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Trying to replace fork….part of lower headset stuck on fork?

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Discussion starter · #41 ·
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After a ton of googling, I finally found the specs for the 57B. And this shows the orientation (cage down on the crown race). I installed it both directions and waffling back and forth and watching a ton of videos trying to figure out the right orientation. Honestly it wasnt a huge difference either direction, but I just went and re-installed it with the cage down.
 
#42 ·
As you can see the bearings face out upwards towards the lower cup and conversely the crown race is going to push up into the center of the cage where the ball bearing rolling surface faces in.
And the same is going to be true up top, with cage upside down, from the bottom cage, so the balls facing outward touch the upper cup and the race comes down from above into the cage.
Looks like you have things under control.
 
Discussion starter · #43 ·
mike_kelly said:
As you can see the bearings face out upwards towards the lower cup and conversely the crown race is going to push up into the center of the cage where the ball bearing rolling surface faces in.
And the same is going to be true up top, with cage upside down, from the bottom cage, so the balls facing outward touch the upper cup and the race comes down from above into the cage.
Looks like you have things under control.
Click to expand...
Yea, given this specific cage seems to allow the bearings to roll on both the inside and outside of the cage, I'm not sure how much it really mattered. It seems in both directions the bearings would allow rolling on both sides. Fully installed, both directions the fork was able to rotate pretty freely. The only real difference I noticed was that when it was installed cage down on the crown race, tightening the top cap didn't really seem to bind the fork from rotating, whereas the other way if you tightened it too much it would bind (which is more what I expected to happen). The other difference is that I got slightly more insertion installed cage down on the crown race, enough where I added an extra ~1mm headset spacer to ensure that the top cap wasn't bottoming out on the steerer tube vs. the other way.
 
Discussion starter · #45 ·
J.B. Weld said:
Actually it is a huge difference if you install it wrong. It might not seem so bad but it will never adjust or work correctly.
Click to expand...
thanks, I was mostly speaking to how free/smooth the fork rotated, I have no clue about actually riding the bike with it installed backwards. I guess I'm glad I spent all the time researching and uninstalling and reinstalling it to finally get it right!

The most important thing I learned is I will switch out the headset to a sealed bearing at the first sign of issues...not worth the trouble and I'm disappointed Rocky Mountain decided to save the few $ and go with the bearing cage instead of the sealed bearings.
 
Discussion starter · #47 ·
J.B. Weld said:
Same here.

It's really not surprising that cheaper bikes use cheaper parts, headsets included. That's just the way it is.
Click to expand...
This is a almost $3k (new) kids bike and apparently Rocky Mountain uses the same headset on a bunch of their adult FS bikes too that I’m sure go up into $5-7k range and maybe higher. But I guess you do 20 of these $5 cheaper components and you’ve made $100 extra per bike…
 
#48 ·
Caged bearing headsets are often times more durable than sealed cartridge bearings. Easier to clean, larger bearings and surface area... Just stuff em full of waterproof grease and call it good for a season or two. As long as they are packed with waterproof grease they won't die.

As opposed to sealed bearings that give you the impression they are sealed and well greased. In reality however they are slowly corroding due to being poorly sealed, poorly greased and undersized.

High end sealed bearings maybe not so much, but I would bet a $20 caged bearing headset properly greased will outlive a $60 sealed bearing headset if you ride in wet weather.
 
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Discussion starter · #50 ·
Thanks, appreciate everyone's thoughts on this! I was mostly coming from a convenience angle. Having to spend $30 every year or two to replace the sealed bearings, for me, is way better than having to clean/re-grease the bearing cage, trying not to have any bearings fall out.
 
#51 ·
mike_kelly said:
Also the seals in sealed bearings drag. Loose ball bearings are best but sealed bearings are more convenient.
Click to expand...


lol, define "best". Speaking as someone who worked on bikes when "good" loose ball (or caged ball) headsets were commonplace I defiantly disagree. Even the best of the best (e.g. campy) were prone to pitting and servicing them was somewhat of a nightmare.

So glad they died a natural death, long live cartridge bearings!
 
#54 ·
mike_kelly said:
If.you take an old Campagnolo ball bearing hub and a new sealed bearing hub and have a race to see which one will spin the longest Campagnolo will win hands down.
Click to expand...

I think sealed cartridge bearings are best all around but we are talking headsets here. Sealed cartridge wins hands down for that application for sure. Unless you're entering a bar spin contest 🙃
 
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