Pro tip: Check your headset bearings before they seize

I pulled apart a customer's bike last week and found the headset bearings were completely rusted solid. The grease had turned into crusty clay after just 2 winters of salt spray. Has anyone else seen these cheap sealed cartridges fall apart way faster than they should?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_cora11d ago

The sealed cartridges are honestly such a mixed bag (some last forever, others die in one season). Had a similar situation with a customer's commuter bike where the headset felt like it was filled with sand, turns out the bearings had water ingress from a cracked seal. It's wild how fast they go when salt gets involved, especially if someone just hoses the bike off without actually drying anything. You definitely did them a solid by catching it before it wrecked the frame or stem.

young.emma11d agoMost Upvoted

Replaced enough gritty bearings that I've started checking seal condition before even looking at my own bike.