Steering issue

[P.H]

Collisions? I don't think so.

Oh dear, hopefully the OP will consult the link to Sheldon rather than accept the misinformation found on forums.

 

[Andy_R]

The pitting can also be caused by collisions. There is a partial solution on Sheldon, especially if the bearings have 'caged' balls. This is to remove the cage and repack the bearing with loose balls, so that they will no longer automatically match up with the dents in the races. I've managed to do this with the 'sealed' cartridge bearings in my integrated headset.
I have now got some new cartridges (cane creek from Chain reaction) but will first need to remove the bottom race of the lower cartridge which has corroded onto the fork . I think some delicate hacksawing will be required.

I think you've misread that. The "collisions" you refer to are mentioned as "impacts" that take place in the Brinell hardness test. If you read the article properly, you'll see that TBW mentions that this doesn't actually happen, rather that lubricant breakdown is taking place instead.

 

[P.H]

I think you've misread that. The "collisions" you refer to are mentioned as "impacts" that take place in the Brinell hardness test. If you read the article properly, you'll see that TBW mentions that this doesn't actually happen, rather that lubricant breakdown is taking place instead.

Sheldon says
A headset race can, on the other hand, become indented due to overload in a crash.
That's not a scenario I've come across, though I'm not qualified to to disagree.
As you say and Sheldon points out the lack of lubrication is by far the most common cause. I have absolutely no idea how over tightening could cause such damage,

 

[HovR]

That is something I hadnt considered...I had assumed it should tighten it as far as I could without breaking the thread?...

Assuming your bike has a threadless headset, when tightening down the top-cap bolt you should tighten it down just far enough so that there is no play in the headset. You can test this by tightening the stem clamp up, putting the front brake on hard, and rocking the bike backwards and forwards looking for play where the frame meets the headset.

When you lift the bike up, the steering assembly should be able to move freely.

 

[Svendo]

Just passing on what I'd read on Sheldon, and my own experiences. I understood the misnomer 'Brinelling' when indexed steering is caused the by usual lube breakdown ( #Fnaar where are you?) process JB describes in the article linked to on Sheldon's page. However, in the fourth paragraph Sheldon writes that the indentations can also be caused by a crash (or collision) although this is likely to damage the fork as well. Perhaps it would've been clearer to have also asked if the OP had had a crash that might have caused the damage too, just in case.

Edit: ahh P.H beat me to it!

FWIW my issues were probably caused by the seal failing on the lower cartridge as the headset leaked rusty water when it rained until I plucked up the courage to disassemble it, and diagnose and treat the problem. The moral of my story is: inspect and service your headset before it causes problems.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

No...I've not had any knocks on this bike...not even hit any potholes on it etc....It's a standard came with bike headset...bought in 2008 and ridden well since...I'm resigned to getting a new headset in the new year...

 

[Ian H]

If it was over-tightened the steering would have be stiff. I think it's fairly obvious that the bearings will wear more in the straight ahead position. A loose headset is more likely to accelerate this, as is lack of lubrication.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

should one lubricate ones headset then?

 

[HovR]

should one lubricate ones headset then?

As you can access the ball bearings on your headset then it wouldn't hurt to pack some grease in there every now and then. You shouldn't have to do this too often though - Less than the wheel hubs IMO.

Some modern units however are totally sealed, like modern BB's, so you can't really do anything with them - When they wear out you either get new bearings or a new headset.

 

[P.H]

What HovR said. Also if it's a bike without mudguards, water getting into the headset won't be doing it any good. Packing some thick grease (Preferably marine grade) around the bearing when it's in place will help keep the water out.
Bearings wear, that's inevitable, they also come in different grades. Depending on the mileage, and how many were wet, four years might be a reasonable lifespan.

 

[mickle]

Oh dear, hopefully the OP will consult the link to Sheldon rather than accept the misinformation found on forums.

Advice is either right or wrong. The method of its delivery irrelevant.

Sheldon's good but he ain't infallable.