I am having some headset problems at the moment with water getting into the bottom bearing and trashing it. I suspect my poor cleaning technique is causing the problem when I clean the fork crown with the hose water goes up the steerer tube and then drips back down the inside the head tube and rests on the lower bearing causing it to rust. I appreciate this is where I am messing up but why have the hole open in the first place?

Off to dry my bearings again!

ND

“I clean the fork crown with the hose water goes up the steerer tube and then drips back down the inside the head tube and rests on the lower bearing causing it to rust”

No it doesnt – not physically possible – even with bits missing i doubt you could get water to do that. *

sounds like a poorly sealed lower bearing to me and the waters getting in through there.

*Unless you drilled holes in your steerer 😉

How tight are the spacers on the top? Provides enough seal for me, also the water would have to pass back through the seals on the top of the headset to get in there. Unless the seal at the bottom is crap?

Pack it full of grease.

There is the chance that the frame is taking on water and running through the frame when you handle the bike and getting trapped in the steerer.

hose water goes up the steerer tube and then drips back down the inside the head tube

doubt it…

You need a Crud Bung.

the hose water goes up the steerer tube and then drips back down the inside the head tube and rests on the lower bearing causing it to rust.

this doesn’t happen

it’s down to poor sealing in the headset, the bits that are supposed to protect it from the mud and crap being flung at it from the tyre, and you pointing a hose at it

OK so that is my theory blown apart. I cant work out how I am getting so much water in it then. I do not deliberately point a hose at and of the bearings on the bike, but with the headset I get a lot of corrosion around the lower bearing. I presume, based on the above that it must be coming from the crown race / lower bearing seal. Can anyone explain why I would end up with mud on top of the star nut as well? Clearly need a lesson in bike cleaning here!

You could try one of these .

Old bar end and a dab of superglue, steerer tube is blocked on my forks.

Can anyone explain why I would end up with mud on top of the star nut as well? Clearly need a lesson in bike cleaning here!

Mud in the steerer tube from riding, then you stick a hose up it shooting it all to the top of the steerer tube.

Mice

I discovered that my headset dies because water gets in the holes for the unused internal cable guides and drips out of the headset.

Old bar end and a dab of superglue, steerer tube is blocked on my forks.

mMMMMM any water that does get in is now trapped.

Also what if you need to change the star nut? Actually quite handy being able to push stuff out the bottom of the steerer tube.

Also what if you need to change the star nut?

a lot of steerer tube internal diameter narrows at the base so knocking a sfn all the way through isn’t possible, anyway?

Also did the poster above mean bar plug not bar end?

Its not a Crank Bros Cobalt headset is it?
Its more likely water getting sprayed into the lower race from front tyre. A neoprene headset cover will keep the worst out, just remember to take it off once you put the bike away to let it dry out, otherwise it’ll hold any moisture in there.

Think i’d use an expanding bung thing if i couldn’t knock the star nut out the bottom.

No a Cane Creek S3, with a creak ironically. Just takein it apart again looks like the crown race has a rubber seal that has perished so it liiks like I have at least one source of the problem. Can’t buy damn crown races for them though!

Occam’s headset

Just get a Hope

Does anyone know if the 40 series crown race fits an S3?

A neoprene headset cover will keep the worst out

more like worst in..