Hey, I picked up an old mountain bike and the plastic cover on the top cup of the headset is cracking and peeling back -- is this the time to replace the whole headset, or is there an easy part replacement? The headset seems to be in fine adjustment, but if I peel the plastic back I can clearly see the bearing retainer.

Thanks,

edit: correction, top cover called "seal" I believe...is this an easy replacement?

What make and model is this headset and is it threaded or threadless? Also, are the bearings you see loose balls in retainers or cartridges?

I've never seen any headset that had a plastic top race or bearing cover so I assume you are describing a plastic or rubber ring seal between the top and bottom halves of the upper race. If so you could just cover the gap with a sleeve made from a short section of defunct inner tube or find a suitable size O-ring at the local hardware store.

Pictures would certainly help.

I'll try to get one up there. The headset had a lizard skin cover over it, but I prefer to do the real fix if possible.

It's an "aheadset"...I know that. The bearings are set in retainers, but I don't know what size they are.

Aheadset headsets are available in threadless and threaded versions of some models, and some parts are sold separately. If this is a threadless headset then a universal top cover is available and should solve the issue.

Never seen a plastic top cover on a threadless headset before but something new always shows up. Did trip across a cracked plastic cover on a threaded headset on a road bike - but that was integrated with the upper bearing race and the whole headset had to be replaced because parts weren`t available.

Looks like you might get lucky.

They are? I thought "Aheadset" was a copyrighted name used just for threadless headsets.

Is there a good source for this universal top cover?

So maybe it might be worth a visit to the Ahead/Cane Creek website. The infos all there.

I think Aheadset was the brainchild of Tange.

I doubt you'll find a new seal for sale. I'd just keep rolling with the Lizard Skins and repack annually, maybe twice a year if you ride in the rain a lot. If you ever need to replace the Lizard skins, just cut a section of tube, remove stem and slide the tube section over top cup area.

The bearings will likely last for years like that.

Oddly enough Cane Creek sells top half of headsets. I think the S3 is probably what your bike needs, make sure first. But you could probably get a whole headset for not much more.

https://www.pricepoint.com/detail/211...t-Assembly.htm

Cane Creek is a marketing name for Dia Compe. The Cane Creek web site claims they were the ones to introduce threadless headsets and the Aheadset name. They also claim that currently the "Aheadset" line of headsets is their value and OEM level products and their better ones are sold under the Cane Creek name.

I did and you are right, they do indeed make a couple of threaded headsets under the Aheadset name. It's just not the name I think of when looking for a threaded headset.

I had similar issue with broken plastic top cover (I believe is Tange/Aheadset on 1998 Trek 6500), I replaced top cover with a 1-1/8 diameter plain steel washer. Added lizardskin-like cover, and the headset has worked fine since.

Aheadset was originally made by Dia Compe. THe name Cane Creek came later. Maybe Tange licensed the use of the design, but I don't think they ever actually used the name.

Back in the day Dia Compe 'Aheadset' headsets were quite good, and so were some others, but a handful came out with 'me-too' threadless systems where the adjustment system was terrible and unreliable.