I just installed the headset cups on a new frame. I haven't greased everything up yet for the final install... but when I put the whole thing together to just test it out, I'm finding that the lower seal has a significant gap between the crown race and the cup. I've shoved the fork as high as it will possibly go and there is still a gap!

Did something go wrong? Did I over-press the headset cups somehow? Is something awry with the crown race? Or is this gap normal? Will the whole problem go away when I grease it up and tighten the whole thing down? My gut says something is wrong... I don't see how the seal will stay up without the crown race physically holding it up.

I included a picture. It's a cheap Aheadset on a steel frame. I had my LBS install the crown race and star junk, everything looked fine. I used a homemade headset press out of washers and a 10in bolt ($4.90 from the local hardware store). This is the first headset I've pressed myself... in fact, my first time working with a new headset. And yes, the bearings are oriented correctly.

Thanks for any tips...

Are they caged ball bearings? I know you said they're oriented correctly, but I'd try flipping 'em over and see if the gap goes away.

I doubt you over-pressed anything. It could be that headset just has a gap like that...

yes, they are caged bearings. i had already tried flipping them (to the wrong direction) and the gap remains.

I can't imagine it would have a gap like that... it would be completely exposed and I'd have to repack it every month. I've never seen a gap like that... is that common???

Hmm, I'd guess they either didn't get the crown race snugged down enough, or that headset just has a gap like that.

If you're gonna ride in the wet, you could always rig up the poor man's sealed headset - cut a 1/2" section of innertube and fit it around the headtube before fork insertion, then slide it down over the gap after fork insertion. It does induce a slight steering damping action, but increases required headset maintenance intervals.

Anyone else have any idea what's going on with this gap?

Are the two bearing cups identical? Did you accidentally flip them around when installing them?

No, the bearing cups are not identical... at least not aesthetically. If I instead would have flipped them around when I installed them, then the words "Cane Creek" would be upside on the bottom cup. I seriously doubt that is my mistake.

My biggest concern is still that I over-pressed the bottom cup. I thought I had plenty of washers positioned inside the cup so that the force was being exerted on the inside diameter. However, there is a chance I over-pressed it and exerted too much force on the outer cup rim, essentially squashing it by 1mm. But the cup is still properly shaped-- at least it looks proper. I'm not sure how easy it is to have this happen, but everything still fits fine... except that lower retainer ring keeps falling by just a bit.

Do any mechanics have anything to say on this?

I've installed a few headsets with your method without washers inside the cup and I've never bent the cup walls. They are very strong.

Stuff, like that lower retainer ring, shouldn't be moving around. Try putting it all together and see where that gets you - it may just disappear. And if and when you put it together and it the are "feels" right, as in correct preload with no play, then it is likely that it is like that.

Maybe the head "set" is not really a set; this crown race may have the wrong shape, so it does not fit the cup. Just guessing.

I agree your installation method wouldn't distort the bottom cup unless you got REAL ham-handed about it and that would have damaged the top cup also.

Did you buy this headset as a complete NIB unit from a dealer or on E-bay from a private seller? If the later, you may indeed have mismatched parts or a missing seal.

On my headset, also cane creek, there is a plastic 'washer' that goes where that gap is. It is just hard plastice so it doesn't seal it but just fills the gap. Is there any movement in that bottom bearing? Does the race push the bearings against the cup? Have you checked that the top and bottom bearings are the same size? If not the bottom ones are likely to be bigger and you may have put the top ones in the bottom bearing.

The headset was NIB from a nearby shop. I'm hoping this problem will simply go away after I tighten everything down with the spacer and stem addition (I'm still need a brake hanger I want to throw in there so the final setup is pending). I was just shocked to see so much play in the lower retainer/lower washer/lower seal, as the picture indicated.

This was the first new headset I've installed and I'm used to maintaining my others where that lower retainer creates a nice, solid seal with the lower cup. I tried another thing this morning: without the fork in the head tube, I just pressed the lower bearing cage down as hard as I could into the crown race. When I did that, it seemed to tighten up the lower retainer seal (which is that "plastic washer" made to fill that gap... it sits between the crown race and bearing cage) and will likely eliminate the problem.

I guess I just have to bear down on the thing once I'm ready to finalize the setup. I was just trying to figure out if it was normal for that lower seal to be so loose-- I was afraid I did something wrong during the installation. I still don't think it is supposed to be that loose... but I think I can make it work by the end. Maybe that's a small price I pay for cheap stuff.

Thanks.

I have had 3-4 Cane Creek headset of different models and none of them had that gap - you usually can't even see the crown race.

IMO, since the crown race rotates with the fork and the cup is fixed to the head tube, these parts must not touch. There must be at least a small gap for the bearing to operate smoothly. If sealing is required, it is accomplished with a seal, not by contact between the cup and the race.

If it is a Cane Creek, what is the model of your headset. Some of them appear to have a huge gap at the bottom which closed out (internally) by an elastomeric seal.

https://www.canecreek.com/110_headset.html

https://www.canecreek.com/headset_technology.html

That is not a 110. He said they are caged ball bearings, not the higher end sealed kind.