Hi there ,

I recently purchased a second hand all mountain bike , a commencal meta 5 2006 with a cane creek Aheadset . Its an external cup 34 headset . I think the headset may be worn and needs to be completely replaced but I`m not entirely sure .

The problem with the headset is that it seems impossible to find that sweet spot where the steering isn't stiff and where the headset isn't knocking and loose . The best I can manage is to tighten it to a point where there is just a little bit of play in the headset and a slight knocking when I hold the front brake and rock the bike If I tighten all the play out then the steering is very very stiff and grainy and Im working in small turns of the allen key each time .Is this normal ?or should I be able to tighten it right up and have normal steering ?

I've opened it up and put lots of grease in there . The bearings are held in steel cages that are themselves in bearing cups which can be pried open . I've considered replacing the bearings but have found them very hard to find anywhere as they are tiny , much smaller than those 5/32 bearings . Also there fork race , the ring that sits on the suspension fork seems a little worn but I wouldn't be an expert on that .

So hoping to get some advice , should I get a new headset in or should I experiment with bearings ?pretty sure Im doing the tightening of the headset correctly , Ive watched about 2 hours of youtube how to videos on it

Thanks in advance