a77impala

I searched threads and found this term referring to a fork self centering. A friend has a '82 Peugeot that does that and he claims it is designed that way. I have had bikes do it and have serviced the bearings to correct it.
I don't want to tell him he is wrong without being sure. Does he need to service the headset or not?
Thanks.

HillRider

Your friend is absolutely wrong. It is not "designed that way", it is a defect and should be repaired.

"Brinelling" is a misnomer but it's used to describe the pockmarking of the headset races (usually the lower race) due to impact, lube breakdown and wear. The pockmarks align with the bearing balls and cause what is called "index steering" or the self-centering you mentioned. It interferers with the proper steering of the bike and in serious cases can be dangerous.

A quick and temporary fix is to replace caged balls with loose balls. That requires one or two more balls per race and the pockmarks no longer line up with the balls. The proper fix is to replace the headset with a new one followed by proper adjustment and lubrication to keep it from happening again. .

cny-bikeman

You can also remove the lower race that's installed in the head tube, rotate it slightly and reinstall.

hueyhoolihan

on occasion, i've been able to purchase a new bottom race for a few dollars...

rpenmanparker 

Keep in mind that today's ultra-stiff cable housings, especially when installed on the short side, can contribute to fork centering. If the bike in question has under-tape cable routing, the cables are just long enough, and the housings are very stiff, you may want to try disconnecting all the cables from the derailleurs and brakes and retesting the effect. No sense redoing the head set if that is not the problem.

HillRider

That's another only temporary fix and nearly as much work as replacing the damaged race with a good one.

AB@WDW

Sounds like your friend may have been and old customer of FBinNY! I found this last night while searching this topic myself:-Andy

a77impala

You may be right, he insisted it was designed that way. I don't really want to tell him he is wrong!
Thanks for the replies.

cny-bikeman

Temporary can be a long time, and finding a compatible lower race can take a long time as well.

HillRider

Tell him he's wrong because he is. FBinNY's tongue-in-cheek comment is not to be taken as a reason to keep a damaged headset. Yes, you can ride a badly indexed headset if you keep both hands on the bars but it is a bug, not a feature.

cnybikeman's posting above has merit because headsets for an early 1980's French bike are going to difficult to find.

JohnDThompson 

But has the advantage of being readily available, which isn't always the case for acquiring lower headset stack parts separately. While not a permanent fix, it can extend the life of the headset until a suitable replacement can be found.

a77impala

That is a good point, I had completely forgotten that!



cnybikeman's posting above has merit because headsets for an early 1980's French bike are going to difficult to find.[/QUOTE]

FBinNY 

He's wrong. The "cyclocross headset" was something I started as a gag. No headset is ever designed to index this way. OTOH the hazards of such headsets are greatly exaggerated. They're rarely noticeable when riding and even bikes with fairly severe indexing headsets still ride OK. However, they may be harder to ride no hands.

In my experience in retail, nobody ever brought in an index headset complaining of handling problems. It was always noticed while walking or working on the bike. The fact that it posed no riding problems is what made my XC gag credible.

IMO, the OP should ride the bike, and if it rides OK, not worry about it yet. It will get worse over time, and at some point he can decide it's time to replace it.

bkaapcke

Another temporary fix is to swap the upper and lower cups and add new bearings, caged or not. bk

FBinNY 

While there were a small number of headsets with the same cup in the frame upper and lower, (>> -HT- <<) the vast majority are not symmetrical and have both cups open downward, probably to shed water better, (>>--HT-- >>), so swapping upper and lower cups isn't possible because the upper HT cup is a cone.

Mr_Wrench

I'm confused. I usually tighten my headset adjuster ring tight enough to where the steerer locks forward. This is damaged? or is this only bad when it becomes this way naturally?

dabac

Steering is supposed to be a smooth motion across the arc. Indexing is always a bug and not a feature.
The traditional rule for headset tightening is to the point where there's no discernible play when the bike is rocked forward against a locked front brake.
Old townies sometimes have a spring between fork and downtube to help keep the front wheel aligned (during handling other than riding I presume).
Many mechanics keep either a bungee cord or a strap from a pedal clip handy to secure the front wheel of a bike that gets hoisted onto a workstand.
I think I've seen a properly engineered steering damper on a DH bike once. But again, that'll give a smooth motion across the arc.

Now, "bad" is a tricky word in these circumstances.
Is it meant to be like that - No.
Will it cause the bike to self-destruct, or you to lose control in a critical moment - hugely unlikely.

Revise your headset adjustment parameters.
Ride and be happy.
Replace when troubled by it.

Mr_Wrench

I think I remember reading somewhere that the steerer should be smooth. I'll probably keep it the way it is, it's packed full of grease. Maybe it will cause early excessive wear, but I don't know any other way to make it easier to pedal with no hands!

Sixty Fiver

Just where do they call you Mr ?

Mr_Wrench

In all fairness, years ago my local bike shop gave it to me that way. Good to know the "right way" but I'll keep doing it the "wrong way" on my bikes. Sure is an easy way to pedal without hands.

rpenmanparker 

Is no hands riding really that important to you? I doubt freezing the steering like that really does anything for no hands riding. You're kidding yourself.

SkyDog75

It seems to me that "locking" a bike's steering at all, whether forward or any other position, would hinder hands-free riding, not help it. When riding hands-free, you're constantly making small steering corrections by shifting your weight and you would want the headset to turn freely to allow it. It's the steering geometry that'll keep steering roughly centered, not friction in the headset resisting turning forces.

Mr_Wrench

My friends call me The Inventor, but I thought was too high praise. Hence, Mr. Wrench

Mr_Wrench

I'll loosen my headset back to "non-locking" and see how the hands-free pedaling is. Now I'm curious which way is better. I welcome you to try it my way, although you'll need a plumbing wrench and a shop rag to get it tight enough.

IthaDan 

Jesus Christ.