RALEIGH Superbe headset
 

I am looking for bearing retainers for 1" headset on a 1969 Raleigh Superbe. The manual says 5/32 x 25 per upper and lower and so far have had no luck finding retainer rings for that quantity and size. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

The prevailing sentiment is to just use loose balls without retainers. Fill it to the max and remove one ball. Sticky grease holds it in place for reassembly. It'll work better, last longer

I thought about reassembling that way but wasn't sure. I have a package of 100 ball bearings so I'll give it a whirl.
Thanks!

If you find it binds a bit once you rebuild it, just remove another ball bearing.

I fill to max and remove two, because why worry about what "full" or "max" means or whether one was enough, but whatever floats your boat.

I find that removing two works better than removing just one. If the HS is too full, it will bind.

25 bearings top + 25 bottom is correct if installed loose.

Why do you want to use a retainer?