Steering seizing up

Fian

Perhaps "seizing up" is an exageration. My steering has started sticking in recent days, maybe it is only co-incidental that this has happened shortly after some pretty torrential rain that my bike was standing outside in.

It sticks and then with a bit of force will move with a snap, with a cracking sound as well.

I suspect that there must be a ball bearing in need of lubrication somewhere. Any tips on how to go about delaing with this? I don't know how to open up the headset (I think that is the name of the column leading from handlebards to fork?) or how to rebuild it.

Is this somehting I should attempt myself or should I leave it to LBS?

I have access to other bikes so I am not using this one in case continuing to use it would cause excessive wear/damage.

If it matters the bike in question is my commuting hybrid bike - an Orbea Vector 20. It is probably 2 years old but I only have it about 8/9 months and it was virtually unused before that.

magicbastarder

It's not particularly difficult to clean and relube headset bearings, but if it's as bad as you say, they probably need replacement and that'd be a job for the lbs probably if you're not sure about doing it yourself.

Fighting Tao

I had the same issue this time last year. It was after a long spin in torrential rain. Ended up having to get the headset replaced by Dara in Bee Cycles. I’d recommend him to check it out if you don’t want to do it yourself.

ford2600

Fian wrote: »

P
Is this somehting I should attempt myself or should I leave it to LBS?

Have a look at GCN and Park Tools website. Allen key, degreaser and grease might be all that's needed. If you need new bearings then go to lbs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pARonM0tFpM

Just remember that the bearings are compressed by the top cap (which you tighten) and the star nut hidden in head tube; if you understand how it works it'll make it easier when putting it back together. The video above and park tools will show you how to do it.

Weepsie

I had the same issue. Attempted to do it myself. Found the headset was knackered, so did what I could to keep it going for a few weeks and then and brought it to the lbs.

Fian

Ok thanks for responses all.

Very few Kms on this bike so a bit disappointing, but tbh i think i will just drop it into LBS to have it sorted.

If i did open it up how would i know if it needed replacing - by looking at the bearing for signs of wear/deformity or what?

gctest50

Bearings can crack, might want to pull them out and see

Fian

ford2600 wrote: »

Have a look at GCN and Park Tools website. Allen key, degreaser and grease might be all that's needed. If you need new bearings then go to lbs

Just remember that the bearings are compressed by the top cap (which you tighten) and the star nut hidden in head tube; if you understand how it works it'll make it easier when putting it back together. The video above and park tools will show you how to do it.

OK actually that looks doable, will try to pick up some grease and give it a go myself. I don't have a torque wrench but will just go easy on tightening the stem.

Edit : Also without that video I would have been looking to find a ball bearing the whole thing was rotating around, had no idea the bearings would be discs. OFc I would have googled for videos before starting anyway i guess.

Fian

Well i' got around to buying grease and tried this this weekend. The bearings were completely corroded.

However the bearings are a cage type with loose balls in it. i went to LBS to see if i could buy new ones, they had loose bearings which apparently would work, but tbh i didn't fancy trying to deal with that. they can order sealed bearings for me, but need the bike in to measure it. So i will drop it in to them this week adn get them to fit the new bearings as well.

When I was a kid my bikes never needed any maintenance tbh. I never changed a chain, or a cassette or opened a headset. Have they gotten more complex or is it just that we put up with crap bikes until we replaced them? "When i was a kid" was in the 80s btw.

magicbastarder

how much do you use your bike now compared to when you were a kid?

Fian

magicbastarder wrote: »

how much do you use your bike now compared to when you were a kid?

Honestly this one - about the same. This bike gets used 5 days a week to go to and from work. I lived in connemara so I had a decent distance to travel to hang out with any other kids, we would all meet up at the beach or at the local school (where there were pitches, basketball courts and somewhere to sit) so probably used a bike more than I would have in a city.

This bike is only about a year old.

I'm not really bitching though, it just struck me that my bikes when i was a kid never really got any maintenance.

Type 17

Does your bike have a front mudguard that would stop the front wheel spraying up into the bottom headset race?

Bikes from our childhoods mostly had mudguards which protected the bike as well as the rider, but these days most bikes come without any, and the ones chosen by the buyer often only benefit the rider, leading to seized front derailleurs, rear brakes and corroded headsets.

Fian

Type 17 wrote: »

Does your bike have a front mudguard that would stop the front wheel spraying up into the bottom headset race?

Bikes from our childhoods mostly had mudguards which protected the bike as well as the rider, but these days most bikes come without any, and the ones chosen by the buyer often only benefit the rider, leading to seized front derailleurs, rear brakes and corroded headsets.

It does have a front mudguard. But not a very big one. It's one of those that clip on and off a mount that is fixed to the bike.

I added a flap to the rear mudguard to make it a bit bigger and protect me and anyone behind me a bit better. Left the front one unchanged.

Anyway will ask them to fit sealed bearings next time, i suspect there was not enough grease used originally.

tomasrojo

I used to wonder how our bikes kept in such good nick when we were kids, even though we never did any maintenance on them. Turns out my dad used to true the wheels and generally service them at night, Elves and the Shoemaker style.

Harrybelafonte

I had to service my bike a few times in early teens. Cotter pins and all that lark.

magicbastarder

yeah, i used to service my bike when i was a kid. used vaseline for greasing the bearings, maybe not such a good idea.