Headset bearings - are they all the same size?

[Twenty Inch]

Finally took off the Tioga aheadset type headset, and found dry, rusty bearing inside, unsurprisingly.

Can I buy any generic bearings to refit? And if so, what size are they? I'm going to take away the cages and pack as many bearings in as I can, as this will distribute the load further.

The races seem ok, but as it's my commuter hack, I'm not terribly bothered about whether steering is super-smooth or not.

 

[Zoiders]

Standard cage in a bog standard tioga

You can buy them off the shelf in the lowliest of LBS, even Halfrauds, to be honest you can replace the the cage with loose balls and put a few more balls in, but I would have to say that the mechanical advantage and improvement in load bearing distribution would be so small as to not be worth bothering with, I like a nice easy cage that you can pop out, clean, and then pop back in again with out fooking about with tiny ball bearings.

Filling headsets with loose balls is touted as some major improvement in some cycle manuals or magazines, to be honest its a pointless excercise for a £15 headset that works just fine as it is if kept clean and greased. Know how page frippery for cycling mags. Nothing more.

 

[Twenty Inch]

Thanks Zoiders, helpful reply.

 

[fossyant]

The Tioga, will be either a 1" or 1" 1/8th in size.

 

[hubgearfreak]

The Tioga, will be either a 1" or 1" 1/8th in size.

thems some big balls

 

[Zoiders]

The Tioga, will be either a 1" or 1" 1/8th in size.

Diameter of the ball bearings my dear boy, not the steerer tube

 

[fossyant]

TBH, I'd replace the lot.... cups etc.... or get a cassette bearing type ! The bb's are the same but normally come in 1 or 1 1/8 cages..... stick with cages, easier to handle...

 

[Zoiders]

There are headsets and headsets

If the races are OK with no wear then just replace the cage and BBs, if its scored then Fossy is right, a shimano 105 or STX RC is a good threaded headset with cartridge bearings for the money

The best threaded ones I have encountered are the old Tange and Raleigh ones that were made from chrome steel, they are almost indestructable, not as well sealed as newer headsets but then again they didnt need to be, I stuck an new old stock one in my fixie because it matched the age and look of the bike rather well

 

[Twenty Inch]

Thanks again Zoiders. I'll have a closer look and decide.