Headset bearings question
 

I have a 2012 FC frameset with the original Felt fork. The upper headset bearing cartridge recently came apart. I bought a set of Cane Creek 42/52mm 45x45 cartridge bearings as replacements, but the inner diameter of the 42mm cartridge is slightly too small for the compression ring to fit inside it. Does anyone know what brand/size of cartridge bearing would work for this frameset?

Below is a photo of the two bearings that were installed previously (black) alongside the Cane Creek bearings (green). As you can see, the cartridge styles are somewhat different. Also, the Cane Creeks are 6.5mm thick and the old ones are 8mm thick, but the style and thickness don't seem to be an issue as far as I can tell -- just the inner diameter of the smaller bearing. (Fyi, I did reach out to Felt directly with the same question, but thought I would try here as well.)

Thanks!

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4a1035209d.jpg

:)

When I looked for headset replacement bearings for my bike, I found that some have different angles on them. Most common is 45 and 36 degrees. Could it be simply that the angle is not the right one preventing the race to fully seat in there?

A little bit of money (spent at your LBS) might save you a lot of time (spent on bikeforums, measuring tools, internet suppliers, and waiting for FedEx or UPS to show up). There's way too many "standards" to be able to guess which headset bearing to order. It would be worth it to me to see if your OEM also sells spare parts, or take it to the bike shop and let them play "order and fit."

Of course, your financial situation and/or valuation of your own time may vary.

Junk the OEM headset and throw in a new Cane Creek. Might as well have your LBS do it unless you want to spend $200 on tools for one job. You'll never have to buy another one. You can order directly from them.

Unless the cups are actually integrated to his headtube...

Set them on top of each other? if they are not the same size , (identical)

contact your Felt dealer and find our who supplied what was on there.

from the factory..

Did you ask Cane Creek for the correct size? Try here. https://blue.canecreek.com/headset-fit-finder

Thanks for all the replies. I heard back from Felt and they were able to point me in the right direction (FSA bearings). To address some of your questions, the headset is integrated, so no swapping it out. And I did actually start out at the LBS, which measured the existing bearings and ordered the Cane Creeks for me, saying they should work. Unfortunately, the ID of the top bearing cartridge was about 0.5 mm too small. Now I have to see if the LBS will let me return them. I'm hoping so. Thanks!

I just had a new headset installed at my LBS. It is an early 90s steel frame with 1 inch head tube. I did not want to spend the money on tools. The LBS had issues with getting a head set that would work due to the inside diameter of the crown race. They wound up getting a Campy headset that fits properly, and, I have to admit, looks nice. It was considerably more expensive than I was planning on but that is ok. Of course, after the fact, I found the crown race from the original headset in a bits and pieces drawer. That would have worked with the initial head set the LBS tried.