Need some headset advice
 

For the last couple weeks of my commute, the bike's been making a ticking noise that I've finally isolated as coming from the threaded headset. I've been using it as my winter beater, and it looks like the combination of road crap and singletrack banging (no suspension fork) have worked the headset loose, fretted it, and generally crudded it up. The bike's not worth much, but I have had it for 15 years and I'd rather keep it, and I'd rather not have to invest much cash on it. I can probably deal with the fretting, but the ticking is driving me crazy.

Questions:
1) Is there a significant chance that there's a safety issue involved?
2) I want to eliminate the play in the headset, get rid of the noise, but not make the bars too tight to turn. How can I best do that?
3) I'm planning on cleaning and regreasing the headset. Can I use silicone grease on the bearings? I have some of that sitting around and I'm hoping to work on the bike tonight (probably won't have a chance to hit the LBS by then to get better grease).

Thanks.

1) Probably not. One of your races could be cracked though, which means a new race or headset. The crud could have beaten up the races that you'll want a new headset anyway. Or just clean it, replace bearings and ride as is.
2) See Park Tools or Sheldon
3) About any thick grease will do. You can use Phil Wood, Silicon, Lithium, Axle, whatever.

What type and size is your headset? If it's 1" threaded and the 38 mm stack height isn't too much, Nashbar has a house-branded cartridge bearing headset for about $15. I've had one on my Trek beater/rain bike for a couple of abusive years and it's still smooth and solid.

Probably best to replace. Headsets I put in the same category as chains: disposable. Unless you get a Chris King or the like.

Thanks all. What tools are necessary to replace the headset? I had figured that was outside the realm of what I could do with standard household tools, but if not I'm game. The Park site recommends the 'use expensive tools' approach (naturally), and sometimes it's tough to tell when low-tech alternatives are acceptable. Since we're talking about a beater bike, I'll settle for cheap, good enough, but safe.

Otherwise I'll try to see what I can do by just regreasing the bearings...or finding a decent LBS that can do it if necessary.

If I seem overly unwilling to just take the thing to the LBS...it's because my LBS is Performance. Blech.

try replacing the bearings first.
if they are caged, replace them with loose bearings to try and get rid of the indexing.

http://davesbikeblog.blogspot.com/20...placement.html
http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php...emover+headset

It can be done with relatively cheap tools if the bike is a beater and the frame's not delicate like carbon or light Al.

The old cups can be knocked out of the headtube using a brass punch or flat head screwdriver. Work around the inside edges of the cups tapping evenly so they come out straight. The crown race can be knocked off the fork the same way by tapping around the underside edges evenly too.

New cups can be pressed in using a length of all-thread rod, two nuts and two big washers. Grease them first. The new crown race can be seated with a piece of 1" pipe. Copper or PVC pipe are easier on the race but steel pipe works too.

BTW, the Nashbar headset should not cause any problems at Performance since they own Nashbar but ask what installing a headset costs before you go there.

look here for cheap tools...................these are fine for the "hobbyist"; not the "bike geek"..........everything you'll need for the price of 1 or 2 Park tools...........

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=94298