Folding Bikes - Birdy Headset question

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geo8rge
10-12-06, 05:06 PM
I recently bought a used Birdy 7. The headset is a bit loose. It could be that the bolt below the headset needs to be tightened. I plan on overhauling it anyway.

The fork is clamped to the stem. Should there be any grease where the stem and fork meet. They are Al so I doubt they will rust, I think no grease is necessary.

Does the headset use 5/32" bearings? I wonder if they have some sort of metric size. The bearings in the headset seem to be 5/32.

I noticed a clamp just above the top headset bearing race. What does it do? Can the location of the headset be changed?

I also posted on the mechanic board


BTW, what holds the headset together? I understand the 2 locknuts on a regular bike, but the birdy seems to have one bolt on the bottom of the fork. Is it the 'star nuts' that act like springs?

pm124
10-13-06, 11:23 AM
Hard to find a used one! No one gives them up. I would recommend posting on the Birdy forum at: http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/birdybike/. Since Birdy and Dahon have their own forums, there are very few owners of either of these bikes here. But Birdy Austrailia has online repair manuals with all of the specifications.
geo8rge
10-14-06, 06:16 PM
Hard to find a used one! No one gives them up.

$250 craigslist. Has many small problems including scored rear rim + missing spoke (which I did not catch when I bought it), scratches, other little stuff. New Schwalbe tires for some reason.

BTW the head set came together fine after overhauling the bearings. The headset design is not very secure so the bearings really take a beating.