Rusty head bearings.

[Brandane]

How can it be that on a 9 month old bike (Specialized Tricross) the top headset bearings have turned to rust? This is a bike that lives indoors and I don't go out cycling in the rain if I can help it! OK I may have been caught out in the rain a few times but I would have thought the bike could cope with that. Strangely enough, the rear hub bearings were shot within 3 months/500 miles. They were replaced under warranty, but this time I don't want the standard replacements.

Anyway, having stripped the fork, I was wondering if it is possible to do a straight replacement of the standard "ball bearings on a ring" type things for the sealed cartridge units such as these:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=11264

Or is it a case of having to replace the complete headset in order to upgrade?

 

[dodgy]

If there's no grease covering the steel bearings they will rust just from moisture in the air.

 

[2Loose]

My last bike suffered this prematurely too. As Dodgy says, there is always moisture in the air, also damp roads means that spray tends to go straight up into the bottom of the fork crown if there are no mudguards.

Due to this happening before, my new bikes (less than a month old) have already been stripped and repacked with grease. I'll do it again after the winter roads.

It does seem a bit bad that even quite expensive new bikes tend to be lacking in (cheap) grease from new though. I would think that for the cost of a penny of grease this would help protect some manufacturers reputations.

 

[snailracer]

My last bike suffered this prematurely too. As Dodgy says, there is always moisture in the air, also damp roads means that spray tends to go straight up into the bottom of the fork crown if there are no mudguards.

Due to this happening before, my new bikes (less than a month old) have already been stripped and repacked with grease. I'll do it again after the winter roads.

It does seem a bit bad that even quite expensive new bikes tend to be lacking in (cheap) grease from new though. I would think that for the cost of a penny of grease this would help protect some manufacturers reputations.

What would be the point, though? Grease will get contaminated/washed out the first time the bike gets used in the rain, because riders are generally too vain to fit mudguards.

 

[dodgy]

There's no way that grease in the headset will get washed out the first time the bike is used in the rain.

 

[Brandane]

...and my bike has got full length mudguards.

 

[Ticktockmy]

Some greases whilst making your balls nice and slippery, but will be happy to take on water if it get the chance; its one of those chemistry thing, you know Teflon and Molybdenum disulfide and all the other strange sales talk. The answer is to check and grease your balls more often.

 

[MontyVeda]

I'be been riding my bike for 8 years now and have never hd a problem with the headset. I'm sure any 'factory grease' has all long gone but it's still as good as ever, no play, no sticking, no nothing. The guy i bought it off certainly didn;t service it, so headset bearings wise, it's been going since '96, with no service.

surely it's down to substandard parts rusting up so quickly?