Headset bearing issue

Muckers

I'm doing a self build road bike having bought a frameset including headset ftom my local bike shop. It was an 12 year old Paganini frameset thst I resprayed myself. My issue is the headset. Its an ahead headset and when I fit the top bearing into the head tube, it's protruding approx 2 mms over the top lip of the head tube. As a result when I fit the headset spacer, it does not fully hide the bearing, leaving 1-2 mms of the bearing visible. This will obviously allow in water. The bike shop are at a loss and say lots of older frames were like this. Any ideas please?

07Lapierre

I have a Paganini frame and its the same. I've had the bike for years with no real issues. I wash the bike regularly and it hasn't caused a problem.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Put a good thick layer of heavy duty grease around the top of the bearing and it’ll stop any moisture getting in.

Wishbone Ash

Apologies for hijacking the thread:

On one of my bikes, the headset bearings require replacing every few months. The bike is kept in a heated garage and is subjected to the same cleaning regime as my other bikes even though I never seem to have a problem with them. It was last done in December and, this evening, when checking it out for the club ride tomorrow, I noticed it is 'rough' again.

My LBS is convinced that I'm using a pressure washer to clean it but I don't have one. I actually avoid putting water anywhere near the headset at this stage.

Any ideas?

Did there look to be excessive wear on the old ones when they were replaced? I'm no expert but on an old bike I had a similar issue the LBS when I eventually brought it in to them put it down to an alignment problem. Was fine after that.

Wishbone Ash

Deleted User wrote: »

Did there look to be excessive wear on the old ones when they were replaced? I'm no expert but on an old bike I had a similar issue the LBS when I eventually brought it in to them put it down to an alignment problem. Was fine after that.

I don't know as the LBS do it each time but they usually describe them as 'well gone' or words to that effect.

I honestly can't recall what they told me was the specific cause of the wear in my case or the fix as it was about 6 or 7 years ago now but I do recall they did mention alignment. No damage to the frame/forks? I'm sure you'd have mentioned it.

Wishbone Ash

Deleted User wrote: »

I honestly can't recall what they told me was the specific cause of the wear in my case or the fix as it was about 6 or 7 years ago now but I do recall they did mention alignment. No damage to the frame/forks? I'm sure you'd have mentioned it.

No - no apparent damage to frame/forks.

Mefistofelino

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Apologies for hijacking the thread:

On one of my bikes, the headset bearings require replacing every few months. The bike is kept in a heated garage and is subjected to the same cleaning regime as my other bikes even though I never seem to have a problem with them. It was last done in December and, this evening, when checking it out for the club ride tomorrow, I noticed it is 'rough' again.

My LBS is convinced that I'm using a pressure washer to clean it but I don't have one. I actually avoid putting water anywhere near the headset at this stage.

Any ideas?

Do you hang the bike vertically by the (rear) wheel when storing it? I was having a similar issue in the past despite running full mudguards and being careful where i sprayed water. It turned out that when i hung the bike up afterwards, any water (rain or washing) that was in the frame itself ran downhill and accumulated in the headtube.

Wishbone Ash

Mefistofelino wrote: »

Do you hang the bike vertically by the (rear) wheel when storing it? I was having a similar issue in the past despite running full mudguards and being careful where i sprayed water. It turned out that when i hung the bike up afterwards, any water (rain or washing) that was in the frame itself ran downhill and accumulated in the headtube.

Interesting! I hang it alright but by the front wheel.