+1. Aluminum bearing cages have always been a sore spot with me. They almost always bend, often arrive bent in the box. Needle and ball bearing headsets, these days, have tinfoil cages. I keep a supply of older headsets on hand and swap out the bearing cages, especially with Ritchey and Tange lower-end models. Some of those old steel headsets use the same size bearings/cages.
I've often wondered if I could make millions producing sealed bearings that go into older headsets in place of the bearing/cages. I continue to contemplate same, but only for a few seconds.
Still, I'd generally spend $40 for a nice used older Stronglight A9 over 2/3 of today's offerings. After that, I can't outperform the headset and it ceases to be an issue.
Originally Posted by
Bikedued
If that's a needle bearing headset, which it appears to be by the wide angled cups, then that might cause a vibration also. I had one that would never get tight. It would "feel" tight, but would still thump and thud when I'd hit a bump. I replaced it immediately, and no more issues.,,,,BD