Plastic bearing cap on my Bianchi headset..........?
11-15-11, 08:02 PM
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Plastic bearing cap on my Bianchi headset..........?
I have never seen this before......was this common? I understand the need for lightness but this had no chance of surviving (much less lasting to the vintage stage). Are these available?
11-15-11, 08:25 PM
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yes, it was common on middle to lower end LBS sold models of that era.
Just because something is old does not mean it is considered vintage from a collectors or value perspective.
-j
Just because something is old does not mean it is considered vintage from a collectors or value perspective.
-j
11-16-11, 07:49 AM
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11-16-11, 07:56 AM
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I guess my question should have been..are these caps available in stainless or some other suitable material. I would like to keep the bike as original as possible.
11-16-11, 08:30 AM
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It was common for this part to be made of plastic, but I have never seen them break.
They are not available in some other material. You will need another headset.
They are not available in some other material. You will need another headset.
11-16-11, 10:24 PM
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I'm not familiar with these, but from what I see in the lower pic the plastic cap is just cosmetic and protective (to keep out dirt)...the threads to the steerer tube and the races seem to be metal, so you could probably still drive it...if you really wanted to.
11-17-11, 05:13 PM
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That looks very similar to Stronglight's B10 heaset (More commonly known as the B. Hinault model), specially if it has needle bearings in it.
French companies like Stronglight supplied Italian bicycle and component makers with re-badged and slightly modified versions of their products in the 80's so this could be one of those items.
If it is a re-badged Stronglight B10, then the headset is toast, as that plastic cups (most likely Delrin) supports the bearing race inserts shaped like cones that the needle bearing ride on.
Some Italian mid level companies also unabashedly copied some French designs of that time, so this could also be something like an Italian Miche brand headset (Thier Primato headset looks suspiciously like very close copies of Stronglight headsets) with the same needle bearing and plastic cup design as the Stronglight B10. I say that because the lock nut profile and finish looks a bit different from what you would see on a Stronglight B10 or A9 headset.
Chombi
French companies like Stronglight supplied Italian bicycle and component makers with re-badged and slightly modified versions of their products in the 80's so this could be one of those items.
If it is a re-badged Stronglight B10, then the headset is toast, as that plastic cups (most likely Delrin) supports the bearing race inserts shaped like cones that the needle bearing ride on.
Some Italian mid level companies also unabashedly copied some French designs of that time, so this could also be something like an Italian Miche brand headset (Thier Primato headset looks suspiciously like very close copies of Stronglight headsets) with the same needle bearing and plastic cup design as the Stronglight B10. I say that because the lock nut profile and finish looks a bit different from what you would see on a Stronglight B10 or A9 headset.
Chombi
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