Headset "Dust Band" (?) Replacement?
08-30-17 | 06:53 AM
#1
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Joined: Dec 2014
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From: Raleigh, NC
Bikes: 1971 Frejus (now *nearly* tutti Italiano "City" Bike, Vitus 992, Peugeot PSV-10 (Modified: Triple Crank, "City" Bike)
Headset "Dust Band" (?) Replacement?
My headset looks like this: 
(note: the "dust band" (?) is missing from the top adjuster nut)
I'd like it to look like this:
(note: has a black "dust band" (?) around the top adjuster, covering the set screw which holds it in place)
I'd *love* to find an exact replacement part, but given that even *new* headsets like this are impossible to find, I assume I'm forced to improvise and make do as best I can.
My best attempt so far is a wide rubber band. It's a pretty good fit but it's blue and will need something like contact cement to keep it in place. Any better ideas? Has anybody here ever come up against this before?
(note: the "dust band" (?) is missing from the top adjuster nut)
I'd like it to look like this:
(note: has a black "dust band" (?) around the top adjuster, covering the set screw which holds it in place)
I'd *love* to find an exact replacement part, but given that even *new* headsets like this are impossible to find, I assume I'm forced to improvise and make do as best I can.
My best attempt so far is a wide rubber band. It's a pretty good fit but it's blue and will need something like contact cement to keep it in place. Any better ideas? Has anybody here ever come up against this before?
08-30-17 | 09:51 AM
#2
Bianchi Goddess
Joined: Apr 2009
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From: Shady Pines Retirement Fort Wayne, In
Bikes: Too many to list here check my signature.
A trip to your local hardware store or electronics store may be your best bet. Maybe some sort of O ring, plumbing gasket or drive belt would make a good temporary fix.
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“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
08-30-17 | 01:02 PM
#3
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From: Fredericksburg, Va
Bikes: ? Proteous, '65 Frejus TDF, '73 Bottecchia Giro d'Italia, '83 Colnago Superissimo, '84 Trek 610, '84 Trek 760, '88 Pinarello Veneto, '88 De Rosa Pro, '89 Pinarello Montello, 'Litespeed Catalyst'94 Burley Duet, 97 Specialized RockHopper, 2010 Langster
I have the same issue with a Mavic. Stacked O rings sounds good! 
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08-30-17 | 01:54 PM
#4
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A slice off a large enough inner tube coould work, stretched over that gap on the headset.....
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72 Line Seeker
83 Davidson Signature
84 Peugeot PSV
84 Peugeot PY10FC
84 Gitane Tour de France.
85 Vitus Plus Carbone 7
86 ALAN Record Carbonio
86 Medici Aerodynamic (Project)
88 Pinarello Montello
89 Bottecchia Professional Chorus SL
95 Trek 5500 OCLV (Project)
08-30-17 | 05:22 PM
#6
Ride, Wrench, Swap, Race
Joined: Jan 2010
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From: Northern California
Bikes: Cheltenham-Pedersen racer, Boulder F/S Paris-Roubaix, Varsity racer, '52 Christophe, '62 Continental, '92 Merckx, '75 Limongi, '76 Presto, '72 Gitane SC, '71 Schwinn SS, etc.
To make a good band, I would put a large-diameter sleeve of shrink tubing over the affected area, then shrink it with a heat gun.
Then I would remove the sleeve and trim out the part that fits where the band is supposed to be. Luckily the original is black, and gloss-black shrink tubing in large diameters is available. Perhaps a vendor could provide a manufacturer's sample of a short length of the product, then you could test it out and start producing and offering these replacements to the market.
Some Campag headsets have a similar issue with a rubber band covering an oil port.
I have some thick shrink tubing that it seems if I stretched it slightly might fit over a headset. I used a piece of it recently to modify the water spill-over level in a toilet tank!
Then I would remove the sleeve and trim out the part that fits where the band is supposed to be. Luckily the original is black, and gloss-black shrink tubing in large diameters is available. Perhaps a vendor could provide a manufacturer's sample of a short length of the product, then you could test it out and start producing and offering these replacements to the market.
Some Campag headsets have a similar issue with a rubber band covering an oil port.
I have some thick shrink tubing that it seems if I stretched it slightly might fit over a headset. I used a piece of it recently to modify the water spill-over level in a toilet tank!
08-30-17 | 05:32 PM
#7
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From: New Rochelle, NY
Bikes: too many bikes from 1967 10s (5x2)Frejus to a Sumitomo Ti/Chorus aluminum 10s (10x2), plus one non-susp mtn bike I use as my commuter
Buy a piece of heat shrink tubing in the color of your choice. Cut it overly wide, fit it and shrink it to a fit with a hair drier. Then use a razor blade to trim it to a perfect fit.
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An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
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