Did I damage the bearings?

[lulubel]

I went out today for my second "proper" ride on my new bike. I've taken it out for a few short tests so far, then around 25 miles yesterday, and another 30 today.

About 15 miles into today's ride, I started to get a clicking noise when I pressed down on the right pedal. This was quickly joined by a matching one when I pressed down on the left pedal. Then, a more general, erratic, clicking started coming from the front end. It got worse when I was pedalling under load, and stopped altogether when I let go of the bars completely.

I stopped a couple of times and checked everything I could think of, and rode along holding anything that I thought could be clicking against the frame. There was no movement in the headset when I did the rocking it while holding the front brake trick, but there was some leeway to tighten it slightly, so I did that. It didn't solve it.

When I fitted the headset, I didn't know to be careful of the bearings, so I wasn't careful. I didn't read about not crushing the bearings until after I'd already fitted it, so I may have crushed them.

I'm using the stem and bars off my old bike, so it's possible they could be damaged, but I did check them very carefully because I didn't want to risk a failure with the steering. Also, I would have thought damage there would make more of a creaking noise, and this is a very definite click/tap.

Any thoughts?

 

[Crackle]

Clicking doesn't sound like the headset. A common cause is stem bolts not being tight enough and the bars/stem will click.

Having destroyed some headset bearings on a ride, I'd say you'd definitely notice if the headset was loose enough to hammer the bearings and would say it's unlikely you've tightened it so much you've damaged them as you wouldn't be able to turn the bars.

 

[lulubel]

The clicking sounds very similar to the noise my old bike was making when the headset wasn't tightened properly on a service, which is one of the reasons I thought of the headset (after I'd located the noise to the front end rather than the drivetrain).

Clicking doesn't sound like the headset. A common cause is stem bolts not being tight enough and the bars/stem will click.

I've checked all that. "Not tight enough" is something that doesn't happen in my world (as my OH could tell you, after spending years have to undo things for me after I've them done up). Noises are hard to describe. It's a click/tap kind of noise, but I also thought it sounding like metal on metal occasionally - I was looking for something hitting the frame as I was pedalling at one point - although it's quite hard to tell in a headwind with traffic around you.

Having destroyed some headset bearings on a ride, I'd say you'd definitely notice if the headset was loose enough to hammer the bearings and would say it's unlikely you've tightened it so much you've damaged them as you wouldn't be able to turn the bars.

Sorry, I might not have explained myself clearly. I definitely didn't tighten it too much this time because I've been down that road before, so I was very careful. It also wasn't loose because I checked there was no movement in it before my first ride, and a couple of times on yesterday's ride, after especially bumpy sections.

When you fit the headset, the instructions in one of my books (which was the one I read after I fitted it!) say to be careful not to put pressure on the bearings when you press the cups in. They're pressed in under enormous pressure - I struggled with it even with the leverage the headset press gives you - and I wasn't careful. In fact, I think there's a good chance the press was putting direct pressure on the bearings as the cups went in.

I would just assume that's the problem and replace the bearings, except that the bearings for my headset are difficult to get hold of separately, so I'd probably end up buying a whole new headset just to take the bearings from, which is annoying.

 

[Crackle]

Somehow I knew there wasn't going to be a simple answer, I just hoped there might be.

For some reason I thought you'd got the LBS to do the headset, not quite sure why I thought that. You pressed it in with the bearings in, well, yes, you could have damaged the race, unfortunately it doesn't take much. You would notice it most on braking, especially braking hard downhill, pulsing the brakes would give you a definite feedback pattern. Stem creaks are more noticeable on uphill honking.

Have you checked the bearing races from your old bike, they might be the same size?

 

[lulubel]

You pressed it in with the bearings in, well, yes, you could have damaged the race, unfortunately it doesn't take much.

That answers my question, I think - "It doesn't take much." I notice Planet-X have it for £19.99 without the top cap and star nut, so that isn't too bad.

You would notice it most on braking, especially braking hard downhill, pulsing the brakes would give you a definite feedback pattern. Stem creaks are more noticeable on uphill honking.

Braking hard? I've got cantis!

Seriously, they work fine, but I haven't really used them in anger yet. I'm still trying to stick with the laid-back approach to cycling that I developed while I was on my MTB because it's so much nicer than going flat out all the time (like I was on the old road bike). It's also difficult to tell by feel if there's something wrong with a new bike, especially when it's a frame material that's new to me, and the steel forks have a lot of flex in them - they smooth out the road surface in a nicer way than the suspension forks on my MTB.

Have you checked the bearing races from your old bike, they might be the same size?

I'll have a look, but I don't hold out much hope. It isn't even the same brand.

If the bearings are damaged, should I wait to ride it again until I've replaced them, or is it safe/not going to damage anything else if I do?

 

[Crackle]

T

If the bearings are damaged, should I wait to ride it again until I've replaced them, or is it safe/not going to damage anything else if I do?

If, it's still an if, I'd just hang on for a few more opinions as my experience is based on one headset which came loose on a ride and some engineering knowledge.

Basically my pre-aheadset headset came loose going down the Honister pass. By the time I'd reached the bottom and ridden back to Keswick (no tools with me to adjust the headset), it was knackered. Luckily, it was the bearings and particularly the bearing race which were the hammered components and the cups were fine. Generally the bearing are made of a softer material so they go first and even if you damage the cup, you can dispense with the race and just put loose bearings in, more tightly packed. This negates all but the worst cup damage.

Should you continue riding with it: Probably it would be OK, if it's not really obviously loose. I would say you probably won't damage the cups but if it's for the sake of a week back on the mtn bike, you might as well wait and be sure. Put it this way. If I was on tour I'd ride it. At home I'd wait until I'd diagnosed it and fixed it.