So my buddy has a Kona Process and the FSA headset cup cracked into multiple pieces but held together. After a week in Scotland he asked me to service and I found this out. Contact the shop and they said he’d over tightened it. The bike hadn’t been touched since the shop PDI’d it but they didn’t want to know. So his lbs has just tried to fit a Hope headset and the headtubes flared as a result of the FSA failure. Where do we think he stands?

In the street with a knackered bike from the sounds of it.

If the shop are blaming him he’s unlikely to get anywhere in my experience. He could try to contact the manufacturer but they’ll most likely direct him to the shop who don’t want to know.

Very very hard to get a claim for consequential damage thru. He would have to show that the headset or fitting was faulty and that the fault definitely caused the damage to the frame.

Just fit a deep insertion headset and it will be fine. My tandem had an ovalised headtube ( user error). I fitted one with 20 mm insertion and used locktite bearing fit on it. Its been fine for years since

How old the bike is makes a difference tho. Under six months a claim is easier.

http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/consumer-rights-act

If it cracked and he kept riding it then he was a very silly boy.

Depends if it cracked, he noticed and continued riding. If so that is a pretty dumb move.

I’d do some googling for similar failures. If you can’t find any/many then wot TJ said about deeper cups

(you could push for a replacement under whatever SOGA’s called now and they’d “have” to demonstrate that there’s no inherent fault (assuming bike is under six months old). They may offer to help him out rather than go through that process … or they may not

He rode a bike with a cracked headset and didn’t notice? i’d have thought it would handle like a dog, but i’ve never had it happen to me.

I really think he’ll struggle to get anywhere when trying to claim on damage from using a broken part. As TJ says look at other options to fit it. Seek advice from a frame builder if the LBS can’t help.

can you really crack a headset cup by tightening the top cap? I’d have thought the star nut would fail first

An over-tightened headset cracked the cup? Really?

Lol, SP beat me to it. I thought the bolt would go first though.

One thing to consider is trying a different headset,

I had a Kona single speed with a straight 1″ 1/8th headset. A hope headset slipped straight in and out. A Chris King needed a bearing press.

I had a lower headset cup split horizontally, not sure when and it was only when I took the forks out that I found it.

Hasn’t affected the frame though.

Longer cup and Loctite sounds a good idea.

Its a cheapo crap FSA open bearing job. It worked fine despite the cracking, I dropped the forks to service them and out it came in 3 pieces. What caused it I know not. it wasnt overly tight, they just used that as a reason not to warranty it.

Surely if tightened to the point of breaking the cup, the steerer would have been pretty much seized?

Hard to think it wouldn’t be noticed.

I’d go back to the shop. Be knowledgeable anticipate the likely questions and have your answers ready. Read the SOGA. Google for similar failures. Be prepared to kick up a stink if the reasonable approach gets you nowhere.

If you still get nothing – approach a frame builder for advice

http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/regulation/consumer-protection-act-1987

and from the first set of exclusions in that link TJ

Reasons not to claim

While you can claim for most property damage or personal injury, there are certain types of damage explicitly excluded in the Consumer Protection Act.

Loss or damage to the product itself
Damage to business products not ordinarily intended for private use
Damage to property with a value below £275

In cases like this if the shop doesn’t want to deal, ask them what the importer told them? If you get no joy from the shop call the importer. You may be able to get a new headset but riding it after it went – was there really no noticable play in the steerer (there would probably need to be to damage it) will not help as you have caused the damage yourself at that point.

Contact the shop and they said he’d over tightened it.

What a load of carp. In all the years I’ve been wrenching I’ve never some across this issue. Tightening the SFN too much will add excessive load to the bearings, which depending on quality will make them feel awful. Theoretically it could load the cup against the top / bottom of the head tube but wouldn’t make any difference internally due to the way the forces are applied.

mikesmith – aye – a claim for consequential damage is very hard to get for a variety of reasons

I’d expect a loose bearing headset that was overtightened wouldn’t be too keen to actually steer at all.
They were bad enough when they new. Indexed steering anyone?

It felt ok, I dropped the forks out to service the lowers and the HS came out in 3 pieces with it.

Go back to the shop and keep going back, on Saturday mornings….

Or just get a deep cup headset and put it behind you.

He got it mailorder from wheelies iirc. Might just tell him to get onto Kona first and see what they reckon thus giving him ammo for the shop

Surely it’s a more likely the ovalised headtube caused the cracked headset cup rather than the other way around?

Get then to pay for a deep insertion headset and install with a dollop of araldite or liquid metal to fill the area of flaring.

Spray silicon over the headset cup prior to insertion so that the filler doesn’t stick and it come out nicely later.