My riding buddy has an '88 Trek 1000. While on through work stand the other day we noticed that the neck would stay straight and inline. We got to playing with it and noticed an ever so slight "bump stop" or "catch", if you will, when ever the fork is centered. You only notice it while not riding and when slowly turning the fork. Its as if there's a spot in there that allows for the neck to stay centered better. Is this made that way or does he maybe have an issue inside his neck?

I'm going to need a translation of your post to be of much help. Sorry.

I think you may be trying to tell us that the headset needs to be serviced or replaced. Does that sound about right?

You mean that the headset "catches"? Head and neck refer to human anatomy. Headset and stem would refer to the bicycle.

I think that the races are scored from the headset being too tight or there is simply not enough grease in the headset. This is not a "feature" but a problem.

It is doing what is called "indexing" which means in the head set in the last 24 years has worn out and really needs to be replaced. Sometimes you can use it a bit longer if you take it apart and put indivinual balls into the head set instead of caged bearings. It happens because most of the time when you are riding the wheel if facing straight and 24 years of road bumps have dented the bearing races. Myself I would just put a new head set on the bike. Roger

that's a feature, it makes it easier to work on when in the repair stand hehehe

Maybe take the bike to the chiropractor to get some work done on its "neck"?

Yes I'm referring to the head set.

Make sure the legs are centered. Are it's nuts straight? If so I wouldn't worry about it.

I believe you hit the nail on the head my man!

if it is indeed indexed, sometimes i can get away with just replacing the crown race. these can be purchased for a few dollars. they come with two common inside diameters. make sure you get the right one if you go this way. the LBS may be able to install one if you've already got the correct one. but then again i think you can purchase an inexpensive tange m30 or something for about 15 dollars, online.

or, alternatively, it's always possible to just take it to the LBS and say "i think i need a new headset, how much do you charge to install the most inexpensive one?" or words to that effect. last time i did this i think it was about 45 dollars all together.

If you cn easily ride with no hands its OK, it you cant it needs to be replaced.

An overhaul with new bearing, perhaps sans retainers, may solve the problem too.

Justin, I'd l like to use that picture to teach my bike mechanics class this summer. Where did you get it? I'd like to see if there's a higher-res version.

Thanks.

If you're not a wordy, like me, you can stop reading further:

If I remember right, Jobst Brandt said the proper word for the little notches that the bearing gets in this way is brinell. He used it as a verb: the headset is brinelled. I just looked the word up and don't find any listing of the word as a verb. Merriam Webster's dictionary lists "brinell hardness" as a noun:So I guess this means that the brinell hardness test will damage the surface to find out how much force the surface can (and can't) withstand. The resulting damage somehow took the name brinell, too, or at least in informal speech among mechanical engineers.

Unfortunately, though he's alive, I understand Brandt is disabled so badly that he can't write about it any more. I'm sad about that.

https://www.google.com/search?tbm=is...l950l16.1l17l0

I had that "self centering feature" on my 79 Schwinn LeTour IV when I picked it up a couple years ago. After stripping down, cleaning, and rebuilding, MOST of that went away...a lot of built up tar/grease, but the races were lightly dimpled or "Brinelled"

I've always noticed that one is slightly lower than the other.

I do have issue as well.