Seized Headset

[lejogger]

Have had the best bike up on the stand for a week or so... took off the wheels and chain to clean it down after a very wet ride. Tonight I walked past while in the garage and randomly noticed that the steering was stiff... like really stiff. I could barely turn the bars. I twisted the top spacers above the stem and they released easily.


Incidentally while on this wet ride there were odd coloured streaks of something running out of the headset.

My best guess is that the headset has come loose, and a substantial amount of rain has got in, washing out the grease... hence the streaks and hence the now stiffness.

Am I correct?

Is it buggered?

Do I just need to drop the forks out and slap a shed load of grease in there, or is there something more specialist I should be looking into?

Thanks in advance.

 

[grumpyoldgit]

Water,on its own,will not wash out grease.
Carefully remove the forks,inspecting for damage or foreign matter as you go.The cause should reveal itself as you go,if not ,take some pictures & put them up.

 

[wakou]

I have had 'odd-coloured' muck weeping from a head set, on inspection it was rust, and yes the headset was buggered. No big deal to fix though.....

 

[accountantpete]

Water can only get in via the top or bottom - most likely the top.

If you have an A-Head type headset then the cap immediately below the spacers should be a tight fit with the steerer and also cover the headtube without too much of a gap. I'd check this first.

 

[lejogger]

Water can only get in via the top or bottom - most likely the top.

If you have an A-Head type headset then the cap immediately below the spacers should be a tight fit with the steerer and also cover the headtube without too much of a gap. I'd check this first.

Cheers Pete.
The headset is an integrated FSA one. I was concerned that I could loosen off the headset cap just by twisting the spacers that sit above the stem. That didn't seem right, so if that's loose I'm not surprised water has got in.

I normally check headset tightness or am at least wary to ensure there's no play, but I guess it's sometimes tricky to get the tightness correct on the steering when it needs to be tight enough to form a seal but loose enough to allow the bars to move freely.

I must admit, the headset is an area that I need to increase my knowledge on so perhaps once I strip it down ill post some photos so you experienced chaps can advise on next steps.

 

[fossyant]

Water can get in, and if you haven't greased up the cartridge bearings, then they can fail. Probably been hapening over a long while.

Time for new bearings - about £20