When is it worth fitting an expensive headset bearing?
I don’t know if you read my previous post on Winter Riding Maintenance Tips but I wrote about how I’m seeing people using expensive lightweight race bikes through the winter months. Again, why would you? 😉
Recently I had a Specialized Tarmac SL7 Pro in for a service, it’s a lovely bike, Shimano Ultegra Di2 disc brake groupset and Roval deep carbon wheels. During the inspection it was easy to tell that there was something wrong with the headset bearings. Turning the bars was noisy and they felt rough. Time to get them out and inspect them.
Tarmac SL7 Pro
For those that don’t know, the Tarmac SL7 Pro has the hydraulic brake hoses pass internally through the handlebars under the stem and into a stack of spacers, some but not all can be taken apart to allow them to be taken off the brake hoses. The hoses then pass through the centre of the upper headset bearing. The rear hose passes down through the headtube into the downtube on its way to the rear caliper. The front hose enters a hole in the fork steerer tube just above the lower headset bearing and then runs internally down inside the left fork leg and comes out just above the front brake caliper. It all looks lovely aesthetically and I’m sure saves an important couple of watts aerodynamically too when riding at 45Km/hr.
Remove Both the Headset Bearings
In order to remove both the headset bearings, I had to disconnect each hose from the shifter and cut off the section of the hose with the olive attached to allow the compression nut to slide off. This is because the internal handlebar routing holes aren’t big enough to allow the compression nuts to pass through.
Once the hoses have been removed from the bars the fork can be dropped out the headtube. The front brake hose needs to be pulled through the fork leg to allow the lower headset bearing to be removed. The fork and bearing services need to be cleaned, new bearings installed and the reverse of the disassembly process to build the front end back up.
Headset Replacement
Now it’s at this stage that you need to keep your fingers crossed. Having cut approximately 10mm of hose off, this shorter hose length has to be reattached with a new barb and olive. You might be able to do this for the first headset replacement from new but its tight. Success will depend on how much spare hose was pushed inside the frame when the bike was originally built. If you are able to get it all to reconnect then both brakes need bleeding afterwards. It’s probably a 2-4 hour job depending on experience, and having the tools to hand.
It’s OK if you didn’t follow the above and don’t worry because writing that in an easy to read, clear manner feels the same as undertaking the work itself, it’s painful. Next let’s consider the costs if we’d required new hoses. A rear 1700mm SM-BH90 brake hose is SRP £34.99 and the shorter 1000mm front hose SRP £29.99. 100ml of genuine red Shimano mineral Oil is £8.99. 2-3 hours labour at £55/hr. We’re at £185-240ish.
Winter Riding
Now winter riding as I’ve said before is harsh on bikes, so depending on how much you ride and the conditions lets guesstimate that we get a couple of years out of the headset bearings, the lower one in particular. You can see the maintenance costs racking up.
Cue the Ceramicspeed SLT headset bearing. There’s loads of information on the Ceramicspeed website but in essence they’ve developed a headset bearing that is encapsulated to prevent dirt ingress and corrosion whilst maintaining lubrication. Best of all they come with a lifetime warranty. Obviously, there are T’s and C’s. The cost is circa SSP £114.99 each so £230 for the SL7 Pro. It’s at this point when you think about the total cost of ownership for a premium bike like the Tarmac SL7 with a high level of internally routed hose integration. It now seems worthwhile buying these bearings to prevent repeated dismantling of the front end and hose replacement. Some good bike manufacturers are already considering this. Take a look at the Pearson Forge and see what headset it comes with, they’re a brand that are considering their customers ongoing needs.
Counter Point
The counter point I guess is that some might want to make an argument for regularly stripping down the bike and inspecting the steerer tube for integrity where the brake hoses rub on it as the fork turns. Food for thought, I think.
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Scott
fitmybike.co.uk