. Obviously Powerpoint just links to the video somewhere else on my hard drive but I can't figure out where or what it is called. Without a name for the video I can't search for that either. If someone is clever with 'putters, I'll reward him/her by posting the video clip.

 

[Milkfloat]

I have a nice little video here of a very indexed headset which I embedded into a PowerPoint presentation some years ago for training our apprentices. However, I can't figure out how to separate the video from the PPT. Obviously Powerpoint just links to the video somewhere else on my hard drive but I can't figure out where or what it is called. Without a name for the video I can't search for that either. If someone is clever with 'putters, I'll reward him/her by posting the video clip.

In PP, right click on the video and go to properties, should show you where it is linked to, but I suspect it is fully embedded which could be a problem.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

I tire

In PP, right click on the video and go to properties, should show you where it is linked to, but I suspect it is fully embedded which could be a problem.

I tried that but Properties doesn't come up as a choice.