Head tube bearing in my 1960s Carlton

[Johnsco]

..... but you need to 'finish the job' - and this lovely old bike deserves this tlc. You need to pull the fork out of the headtube, clean everything up, replace the bearings in the lower one as well, loads of grease (just as you describe above) and reassemble.

Thanks Ajax Bay.
Of course, you are right.
As winter approaches and I will probably use the bike less, I'll probably do what you say.
First ... I need to buy some more 5/32" ball bearings.
There were quite a lot in the top bearing.
One small question ....
When I return the fork to the headtube, is the re-assembly self-aligning in any way ?
Is there a key-way or anything to make sure that the stem and the forks are all correctly aligned.
The way I did the upper bearing, the alignment of the stem and the fork was not disturbed.
Once I release the wedge ( or the expander) and drop the fork, then it will all have to be correctly aligned on re-assembly.
I'd be grateful for your thoughts.

 

[midlife]

It's all self aligning . For loose balls you put the fork in upside down with the balls in the bottom frame cup (now at the top ll). I use Weldtite bearings most of the time

 

[raleighnut]

Thanks Ajax Bay.
Of course, you are right.
As winter approaches and I will probably use the bike less, I'll probably do what you say.
First ... I need to buy some more 5/32" ball bearings.
There were quite a lot in the top bearing.
One small question ....
When I return the fork to the headtube, is the re-assembly self-aligning in any way ?
Is there a key-way or anything to make sure that the stem and the forks are all correctly aligned.
The way I did the upper bearing, the alignment of the stem and the fork was not disturbed.
Once I release the wedge ( or the expander) and drop the fork, then it will all have to be correctly aligned on re-assembly.
I'd be grateful for your thoughts.

You can set the stem at any angle in the fork but getting it 'straight' just involves backing the bolt off slightly and belting the end of the bar with your palm then tightening it again.

 

[Ajax Bay]

It's intuitive and easier than you seem to fear. Sticky grease is your friend: it keeps the (ball) bearings where they should be. Don't put too many in: there needs to be space between them: better one too few than one too many. Your LBS will sell you a bag of bearings, hopefully all from one batch.
AASSIA

 

[Johnsco]

Thanks guys for your helpful replies.
It gives me more confidence to have a go.

* Weldtite bearings are the ones I used.
I bought some recently from Star Cycles on their ebay site.
I know what you mean about making sure that all bearings are from the same batch.
I've just refilled and adjusted the bearings in my rat-trap pedals.
They was a huge amount of play in both of them.
One of them had two balls missing.
In the other pedal, the balls in the inner race were two thou less in diameter than the balls in the outer race ...... How the hell !!!

* When I refilled the top head bearing race, I used the method of one-too-few rather than one-too-many.
As said ... Sticky grease does the trick.

Thanks again

 

[rogerzilla]

I'd just bang in a new headset (prices from £10 to stratospheric), but I have the tools.

 

[Blue Hills]

I'd just bang in a new headset (prices from £10 to stratospheric), but I have the tools.

Do you reccomend one?
I have the idea that for threaded forks the old school pretty simple pretty cheap steel things with loose balls are the best, but maybe wrong.
Any I need fitting will have to go to a bikeshop - I don't have the tools and doesn't seem worth buying for a job I will hardly do.

 

[rogerzilla]

You need to know the stack height (the difference between the length of the steerer tube, from the crown race seat to the top, and the head tube). A Tange Falcon is a really good lightweight fit-and-forget headset with cartridge bearings but you'll need at least 35.3mm of stack height (you can lose the lock washer, which never works anyway, and save a mm or two) A Tange Passage is cheap and basic but ok - it only needs 30.5mm.

If your frameset has more stack than the headset, the difference is made up with spacers under the locknut. Never cut down a steerer just to fit a different headset!

 

[Johnsco]

I'd just bang in a new headset (prices from £10 to stratospheric), but I have the tools.

I've no shortage of tools .... all collected thru-out my life of being "the man who fixes everything".
Same goes for a lifetime of engineering experience and a good measure of common sense.
I've asked for advice because this is a bit of a mystery job that I've never done before.
However - I've had plenty of good advice in this thread.
I've done the top part of the bearing set with no problems and it appears successful.
I've one or two other challenging problems to look at and a limited budget.
Ball bearings are cheap.
I can use a micrometer so I can sort out exactly what I want.
Onwards and upwards.
Thanks everyone for your help.

 

[rogerzilla]

By "tools", I mean a headset press, headset cup remover*, crown race remover** and crown race setter. And, ideally, a crown race seat cutter and a head tube facer/reamer to prep the frameset. Very bike-specific.

*my favourite tool of them all

**next to useless; a hammer and punch, used judiciously, do less damage than this tool

 

[raleighnut]

By "tools", I mean a headset press, headset cup remover*, crown race remover** and crown race setter. And, ideally, a crown race seat cutter and a head tube facer/reamer to prep the frameset. Very bike-specific.

*my favourite tool of them all

**next to useless; a hammer and punch, used judiciously, do less damage than this tool

I've always got away with 2 bits of wood and a hammer, a bit of broom handle to get the old un out and a block to save dinting the new un whilst hammering it in.

 

[rogerzilla]

I've always got away with 2 bits of wood and a hammer, a bit of broom handle to get the old un out and a block to save dinting the new un whilst hammering it in.

True, but the last headset I did that way was an inexpensive steel STX-RC. An alloy headset is less forgiving of these techniques!

 

[Johnsco]

Over the years, I've made a number of tools for pressing bearings into housings and for removing them.
As you say, the tools mentioned are very bike-specific.
It's "horses for courses", isn't it.
I used to teach my first-year apprentices --- "Always use the right tool for the job".
I don't always do what I preach.
Many tools can be made or improvised.
Pullers can be made from pieces of threaded bar or long bolts with nuts, washers or blocks of wood.
When I was working, I used to have the use of machine tools to make bits and pieces.
I still have a good local machine shop on call.

 

[rogerzilla]

The crown race setter is sometimes substituted for a seat tube from a scrap frame, which is usually just over 1" internal diameter at the butted end. When setting a crown race, the tool is only used as an anvil so, although a heavy tool makes it possible to do the job in mid-air, a lighter tool can be set against the ground while you slam the fork onto it.

 

[Ajax Bay]

What a lot of tools, big and small, you all have!
Keep in focus that the OP has established no need for replacing the headset; he hasn't even looked at the crown race/lower headtube race/bearings. Removing the fork, cleaning things up, checking the races, greasing it up, inserting new bearings and reassembling is not an onerous task: indeed, for a man with "no shortage of tools" it will be straightforward.