Also, I really value all of your help, I'm just trying to buy the right part from Amazon so if anybody could just tell me what will press in and replace these bearings currently in there I would be very very thankful.

https://www.niagaracycle.com/categor...saAolGEALw_wcB


https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...hp?category=98

I understand the desire to replace everything (even when its working fine). After a considerable bit of experience in life, I leave be things that work. If I were you, I'd leave good bearings in the bike and reassemble. My two cents: ignore as you see fit. I'm an engineer and can get a bit OCD about everything being perfect so I understand the “make everything new” sentiment.

But you've got a project.


First, some terminology. The tube on the top of the fork is a steerer tube. The tube in the frame that the steerer tube goes through is the head tube. The bearings, spacers, etc. that allow the fork to turn in the head tube is the headset. Your goal was to replace the headset bearings.


It would appear that you have a threadless headset, with sealed bearings. See the pic below. So you have a frame (which I think is alloy, from your pic). You have a bearing cup on the top and bottom of the head tube. These hold the bearings. Do not knock these out. You have the bearings in the cups, and (if we are reading the picture correctly) there is a retaining wire that fits in a groove in the cup and holds the bearing in. See the pic.


To get the bearing out, the first step is to remove the retaining wire. A small screwdriver should allow you to pry the end of the wire out of the groove and up. Then hold the wire out and go round the circle to remove the whole wire. Once that’s done you can try to push the bearing out with a screwdriver. Two things. First, make sure that you are pushing out the bearing, and not the cup. The cup stays where it is through all this. The next point bears on knowing that the bearings have inner and outer races. The cup is holding the outer race. In installing or removing (for later use) a bearing, NEVER TRANSMIT SHOCK FORCE THROUGH THE BEARINGS. That is, your screwdriver should push on the outer bearing race to remove the bearing, and you should not try to push the outer race out of the cup by pushing on the inner race. If you used the screwdriver, again, it’s tippy tap on one side and then tippy tap on the other side, making sure that your screwdriver is driving the bearing, and not the cup. If the bearing won't come out, you'll need a headset bearing removal rocket. Park Tools offers one. Look it up.

You need what is called an upper cone to replace the one you umm... artistically modified. This has a cone on the bottom that fits into the chamfered inner edge of the bearing that is shown in your pics. If you can figure out the brand you have, you might be able to order a replacement but I suspect you won't be able to ID the brand. So when you buy your bearings, get a compatible cone.



If you choose to remove the bearings, in addition to the bearing removal rocket, you will need a headset bearing installation tool. Again, look this up. A cheaper alternative is to buy some allthread (say 3/8 inch) and some nuts and washers. Again, make sure that the washers are pushing on the outer race to seat the outer race in the cup.



Check out to see how headset maintenance is done. And to figure compatibility.

[MENTION=419049]WizardOfBoz[/MENTION] thank you for such a weath of information and it actually did help me a lot to get the terms right, the videos and so on. I'm a VERY visual learner so that's the exact type of information I need. I'm also concerned about long term serviceability in all honesty so I would MUCH rather just replace everything and know what I'm dealing with up there. I'm going to buy this set and use this:

https://www.amazon.com/FSA-141-2335-...earing+headset

This way I can service it with ease and I know I'm all set and have some peace of mind. I don't love sealed bearings honestly even if they are better in the dusty desert and I like messing with stuff so I don't mind repacking them once a year to keep them in good shape. I'm going to put 1,000 plus miles on the bike this year I'm guessing so I'm trying to make sure it's in good shape.

Funny, I spun a bearing on a 14,000 pound Chevy i-beam front axle and destroyed the spindle threads but I was still 1,000 miles from home and low on cash. In all honesty that was easier for me to deal with than this is mostly because I don't understand what I'm working with having never done it before so the visuals are a huge help.

Tuscon, just a note: the thing you propose buying is the whole headset. That includes the bearings and the cups that are pressed into the frame. I would suggest that you need only the sealed bearing replacements, and the top cone washer (the think with the plastic top that got mangled). Pressing the cups of the the frame (and getting new ones back in will be, I think, much harder. Plus, more expensive. Get that sealed bearing out of the bearing cup in the frame. Measure it. It will conform to one of the sizes listed here.

Even if you do buy the whole headset, you need to make sure that the cups will be able to fit into the frame (sizes vary). Read here about what measurements you need.

The only wear item in the headset are the sealed bearings. If you order just the bearings, they look like this (but make sure you get the right size):

Thing is Economy of scale, econ 101, a bike factory orders many a thousand pieces driving the cost down,
you may not find the bearings, bought separately, at such a reduced price

Thus the whole assembly may be less than just the bearings..

This is 100% accurate! It's far more work for me to replace any single part in an already used set of unknown origin than it is to just replace the entire thing. Now that I know how this works I could press in a proper fitting set and have it done in 20 minutes or less. I would spend far more time, money, energy searching for a new set of bearings and replacement parts than I would buying a sub $20 headset and calling it done.

Good lord, this is just a headset replacement!

This is not that hard. Some people are making it sound like he is contemplating fabricating and welding on a new headtube.

Tap out the old cups, press in the new ones. It not that hard for someone with any mechanical abilities, which it is pretty obvious the OP has more than enough of.

Bingo. Plus, the existing headset is a true oddball. Start from scratch with all KNOWN and MATCHING parts. Easy, fast, peace of mind. Worth the price of admission and then some.

Integrated headset bearings , those are cane creek go into a machined frame head tube, you dont have that ..


[/QUOTE]

Recognizing them.. I have a bike with those, they fall out as soon as you loosen the fork/stem bolts..

Thank you, this is how I felt but started to worry I was missing something, it's an $80 frame and fork so I'm trying to keep things simple. Sooooo, what are my chances this will work:

https://www.amazon.com/FSA-141-2335-...earing+headset

Should I spend $10 more and get this:

https://www.amazon.com/Origin8-Pro-T...set&th=1&psc=1

I would go for the second option as it has sealed cartridge bearings instead of caged bearings.

I mean, even caged bearings are fine, but the nice thing about sealed cartridge bearings (especially since Origin8 is a well known brand) is that you can just replace the bearings themselves very easily (they normally just pull right out). That is something you might have been able to do with this headset, but it does not seem all that clear what this headset was, and you already have some mangled parts.

Just make sure you get the right size (1-1/8" vs 1").

Either would be fine IMO for that bike. Measure the inside diameter of the head tube (FRAME) and make sure the head set cups are the matching size.

Also be aware of stack height. The fully assembled new head set may be slightly taller or shorter that the old one. You would the need to remove some of the existing spacers, or add some. If the bike previously had NO spacers, make sure you buy a head set with an equal or shorter stack height. That way the stem clamp wont be positioned too high above the fork steerer tube.

Wrote this, in order to get (all?) the existing standard sizes and types in one place, with explanations of what to measure and how (in the linked posts):

03) Bicycle headset bearings standards - SHIS - Bike Gremlin - Bicycles

So I may learn something here. My read from the pics is that the OP has sealed bearings, seated in a steel cup, pressed into his alloy frame. No?

OP, I may have misread the pics. If you can get that retaining ring out, and you have a set of ball bearings in a retainer, then this proves I was wrong. I'm beginning to think I am.

If so, then you would need to replace the headset if you want to go "all new". Or, you could clean the bearings and the races with mineral spirits, and regrease the thing, and reassemble.

That's what I see, never had them on a bike before but have on a lot of vintage motorcycle wheel bearings.
Sorry late to the game and didn't read the whole post when I replied.

Glenn

Well, I made myself some tools, one for the lock nut on the bottom bracket (just required some grinding on an old tool I had in my truck) and one to hammer those cups out. I originally had much longer slits and got the bottom cup out no issue but the top one I bent the "fins" on the tool so I had to cut them shorter to get them to work properly. That didn't work sooooo, plan b is I'm going to weld a washer to the cup and pound it out. Anyway, I'm just going to press in the bearing in the first post that I linked to. Now at least I can help others in this same situation as this was way less complicated than I thought it was.

The little quad copter is there for no good reason at all.

GOT IT!!! Iced the cup and gave it a good whack and out it came! I will post pictures when done but I'm following up so if anybody else finds this they have a conclusion.

Did you have a "knocking" headset? While riding was the stem area making a metal-on-metal rattle like noise?

Nope, I was just swapping out some parts and the fork was rusty and pitted so I wanted to address the issues promptly.