bike mechanics

B****y bearings

After my great sense of achievement replacing my BB and chainset, I thought I would do another job that I’d been putting off, replacing my headset bearings.

tried to re-grease them, but they are pitted and rusty
tried to re-grease them, but they are pitted and rusty

Its a very easy job, except that nobody would sell me the bearings! I tried 2 shops which I will call shop A and shop B. In shop A I had already had success in buying bearings for my husbands mountain bike, buoyed up with my fortune I took my road bike bearings in and asked if they had any. I was told that the man who knew where they were was not there, and they took my details to call me. I dropped in the next day and was told that he had not had time to look for them, and I could have them back if I wanted. I assumed that meant they couldn’t be bothered.

P1050187

My next stop was shop B, they told me that they could order some, so I left the bearings there and they called me later on and told me that they had some that might fit, but I would have to bring my bike in to check. Now call me stubborn but I did not want to take my bike in. I knew how to do the job and wanted to do it myself. I went in the next day (without my bike) and bought the bearings, (which did not fit!) they must have known that they wouldn’t fit as he measured them with a micrometer, however he only measured the exterior diameter and not the interior one. He said that if they didn’t fit I would have to take my bike in, a recurring theme!

The wrong size!
The wrong size!

So I went online and found the bearings that I needed, they arrived 2 days later from Tweeks cycles, and I now have a lovely smooth headset, I only wish I’d done that myself to start with. However, several days later I had a call from “shop A” to say that the bearings were now in stock!! Typical.new bearings

new bearings

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